[graaja]

Originally Posted by swapnil.awate

I think it is a right thread to clarify my doubt - If we discard AMT owing to jerkiness and DCT owing to reliability issues, we are left with TC and CVT as the only automatic options. By design and tuning, I always felt that TC is more suitable for predominantly highway drives and CVT is more suitable for predominantly city drive. Experienced people may throw some light.

Between CVT and TC, a well tuned TC is better suited for long drives, especially if this involves two lane roads with lots of overtaking, where CVTs would be a disadvantage with the rubber banding effect. But on 4 lane roads with not much quick acceleration required, CVTs would work fine as well.

[cake]

Originally Posted by drive1987

4. Hyundai Grand i10 Auto

I think the Grand i10 automatic isn't available anymore, correct me if I'm wrong.

[YashD]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

So I have kept 2 budgets -
1. Around 11 Lakhs for a good car with top features, little compromises on size, boot space etc
2. Extend this upto 14 Lakhs (max) for an excellent car with top features, almost no compromises and use it for quite some time.

Hi Dhruv, thank you for sharing the information. This brings in a lot of potential contenders in the game making the pick furthermore difficult. Now the following vehicles I would suggest you to check out as I believe most of them will fall in your budget.

Ford Ecosport AT - A pretty decent 6 Speed TC, It's fairly well equipped, the design is subjective but I find it a little old now though the interior quality along with fit and finish has improved by leaps. It's one of the best cabins in the industry right now and at par Hyundai. Moreover, where EcoSport shines is the way it drives, be it the ride quality or the handling and the engine performance of the Dragon. It's a brilliant package.

Upcoming Honda City - Going by the current market trend, I think the Honda City V CVT should fall in your budget. It will be fairly well loaded, I personally like the new design quite a bit thanks to the 3er like tail lamps and overall young yet matured silhouette. The cabin is typical Honda hence no complaints in terms of ergonomics. You can never go wrong with the i-vtec mated to CVT. I got the current generation and had the older gen in Manual, it just does the job beautifully. Yes! The CVT does have rubber band effect but only if you put your foot down, the moment you understand the gearbox and accordingly improve your throttle inputs, it will fly.

Upcoming Verna Facelift - Just like the City, Verna too is a vehicle which doesn't have much to complain about infact I personally like the Verna more than City as to me it always felt a much more accomplished product. Be it the way it looks, the way interiors are designed, even the interior quality and the parts all around, they just give you that tactile & lasting feel. I am yet to drive the 1.5 Petrol yet but I am sure it would be pretty nice going be various reviews of Seltos, a friend recently drove the IVT as he was planning to upgrade from Jazz and felt IVT is better than normal CVTs, as per him the rubber band effect is drastically less in it along with fairly brisk acceleration. In terms of Ride & Handling too, Verna has come a long way and will definitely keep you satisfied.

I would've recommended the Upcoming Vento & Rapid too but as you aren't much inclined towards the Germans and along with the reliability factor coming in, I will recommend you to stick to the Japs and Koreans for a first new car.

[GipsyDanger]

Dear lord, that segment your budget lies in is huge. Everything from premium hatchbacks, sedans, to compact SUVs...

I see you've shortlisted a few. Great choices, but, allow me to take on them:

• The Baleno is an incredibly well-priced, well-equipped car. Performance is always gonna be an issue with the CVT, especially in smaller engines thanks to the diabolical rubber-band effect. If you have driven the i20 CVT, which is heavier and has a slightly less powerful engine, you'd get a better picture. Regards to that, the Baleno would be a better option. A reliable choice, but not a safe one. The Heartect platform is NOT getting any glowing reviews from NCAP bodies. 3 stars is only strictly average. Go any faster than the tested speed, and it's gonna spell trouble. The build quality of the interiors isn't nice too. If you're gonna spend close to 10L on a car, it's really gonna matter.

• The Venue is a fantastic car. The turbo petrol is great. If you stretch your budget, it's really worth it. Well-built, well-equipped. It's a shame Hyundai decided to pair the wonderful engine to an utterly unreliable and needlessly complicated piece of transmission. By all accounts, the DCT is an engineering failure. It's been put in road cars for decades, and still people tend to avoid them like the plague. VW and Ford gave up. No doubt, Hyundai will too. It's not as fast as VW DSG, and still as unreliable. Multiple heating issues have been reported, mainly on the Seltos.
  
