[terra85]

Having used a Celerio AMT for more than 20,000 kms mainly in whitefield ,i realised that AMT is not suitable at all for our stop go traffic, it just kept on getting jerkier . If within budget please buy anything else CVT/TC. In the initial days AMT wil be ok gradually it gets jerkier .

P.S- i brought an AMAZE CVT after getting rid of the celerio.

[Cyborg]

Tejas, I would suggest against any AMT, it becomes a pain to drive after sometime. You may feel you will be able to “live” with the jerks in a short test drive, but believe me it only gets more and more irritating with time.

I had a Ignis petrol AMT, absolutely loved the car overall and thought I could live with the AMT. Couldn’t bear it after a year and sold it off. It did not help that my other car is a Civic and I was constantly reminded of the irritant.

Please think about what I have mentioned carefully before putting your money down. Spend some more if need be and buy a CVT or a torque converter and live happily ever after

Cheers

[Researcher]

I was in the market for an automatic small car for usage by my mother (close to 60 years old, learnt driving our old manual Alto in January 2018 itself) primarily for travel to her college inside the city in crowded roads, back in April 2018. These were my findings then:
1. AMT: If you do not want to extend your budget over the manual by too much, and are willing to live with slightly jerky shifts (unless you lift off the accelerator every time you expect a shift to happen, but this is cumbersome), this is a good option. Fairly reliable and cheap maintenance even if something fails. My mother and I had separately test-driven a Celerio VXi AMT of a friend before we shortlisted Baleno as our car. This was also a reason that we rejected Brezza due to the comparatively noticeable shifts in the city. Its more manageable in highways, obviously due to lesser number of expected shifts.
2. TC: Very smooth and a better choice if you are opting for a heavy, diesel vehicle. My experience is from a 2012 Fortuner TRD 4X2 AT of my cousin, extensively used both in cities and highways (close to a lac kilometres now). I had also test-drove the Grand i10 before our shortlisting. The fuel efficiency in case of the i10 was lower compared to other cars, in the range of 7-8 kilometres per litre in peak traffic as confirmed by the salesperson (coincidentally a student of my mother, hence was honest about it). As per numerous reports here, rarely does a TC go wrong (with the exception of one Cruze report I read somewhere where some part had gone kaput).
3. CVT: Had driven the Baleno and Duster petrol before finalising. It takes sometime to build speed from a standstill and the highway overtaking leaves a lot to desire. But for pottering around in the city, I found it to be the best option. CVTs are failrly reliable too, provided you adhere to the maintenance schedules (busted Honda City CVTs can be found in the forum as early as 40K kilometres due to lack of oil change as recommended). Additionally, I found the fuel efficiency to be around 11 litres per 100 kilometres in the Duster's MID, probably due to its weight. We get around 13-16 regularly in the city (My mother is a very patient driver, at times she gets over 19 in the city itself) and around 17-19 on the occasional highway trips (variable style, both sedate and enthusiastic in the ratio 70:30).
So my suggestion would be to stick to the CVT if you can slightly adjust your city driving. AMT if you really cannot bear the highway performance of the CVT but can be okay with head-nods. No TC because you won't be benefited by a diesel with this low and infrequent running; but if you are okay with a slightly low efficiency petrol, try the EcoSport (unless you are unwilling to reconsider a Ford).
Also, both Swift and Baleno are very similar in build quality. I have seen less flexible sheets on Hero 110cc bikes. You will know if someone has sat on your car without your permission.

[TejasV]

Originally Posted by Neeraj1903

Because you have mentioned Nexon XZA, why don't you try the XMA variant? As long as it is a weekend car, the bells and whistles missing shouldn't be much of a concern. You'll get much safer car

I felt it was too bare bones, and really did not like the wheel caps on such a big/butch car. Will give it another shot and think about it. Thanks

Thank you so much for your valuable suggestions. Will surely consider a non amt - which in my case would only be the amaze i guess or the old i10.

