[cludflare]

Lately, too many people in my circle are buying or evaluating their first cars and have reached out to me for recommendations. Most of them, being in Bangalore, are looking for automatics. I was in the same boat 3 years ago when my wife convinced me after intense arguments to buy an automatic (Jazz CVT) over a manual (the Ford Freestyle). Interestingly, both of my final options have been discontinued so looks like I am not the right person for car advice (more on that later). Anyway, I count my blessings each day in Bangalore traffic that I chose an automatic over the manual. I later upgraded to City CVT after worshipping the Jazz for roughly 2 years.

So here’s the deal. Most of my friends are looking for the most affordable automatics with a seamless ownership experience. I have extensively driven an Ignis AMT and a Punch AMT, so I am sure I'll not be recommending AMTs to anyone.

Three of the most affordable true automatics and only options within the sub 10lakh ex-showroom buckets are –

1. Amaze CVT – Absolutely no-nonsense car. My love for Honda having owned both the Jazz and City makes me extremely inclined to suggest this to my friends. Acceptable safety too.

2. i20 IVT – Never been a fan of Hyundais and the design language of the newer cars is not going down well with me. But still, they have refined engines and I am guessing hasslefree ownerships. Safety remains questionable though.

3. Altroz DCA – Now this is an interesting one. I recently drove the DCA and found the power output / performance very similar to my Jazz CVT. I could not differentiate between the DCA and CVT to be honest. However, the suspension seemed very well tuned - softer than my Jazz and the steering feedback too was better. 5-star safety, but always a risky ownership experience with TATA.

I am purposely not including Magnite or Kiger in the list as I think they have done a lot of cost cutting and quality compromise in the name of giving an SUV-ish look and ground clearance in this price range. Am I missing any other option?

For me, it's clearly the Amaze on top. However, I'll honestly suggest others to try all these three and decide for themselves – at times it’s the feel. All three are decent automatics with 1.2L NA engines, good enough for requirements of 75% city and 25% highway runs. These engines develop reasonable power for a reasonable number of reasonable people.

While the top-end Amaze VX CVT is priced at Rs. 9.66 lakhs ex-showroom, the Altroz XZA DCA, which is one below the top and almost has all bells and whistles, is priced at Rs. 9.60 lakhs. Interestingly, only the i20 IVT Sportz is priced at this range which is Rs. 9.1 lakhs ex-showroom. The Asta Optional IVT is priced at a whopping Rs. 10.8 lakhs ex-showroom.

Again, I am excluding the Fronx 1L Turbo TC as it is priced higher and I hate Maruti for taking a step back and replacing the CVT with an AMT in the Baleno.

[GTO]

Nice list! Some thoughts:

- Am in agreement that AMTs are a strict no-no. Too jerky, too slow, and poor long-term reliability. Only AMTs that are somewhat acceptable are the Hyundai AMTs.

- You can also add the Tiago EV to the list. Smoother than any ICE AT car, and can work as a great city ride.

- Don't overlook the Ciaz AT! Smooth AT, spacious, comfortable, value-for-money, robust & reliable. Though an outdated car now. Starting Brezza AT variant isn't too far away either.

- Sucks that the Baleno lost its smooth CVT.

I love the powertrain of the Magnite / Kiger Turbo CVTs, but buying a Nissan is too risky today. If I had to pick between the two, I'd go for the Renault Kiger. Am a fan of its styling too. In many months, Renault sells twice as many cars as Nissan.

[VWAllstar]

Looks like everyone is moving towards Automatic Transmission now. Glad I got to live in an era where we had little choices which made us appreciate the manual transmissions. Though, in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune, Automatics are now imperative, I would not completely rule out AMTs. People intending to go towards Automatic Transmissions are looking for convinience so AMT, apart from it's slight jerks serve the purpose too. For an enthusiast, only DCT / DSG will satiate so CVTs and AMTs almost serve the same purpose. Todays AMTs are better configured to reduce the jerk however CVTs' rubber band feeling remains the same. AMTs also give you an option to manually operate the gears (same like IVT)

Under 10 lakhs I would recccomend the below:

Altroz DCA
Amaze CVT
Kiger CVT
Baleno / Glanza AMT
Preowned City CVT
Preowned VW DSG - Polo, Ameo & Vento
Tiago EV (if it is a 2nd car)

[Saanil]

Some time back, I looked at the prices of entry level cars (i.e. hatchbacks) which were offered with an automatic transmission. I believe the cheapest option was Alto / S-Presso i.e. a person who is buying his first automatic car will probably have to spend a minimum of 7 lakh today and will only get the AMT transmission.