  So, nope, nope. Don't believe their stuff. The issues on brand new cars are still very real. Don't expect the company to just do a massive recall (it hasn't) and suddenly fix this in a jiffy after hardly a year of launch.

• Heard glowing reviews for the diesel CVT variant of the Amaze. It's smoother and has way more torque than the i-VTEC. I don't know if it's been BS6-fied. If it does, do consider it. Petrol is okay too. It's fared reasonably well (4-stars in GNCAP) in crash tests. The build quality is sub-par for a Honda though.
  
  Avoid the Jazz. The CVT variant is simply overpriced. Absolutely not worth the premium.

• The i10 NIOS has arguably the best AMT on offer, but I think it's way too overpriced for what it offers. If you're not too big on BS6, you can shell out a few more bucks and get the Elite i20 Sportz CVT, which is way better. It's getting massive discounts besides. I haven't read anywhere proving putting BS6 gasoline would affect performance and mileage, which is NOT the case with the diesel.

Please allow me to list out a couple of suggestions:

• EcoSport AT : The Titanium+ might stretch out to 13L, but I believe it's simply worth the premium. The 6-speed AT is reasonably quick, reliable and has yummy paddle shifters! It's got 6 airbags, it's well-built, looks reasonably good. Absolutely VFM choice. The next EcoSport with Mahindra JV is around the corner, but I believe it's gonna cost more. If the A.S.S in your locality is good, do check the EcoSport. Fantastic car.

• Tatas: I believe the company that makes multiple cars for your budget is Tata Motors. All of them proven to be well-built and safe. Reliability and overall quality has improved. Just watch out for some minor niggles.
  
  Rather than the i10, consider the facelift Tiago. The petrol might be anaemic, but it's a much better VFM proposition. Besides, it's got a confirmed 4-star rating, which even the "Elite" i20 couldn't achieve! Tata really cares about safety. It's well-equipped and well-priced.
  
  Or better yet, wait for the Altroz. An automatic variant is confirmed to be in the works. However there is no confirmation on what type of automatic. Consider if it's an AMT. Avoid if it's a DCT. Simple as that. 5-star NCAP rating is unheard of in this segment.
  
  Since you're open to spending dearer than 10L, consider the Nexon as well. The XZA Plus variant I believe would narrowly fit your criteria. Proven safety. The turbo petrol is amazing too. The AMT might be inferior to EcoSport's torque converter, but still a good choice compared to stuff like DCT or CVT.

• You can't go wrong with the Brezza. If you're strictly into Maruti Suzuki, it's worth the premium over the Baleno. It's well-priced, and for once, is a safety-proven (4-stars GNCAP) choice from MSIL. The torque converter is better than the CVT or the AMT of outgoing Brezza. But that 4-speed unit screams '90s! It's woefully outdated, and outpaced by modern and faster options from rivals. The 1.5 is good too. Try test driving one.

• If you're looking for a hatchback, consider the Polo GT BS6 as well. The 1.0 TSI makes more power, and the torque converter means it can't simply go wrong. Sure, purists may hate the fact that the 7-speed DSG is gone, but it's still a damn fine car; good-looking, well-built, fun-to-drive, but it's gotten a bit too long in the tooth. 10 years on, Hyundai is ready for a 3rd generation of i20, but we've been seeing the same Polo since 2009! The cramped interiors do show their age. A.S.S has improved almost exponentially however.

I wouldn't consider C2 segments if I were you. The Ciaz is close, but again that AT is too slow and too old. The upcoming City and Verna facelift, are gonna be a hell of a lot expensive, simply not worth the premium over the sub-4m c-SUVs that provide the same level of equipment and performance for much cheaper prices.

[yesyeswe]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

Thanks! This was exactly the info I was looking for on Polo. Any idea when this would be coming?

He says it will be launched soon, bs6 mpi engine has already been launched, what remains now is the bs6 tsi automatic one and the manual one. Don't purchase a new car without test driving them.

[Anirudh_sai]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

So I have kept 2 budgets -
1. Around 11 Lakhs for a good car with top features, little compromises on size, boot space etc
2. Extend this upto 14 Lakhs (max) for an excellent car with top features, almost no compromises and use it for quite some time.

Hi Dhruv,

If you can extend you budget to 14 lakhs I would suggest you to look at the Verna, we currently have the SX(O) with the 1.6 AT, it's a torque converter type gearbox and it's excellent in stop and go traffic.