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[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by TejasV

It is but is considerably expensive. The Amaze Automatic Mid variant with alloys costs Rs.10.5+ in Hyderabad. Considering that it would be a 2 seater at most times, I really wouldn't need the extra space (for the extra price).

Are you sure? Top spec VX CVT is 10.84 and Swift ZXI plus AMT is 9.88 here in Bangalore. for 1 lac more you get smooth CVT, bigger boot space. The V CVT is another 50K cheaper, will miss on touch screen infotainment though.

[TejasV]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Are you sure? Top spec VX CVT is 10.84 and Swift ZXI plus AMT is 9.88 here in Bangalore. for 1 lac more you get smooth CVT, bigger boot space. The V CVT is another 50K cheaper, will miss on touch screen infotainment though.

I was comparing the Zxi which in Hyderabad is 8.6(and then another 30lacs discount). But yes Amaze is something I am considering too.

[charanreddy]

Given its a highway only vehicle, I would say get something bigger. Nexon XMA should fit your bill perfectly even though you miss out on the touchscreen infotainment system.

Else also consider a manual as the need for auto box is not felt as much in the highway as in the city. The ALTROZ may be? Its a 5 star safety rated car. Or Swift, just for the engine. The Amaze manual isnt bad either

[kanishka88]

We have had 3 automatic cars at home at the same time before we sold the i10

1. Polo Gt TSi
2. i10 grand Sports AT with TC
3. Ecosport 1.5Ltr dragon T+ with TC

I would suggest to look out for a used 1.5Ltr dragon with TC - you could get a used eco sport or Ford Figo (best balance of power and gearbox). I saw your concern that you don't have a ford service center near by but to be honest you see the service center once in 10k kms. My experience with ford service was Excellent in 3 cities - Bangalore, Gurgaon and Bhopal and I am sure you would find the same. I also found ford's pick up and drop service to be reliable and the cars are built like tanks

I have had experience of 1.2 kappa both in their manual and automatic avatar's and in a very layman's term i find that engine super sluggish. I am not aware about its performance in the AMT variant but i am not sure you would find it very different from grand i10. On occasional highway drives this car was the worst to drive (add the soft suspension to it, with no offence to existing owners ). If you strictly want to choose between swift and i10, i would suggest choose the former.

[karan0009]

It is but is considerably expensive. The Amaze Automatic Mid variant with alloys costs Rs.10.5+ in Hyderabad. Considering that it would be a 2 seater at most times, I really wouldn't need the extra space (for the extra price).

I purchased Amaze V CVT for 8.63 on road (Gurgaon) in December 2019. Apart from touch screen, this variant has all the required features. I would suggest you to pick up CVT or TC over AMT transmission.

[TejasV]

Update:

As suggested by fellow members I went and had a more detailed TD of the Nexon XMA (Automatic Base) & Nexom XZ (2nd from top manual). Bot cost almost the same at 11.xx lacs.

Here's what I found:

Nexon Petrol XZ (Manual - 2nd from the top variant)

The Manual Nexon petrol is a hoot to drive! The greabox kept slipping to neutral from 1st before moving but when you slot it again, it worked fine. The car really, really pulls! Drove it at 100+ (speed limit on Outer Ring Road) and it was fantastic.

The gear shifts are notchy and the engine felt pretty loud (not really a complaint, I liked it but is clearly not the most silent petrol cabin).



Nexon Petrol XMA (Base AMT)

The AMT Nexon petrol's driveability is okay. This being the base loses out on the nice touch screen and gets a toned down music system and lesser features. The trade-in seems legit as you get an AMT.

The shifts aren't the smoothest - compared to Swift/Nios but not too bad either. Definetly felt much faster than both but not really as good in bumper-to-bumper traffic.


Now to the winner of sorts, till now ---> a variant that I have not actually driven ---> Nexon XZ Manual Petrol seems to be a whole lot more of a car for 10.2x on road!