I am pasting below the prices I had collected through google for Mumbai - this is just to give an idea of the cost of an entry level automatic car. Apologies in advance for any errors. For getting on road prices, I just increased the ex-showroom price by 18%.

[anoopvk268]

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[charanreddy]

I would like to differ a little from the comments on AMT. I have lived with the Nexon Diesel AMT for about 5+ years now and have driven other regular automatics too, most frequent being the XUV700 diesel AT. Yes, there is a perceivable difference between the two gearboxes, but this is not a deal breaker. I believe it also boils down the specific engine X gearbox combo. I hated the Brezza Diesel AMT when I tested it about 5 years back and concluded that weak performance at the bottom end does not work well with AMT. But I would happily recommend a Nexon Diesel AMT.

[07CR]

Great list. I too would recommend Amaze Diesel/Petrol AT. I also like the way the I20 behaves with their IVT transmission.

AMTs are a strict no no for me. Instead, the iMTs offered by Hyundai Kia are great alternatives. Paired with turbo petrols, these can give almost the entire fun of MTs, also with the convenience of ATs!

[ram.iyer95]

Originally Posted by charanreddy

I would like to differ a little from the comments on AMT. I have lived with the Nexon Diesel AMT for about 5+ years now and have driven other regular automatics too, most frequent being the XUV700 diesel AT. Yes, there is a perceivable difference between the two gearboxes, but this is not a deal breaker. I believe it also boils down the specific engine X gearbox combo. I hated the Brezza Diesel AMT when I tested it about 5 years back and concluded that weak performance at the bottom end does not work well with AMT. But I would happily recommend a Nexon Diesel AMT.

Agreed. I've been living with an i10 Nios AMT for the past 2 years and ~15k kms, and pretty happy with it.

AMTs offer a decent balance between convenience, affordability and fuel economy. Not all AMTs available in the market are good, but there are well-tuned ones as well. Hyundai AMTs and Maruti AMTs paired with the 1.2 K12 are pretty good, from my experience with them. But the Tiago's AMT is sad. As many experts have said, an AMT is as good as the engine it is paired with. I had test driven the Nios, Ignis and Tiago (all AMTs) before finalising on the Nios. No regrets so far and touchwood, it has been perfectly reliable to date.

AMT in manual mode is perfect for open roads/highways, even for enthusiastic driving. You get most of the control that a manual transmission offers while offering clutch-less convenience.

Sorry for taking this off topic.

[ketan007]

That's a nice list. I would like to add Exter to it. I recently test drove Exter and Punch AMTs. I found Exter to be more refined and less jerky than the Punch. Also, the Exter S AMT costs around 9.45 L OTR in Pune.
I really liked Jazz and was saddened when it went out of production. I think I would buy a used Jazz as a city car.

[0xTKB]

This is a great thread. I'm also looking to upgrade from my Chevrolet Beat LT petrol to an automatic hatchback.

Was looking forward to i20 DCT (either Asta or N-Line N8). But the problem is the DCT gearbox. It is going to give me anxiety for the next 10 years. I would've gladly selected Amaze but the interiors are highly outdated. I haven't driven the i20 iMT N6 so I can't really comment on that but majority of my driving will be in Tri-City (500-800 kms) with a monthly trip to Himachal ~ 200 kms.

Does anyone has any idea regarding :-

1. When is the new model of Honda Amaze launching?
2. Are there the same DCT problems on i20 DCT as they are in Creta?

[pkk077]

Amaze CVT is a fantastic choice with the caveat that in bumper-to-bumper city traffic, with AC ON, the FE will be very poor. (I get 7-8). So if FE is a concern, have at look at the EVs from Tata stable as well.