The facelifted one will most probably have the option too with a 1.5 petrol. It has a good infotainment with Android Auto and Apple Carplay and in the two years that we've had it the ownership has been fuss-free. Clocked 22k kms so far and the gearbox has been excellent. If you drive it with a light foot it responds well.

As for safety the top end model gets 6 airbags and the facelifted one will have ESP too most probably.

I would recommend a TC gearbox because it's simple and reliable and provides a smooth driving experience. The problem with the BS6 Brezza is that it has a 4 speed gearbox which is ancient and might feel out of its breath on the highway.

If you don't have a problem with a BS4 car you can go for the current Verna too, you'll get a good discount too. Compared to the facelift you'll miss out on the led headlights, digital cluster and the connected car features.

[pgsagar]

New VW polo should be good, too, now that it has shed DCT. But, it still has turbo. I run away when I hear 3-cylinder, turbo and DCT/DSG. Not sure if new Polo would be a 3-cyl or 4-cyl. I strongly feel that diesels need turbo otherwise they tend to be very lazy revving up. But, in case of petrols, a good N.A. does the trick with its linear pick up. Also, read somewhere on these pages that turbos on petrols are less reliable than on diesels.

Is it true that Baleno, i20 CVTs come with rubber belts whereas Jazz CVT comes with a steel belt which is more reliable and less prone to slippage. Can someone throw some light one this?

Brezza petrol AT is no-nonsense city car if you can live with 4-speed AT. 4-speed is actually not bad in city but you still feel bad buying one in 2020. Can't Maruti give at least a 5-speed, if not 6-speed? Is it that hard to make or source one?

If it's Amaze, I would suggest diesel CVT over petrol CVT. Diesel runs better and returns good FE. Amaze looks best in one maroon shade. Almost like mini-Accord.

If Venue had come with a 4-cyl NA petrol or turbo diesel and a TC autobox, this would have been the best of the lot.

[vishwasvr]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

So I have been dreaming of driving a car since I turned 18 but never got the chance! Now that I have finally settled into my job, I am looking for a good new first car.

Hello, I'd strongly recommend you test drive the VW Polo GT TSI. You can't go wrong with it.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by Anirudh_sai

The problem with the BS6 Brezza is that it has a 4 speed gearbox which is ancient and might feel out of its breath on the highway.

The Suzuki auto gearbox's 4th gear's ratio is actually taller than the 5th gear's ratio. If the 4 speed has any problems, highway cruisability isn't one of them.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post3817768 (Review: 1st-gen Maruti Ertiga)

[Anirudh_sai]

Originally Posted by locusjag

The Suzuki auto gearbox's 4th gear's ratio is actually taller than the 5th gear's ratio. If the 4 speed has any problems, highway cruisability isn't one of them.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ml#post3817768 (Review: 1st-gen Maruti Ertiga)

Oh I didn't know about this. Even so a newer gearbox with more ratios will be better for fuel efficiency and city driving. Everyone is using atleast a 6-speed AT/ 5-speed AMT nowadays I don't know why maruti still uses their ancient TC gearbox.

[Fury]

I do have a Baleno CVT in the family which I have driven quite extensively. Yes the build is light and yes its far from being a "Rock solid, high-speed highway munching machine" but for a use case scenario of 90% in the city, it should be perfect. The CVT is as smooth as it can get and as practical as it can be, along with a light steering, decent ergonomics and a very practical cabin.

Yes, the build is light and tinny and I would never recommend it even if you mentioned a highway use of more than 30% but within the city, you would not have much to complaint about.

If, on the other hand, you prefer something more solid with good high speed manners, I would recommend the Ecosport petrol automatic. Its one of the most capable CSUV on the lower spectrum of 15 lakhs and it would serve you well for both your city and highway uses (assuming your highway use would go up after the purchase which is the case in most scenarios).

Generally, I would also say to stay away from AMTs in your budget, since you can afford proper automatic options and tread carefully on DCT options as well.

All the best with your purchase!

[amiya.c]

When it comes to ATs then I cannot think of anything better than Venue and Ecosport in sub 15 lakh range. Both of them may cost you around 13 lakhs on road here in Bengaluru but they are a complete package and you won't regret the decision later.
You may also check the Maruti showrooms for BS4 Brezza AMT (the same old 1.3l FIAT engine), this AMT in Brezza is a smooth shifter if you do not floor the throttle. I found it a very good option for daily city drives and it doesn't disappoint on highways too, plus you get a very good fuel economy. The only grouse is the interior dash board quality, that's it. Try your luck, it may have a good discount if the stock is not cleared.