Also, just an update: the Nios Sportz AMT & Swift Zxi AMT are not in stock and would take 3 weeks to arrive if I book now. Have about a week to decide so taking it slow and checking options that friends on Tbhp as suggesting.

The Nios Turbo will be in the showrooms by next week and would cost Rs.9.0x on-road in Hyderabad. Just tempted about the idea as the Nios AMT costs just as much in Asta avatar.

[ron82x3]

Couple of observations from a Grand i10 2017 asta (p) facelift owner and will talk about the advantages of the hyundai over the suzuki, because I as an owner do fully recommend it. I also have a suzuki in my family and know the difference.
1. Hyundai is more punchy in the mid range. Should definitely help in your highway runs.
2. Excellent high speed braking manners with no brake fade. ABS is calibrated superbly. No issues whatsoever.
3. Proven safety. While the swift is a proven unsafe car, my current guess is that the nios is equivalent to NCAP 4 stars if it would have been tested. I'm saying this after comparing results of other i10s in other markets whose crash test results are available.
4. You get an android auto enabled Touch screen infotainment which makes your experience as a highway machine complete. You only have to do without the rear wipers. This would largely help, because while travelling to new places, you will fall in love and bless this technology. You would simply plan more journeys and travel more because of this.
5. Fit and finish would be roughly the same as compared to swift so don't judge that parameter.
6. Fuel efficiency difference would be within 1 kmpl contrary to what others say. Expect 17 kmpl on the Hyundai in highways even while pulling over 100 kph.
7. Hyundai provides slightly bigger fuel tank compared to Suzuki= less stops in between trips. Was even greater in the grand i10.
8. Preferential and noticeably much much better after sales service experience. You won't have to plan days when to visit the service center unlike maruti.
9. In cabin insulation will be best in segment. Also less vibration because Hyundai uses hydraulic engine mounts.

Things that might bug you with the hyundai:
1. No adjustable front head rest.
2. Low end performance takes a bit getting used to. But no problem with the automatic. The kappa 1.2 pulls more cleanly to the red line compared to the k12.

[Stribog]

Purely from a function point of view, why even waste money on a car?

You could easily just use Uber / Ola on weekends and Zoomcar for your once in 2 month trips. You could do the math, and given your running, you will actually be losing money.

Unless there are more subjective reasons....one of which would be the sheer pleasure of owning a car (which really can't be objectively quantified)

If this is the case, why not go for a segment lower? Like you said the Tiago is a brilliant car, and it will suit your requirements to a T.

[TejasV]

Originally Posted by Stribog

Purely from a function point of view, why even waste money on a car?

Tried that for a long time. The place where I stay is bang in the middle of the IT hub here in Hyderabad and paying 5X fares in the mornings and evenings is the norm. The real issue is not getting cabs at all, people in our office literally plan and book before hand of take half day rentals over the weekends just so that they get cabs. And also, the independence and convenience of having your own car. I currently do not own one in this city. The Alto is in my hometown and I sold the Thar sometime back due to space/parking at old house I was staying in.

[Asish_VK]

Originally Posted by TejasV

Update:

As suggested by fellow members I went and had a more detailed TD of the Nexon XMA (Automatic Base) & Nexom XZ (2nd from top manual). Bot cost almost the same at 11.xx lacs.

If you are OK with spending about 11.xx lakhs , Why not consider Polo GT TSI ? There is no better automatic in that price range.

From your requirements (You + 1 Passenger), rear seat space is not a big concern.
Also Polo GT TSI is a very good highway car , safe and solidly built with high quality materials and it is fuel efficient too.

[TejasV]

Originally Posted by Asish_VK

If you are OK with spending about 11.xx lakhs , Why not consider Polo GT TSI ? There is no better automatic in that price.

VW doesn't have stock of any cars in my city. They sold everything including TR vehicles by Jan. I need a car in March.