[turbo]

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[Small Bot]

I personally felt that the Fronx should be on top of this list. I've driven a colleague's Fronx AT, and the six-speed gearbox with the turbo petrol is smooooth. You will completely forgive Maruti for giving the Baleno an AMT after driving the Fronx, which probably could have been their intent.

The base AT variants of Brezza are excellent for the price tag. Again, a smooth-shifting gearbox with a reliable engine, excellent for city driving and just about adequate for highway driving.

Altroz DCA has one of the silkiest gearboxes I've seen in that price range. Absolutely value for money. NA Engine is meh though. Then again, I drive a Brezza, so I shouldn't complain.

And I have a contrary option on Hyundai's AMTs. I think their AMTs are much smoother than Tata's and Maruti's. The Exter does not produce even half the jerkiness that the Punch did. Just based on that, I'd suggest the i10 and the Exter too.

[ThunderMurukku]

Originally Posted by cludflare

Amaze CVT – Absolutely no-nonsense car. My love for Honda having owned both the Jazz and City makes me extremely inclined to suggest this to my friends. Acceptable safety too.

I'm a owner of a brand new Amaze VX CVT (just 2 weeks old!), and these are exactly the reasons as to why I chose this car over the Altroz DCA and the i20 iVT (even though they were strong contenders). Bought it for slightly less than 11 lakhs on-road from Thrissur, Kerala. The Amaze, in my opinion, is a jack of all trades but a master of none (except for maybe the 10 year extended warranty).

Even though the Altroz was fantastic, the hit-or-miss ASS didn't let me go through with it (especially in Thrissur, which has just one dealer). The i20 was in a close 2nd spot, but the black interiors and the feel of driving just didn't appeal to us (even though the fit and finish was better than the Amaze).

Coming to the AMT vs CVT discussion, I believe it's a matter of personal requirements. For those who just want to avoid changing gears and pressing the clutch every now and then, an AMT would be fine. For those like me who want a smooth, proper automatic for what I'm paying, a CVT or a DCT is better suited. Personally, I would choose the rubber band effect of a CVT any day over the head jerk of an AMT. It just makes the driving experience a whole lot better.

[SixPistons]

Originally Posted by 0xTKB

Does anyone has any idea regarding :-

1. When is the new model of Honda Amaze launching?
2. Are there the same DCT problems on i20 DCT as they are in Creta?

1. Not sure Honda have one in the pipeline for now.
2. I think Creta also has a Dry DCT. However, I am driving the i20 N8 DCT for five months but haven’t had the gearbox throwing up any problems.

Originally Posted by 0xTKB

This is a great thread. I'm also looking to upgrade from my Chevrolet Beat LT petrol to an automatic hatchback.

Was looking forward to i20 DCT (either Asta or N-Line N8). But the problem is the DCT gearbox. It is going to give me anxiety for the next 10 years. I would've gladly selected Amaze but the interiors are highly outdated. I haven't driven the i20 iMT N6 so I can't really comment on that but majority of my driving will be in Tri-City (500-800 kms) with a monthly trip to Himachal ~ 200 kms.

While I haven’t taken it to the hills yet, I would expect decent wear on the kind of sustained trips to the hills like you expect to make in any Dry Clutch DCT. Someone else with a DCT may be able to throw better light on this.

Since you are already considering i20 N Line DCT I am assuming you are okay with OTR 13.5L - 14L. It also seems like you have already evaluated the affordable automatics in the market right now so I would suggest considering Torque Converter based CrossOver/CSUV instead. While nowhere close to DCT/CVT, it is generally reliable and can be fun to drive.

1. Check out Fronx 1.0 Turbo AT: Technically a cross over, a bigger Baleno. The 1.0 BoosterJet is good. Nevertheless, it looks good for what it offers on paper and has a good road presence

2. I would suggest Nexon Petrol DCT, but then again the DCT is a risk since it is new with Nexon and it is also a different segment. Also, I am not sure how the Tata ASS is near your area, so it may also be a hit or a miss.

3. You could consider the Brezza as it also comes with a TC Automatic. May be a bit pricier than Fronx but with slightly more power and a reliable 1.5L NA engine.