[dhruvky94]

Originally Posted by Sachin V.W.

If you can, please wait for new i20. I hope Hyundai will take the Premium Hatchback game on another level with this update. It will be worth a wait. I think it will be within your budgeted figure. The renderings looks damn cool.

Yup agreed, but the launch is expected Aug 2020 with not even accounting the slowdown Covid-19 is gonna bring with it. I am not sure if I can wait that long.

Originally Posted by drive1987

Reading all your comments on other posts, if I were to be you, I would have straight away walked into a Hyundai showroom and chosen any one of the below:

Hey Arun,

Thanks for such a detailed post
Even my family has a good experience with Hyundai, but me being a newbie have no idea. Although this is what everyone is telling me. I would have got the i20 Auto ASAP but it's discontinued :(
So is the Grand i10 Auto. I have not really looked into Aura that much though.

Originally Posted by darkgamer

I got the AMT i10 Nios Sportz for 8 lakhs OTR Bengaluru. The Asta will be around 60k or so more (Asta AMT didn't exist when I bought it, so not much idea). The top models of Amaze CVT is around 12 lakhs and the new polo will be around 11 lakhs OTR. Also, all the cars you are considering are sub-4m class. The i10 Nios is slightly over 3.8m while the largest car you'd be considering will be 4m (Ecosport, Amaze, Nexon, Venue etc). Also, the i10 has very good space inside (more than Venue for the back seat!).

Sorry for the size I meant the boot size which is 260L. It's not a very big concern though, just a minor one.Thanks for the detailed review of AMT gear box though!

Originally Posted by cake

I think the Grand i10 automatic isn't available anymore, correct me if I'm wrong.

Yeah that is true.

Originally Posted by YashD

Upcoming Honda City

Upcoming Verna Facelift

Ummm, I think I have made a mistake. When we state the budget, should we give ex-showroom price or on-road price? The budget I have given is on-road for Bangalore. So I don't think Verna or City will come in my budget.

Originally Posted by GipsyDanger

Dear lord, that segment your budget lies in is huge. Everything from premium hatchbacks, sedans, to compact SUVs

I think I have made a mistake. When we state the budget, should we give ex-showroom price or on-road price? The budget I have given is on-road for Bangalore. Thanks for the great suggestions. I am really wanting to test drive these but due to the current situation can't :(.

[dhruvky94]

Originally Posted by Anirudh_sai

If you don't have a problem with a BS4 car you can go for the current Verna too, you'll get a good discount too. Compared to the facelift you'll miss out on the led headlights, digital cluster and the connected car features.

Verna seems to be out of my budget for now, waiting for the new price listing. Since it has CVT option too, I may as well extend and go for it if it's really good. Let's wait and see.

Originally Posted by pgsagar

If Venue had come with a 4-cyl NA petrol or turbo diesel and a TC autobox, this would have been the best of the lot.

Brezza is one of my top cars to test drive once the situation gets better. As for Amaze, I really want to avoid Diesel. I agree with Venue if it had TC :(

Originally Posted by locusjag

The Suzuki auto gearbox's 4th gear's ratio is actually taller than the 5th gear's ratio. If the 4 speed has any problems, highway cruisability isn't one of them.

Good to know! Any downside except millage for this gearbox then?

Originally Posted by Fury

All the best with your purchase!

I agree from a safety view point but given that my highway usage will be less than 40%, I am ok with that. However, in city we may encounter accidents at very low speeds, bumps etc where the car may get dented. That is my biggest concern for Baleno.

Originally Posted by amiya.c

Try your luck, it may have a good discount if the stock is not cleared.

Ecosport is an Amazing option (only very pricey and over my budget). I will test drive and see. Same for Brezza. Venue has issues with DCT so avoiding that completely.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by dhruvky94

Good to know! Any downside except millage for this gearbox then?

I can't say if it has a real problem besides its fuel inefficiency in the city (I get 16 on the highway, 10 in the city). I've been eyeing comments about the automatic XL6 and Ertiga and there as well, people have expressed their disappointment at the ancient gearbox and the lesser gears. But I haven't read a concrete drawback about it yet.

As for me - I find it adequate. This "ancient" gearbox reminds me of the rock-solid automatic cars that I've driven in the US.