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Advice needed: An easy-to-drive automatic car under 10L

Primary contenders are the Tata Altroz DCA and Honda Amaze CVT.

BHPian dvasudreddy recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hello all, this is my first in this amazing forum. From the forum threads and comments, I came to the understanding how good this group is.

I'm a 32 year old salaried employee with a wife and a kid of 2 year old. I'm planning to buy a car, my first car. Will all the things to consider around and so many options available in the market, I'm just stumped and unable to decide anything. Let me say my requirements first.

  1. Budget is 10 lacs with 10% variation on both sides
  2. It doesn't matter whether it is a sedan, hatchback or compact suv
  3. Car should be a safe car, and would be used as family car. Since I have no other way of understanding the safety of any car, I am just going by NCAP ratings. Please let me know if that's a wrong approach. And, definitely no to a car with 2 stars or lower ratings.
  4. My commute is majorly in the city, hence, an automatic. However, once or twice in a quarter I may need to travel on highway ( 450 km one side).
  5. Mileage is not a major concern for my usage, however, good mileage is definitely an add on.
  6. Since I will be spending considerable time in the car, good interiors and ride comfort would definitely sway my decision (including good infotainment system)
  7. I live in Hyderabad, which has many hills and accordingly many roads with considerable slopes. So, is it required to have hill hold control for an automatic. If so, that would also become part of my requirement.

One other thing, I'm a novice driver, well, pretty much basic.

Cars I have considered:

1) Honda Amaze CVT

Why? Honda brand, post sales services, CVT under 10 lacs, smoother and reliable family car (as per reviews), safety ( 4 star ncap rating)

Why not? No hill hold control, poor infotainment system (relatively), poor engine response (as per reviews because of CVT), no cruise control.

2) Altroz DCA

Why? Good looks, good ingress and egress ( i have elderly parents), safety (obviously), good speakers (as per reviews),

Why not? Unreliable post sales services of tata, unproven DCA transmissio in for Tata, no hill hold control

I have only listed those two option as I didn't consider cars with AMT transmission (as they reportedly have not so smooth transmission). If any AMT cars are good, I'm open for them as well. Thought about new Baleno also, but, not so sure about marutis build quality.

Any suggestion would be highly appreciated.

Here's what BHPian SoumenD had to say on the matter:

Amaze CVT should be fine if you are ok with the looks. That 1.2L iVtec CVT combination is ultra smooth and reliable (speaking from personal experience). Being a Honda its fill it,shut, forget it kinda car. And unlike Maruti/Hyundai at least honda didn’t go too stingy by providing a compromised bodyshell. This one does well with a 4* GNCAP.

While I am a staunch supporter of TATAs for their impeccable 5* safety build, would be a bit wary of the DCA which is relatively new. Maybe if we have some owners of the model on forum, they can throw some light?

Btw if I were you, in this budget would also consider Nissan Magnite. That’s another rare 4* rated car(with stable bodyshell) and has a more powerful 1.0L turbo CVT which would be a better performer . Yes the interior quality is a bit underwhelming but do give it a look(& test drive).

Here's what BHPian rishi.roger had to say on the matter:

AMTs are not horrible, atleast not the recent ones. However they are not that smooth either. You will feel slight jerk/lag when the gear shifts. Its annonying initially if you have experienced anything like CVTs before, however you get used to AMTs over time and learn how to push the gas pedal to reduce that jerkiness.
AMTs are cheaper to maintain, they also allow some level of manual control (most AMT cars have a manual mode..which is not exactly a 100% manual as you can control the upshift but downshift may still happen automatically).

Unfortunately most cars under 10L come with AMT as it reduces the cost of building for manufacturer.

Honda Amaze and Nissan Magnite are the two good picks anyday if you want the joy of automatics. Nissan's automatic is really good. If you want to spend a little more then can look for Venue Turbo Automatic which in my opinion is a good Car.

I like what Tata offers for money, particularly safety and build rigidity. However do check out if their refinement, fit and finishing suits you. You may notice gaps in paintwork, panel fitment, rubber sealing/gaskets, and higher NVH levels comparatively.

Here's what BHPian shancz had to say on the matter:

Since you're a new driver I would suggest to take a TD and then think about whether any car has enough power or not since this is quite subjective.

I agree with going for a proper automatic but your budget limits your options severely and so does the GNCAP rating. To provide you with some options I am skipping the GNCAP part which you can apply once you have taken some TDs and shortlisted.

Some suggestions for TD, not in order :

  • Altroz DCA : already mentioned in OP
  • i20 Sportz 1.2 IVT : 1.2 NA with CVT, no GNCAP rating
  • Amaze : only concern would be the reports of quality issues like rusting doors as reported by members.
  • Baleno AMT : Just to experience the AMT

Outside of these and if you prefer, check if you can get your hands on the previous gen Brezza AT or the Toyota Urban Cruiser which is still based on the previous gen Brezza so priced better and probably the mid variant can fit. GNCAP 4 stars but the interiors would look dated and the audio quality is no match to the Altroz though.

Here's what BHPian ajayc123 had to say on the matter:

Slightly against one of your constraints, but just one suggestion. For your first car, I could suggest you to think about MT, as it will remove your hesitancy of handling manual for the rest of your life. With that said, Brezza MT entry level could be within your budget, if you wish to consider.

Read BHPian comments for more insights and information.

 

 
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