[noopster]

^^ Yup yup, it shows which gear you are in: D1 when you start, then D2,D3....upto D6 and similarly in Sport mode: S1, S2... (though it tops at S5).

Tiptronic is the manual override. You just slot into D, push the gear lever to the left and it shows 1 instead of D1. Then just "tip" the stick up (forward) for upshift and down for downshift. There is a slight lag in shifting compared to a manual or DSG but otherwise it works like a charm.

[supremeBaleno]

Oh, OK. Then that is indeed what we want in an A*, by paying 5L compared to the 10L+ that you paid to get it in the Vento. Yeah, if wishes were .... :-)

[mdsaab]

PgSagar ~ Congratulations! she looks beautiful in red. Had zeroed in on this one too for my wife, but then dropped plans later. If it were the A* it had to be red.
Wishing you many miles of joyful motoring with your red beauty.
Drive Safe!
and oh yes the new AT club slogan ofcourse ~ Shift to Drive!

Originally Posted by noopster

^^ Yup yup, it shows which gear you are in: D1 when you start, then D2,D3....upto D6 and similarly in Sport mode: S1, S2... (though it tops at S5).

Tiptronic is the manual override. You just slot into D, push the gear lever to the left and it shows 1 instead of D1. Then just "tip" the stick up (forward) for upshift and down for downshift. There is a slight lag in shifting compared to a manual or DSG but otherwise it works like a charm.

This is an awesome feature.
In the Honda we have to rely on our senses to make out which gear she is in. Have gotten pretty good at it so it's alright. But a feature i would have loved to have in the Honda's.

In the manual override front, the Honda's come with paddles while the VW comes with tip tronic.
Noops we shall meet soon and drive them back to back to and post our findings.

[anilkalvani]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

This is an awesome feature.
In the Honda we have to rely on our senses to make out which gear she is in. Have gotten pretty good at it so it's alright. But a feature i would have loved to have in the Honda's.

In the manual override front, the Honda's come with paddles while the VW comes with tip tronic.
Noops we shall meet soon and drive them back to back to and post our findings.

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

Oh, OK. Then that is indeed what we want in an A*, by paying 5L compared to the 10L+ that you paid to get it in the Vento. Yeah, if wishes were .... :-)

Originally Posted by noopster

^^ Yup yup, it shows which gear you are in: D1 when you start, then D2,D3....upto D6 and similarly in Sport mode: S1, S2... (though it tops at S5).

Tiptronic is the manual override. You just slot into D, push the gear lever to the left and it shows 1 instead of D1. Then just "tip" the stick up (forward) for upshift and down for downshift. There is a slight lag in shifting compared to a manual or DSG but otherwise it works like a charm.

Yeah, its a really awesome thing to have the display indicate your gear (D1, D2... & in tiptronic 1,2,3...). Had great fun last night, took her (My Vento i.e.) to town, Bandra Worli Sealink, played around with the Tiptronic, man its really superb & terribly addictive.

And congratulations pgsagar. Welcome to the evergrowing AT family. Your left knee will thank you in the long run , trust me.

Ever since i got my i10 AT two years ago, i've never been happier & i don't think i will go back to manual unless things 'drastically' improve in our daily driving conditions. Drive safe.

[charthom]

pgsagar,

Congrats on the nice wide eyed puppy!! And welcome to the AT club,too.

How do you find the rear seats and visibility from rear seats? I have always felt that the rear window being rather small feeling of airiness will be less,like the ANHV. Am I right?

Can we have more pictures,with the ornamentation removed? And interior pictures too. What mileage are you getting?

Enjoy the freedom from clutch pedal and drive safe!!

[mdsaab]

Originally Posted by charthom

pgsagar,

Congrats on the nice wide eyed puppy!! And welcome to the AT club,too.

How do you find the rear seats and visibility from rear seats? I have always felt that the rear window being rather small feeling of airiness will be less,like the ANHV. Am I right?

Can we have more pictures,with the ornamentation removed? And interior pictures too. What mileage are you getting?

Enjoy the freedom from clutch pedal and drive safe!!

When i had taken the test drive of the A-Star.
The rear was extremely cramped. and yes the feeling of airiness was less.
The i10 was better in that respect.
The mileage of the A-Star should be fantastic.
If you are mainly going to use this car with just two onboard (driver + front passenger) then it's the best small AT hatch option out there

[Sankar]

Congrats on your new AStar! I would've bought the AT version if it were available at that time, its too convenient for regular city driving.

Originally Posted by mdsaab

PgSagar ~ Congratulations! she looks beautiful in red. Had zeroed in on this one too for my wife, but then dropped plans later. If it were the A* it had to be red.

+1 AStar looks the best in Red

[jacksons]

Congrats Pgsagar and welcome to A* AT family, though small but growing never the less.
Happy miles and smiles as you will get addicted very soon.
Do post your experience after 1st and 2nd service as engine will become more free raving as time passes.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by noopster

I noticed the gearshift is serrated rather thansmooth (similar to the Toyota Altis AT). Do you have to follow the path when shifting? Isn't it distracting?

If the gear shift is straight, you may accidentally 'over-push' the gear stick and change from 'Nuetral to 3' rather than 'Nuetral to D'.

It's just a matter of getting used to, I got used to the A-star Automatic gear pattern in just a day. I am able to change to all positions (P,R,N,3,2,L) without looking down.

[noopster]

^^ That makes sense. Don't want to hijack this thread but the Vento (and Hondas) have the PRNDS configuration. No low gears. So the overpush risk is minimised. Also to shift out of P or from R to D, D to S etc. you need to press the button on the side of the gearshift lever. Suffice to say you can hardly ever make a mistake shifting gears, unless maybe you're really tense/unsettled in which case you shouldn't be driving anyway!

I love the A-star's looks, and do think MSIL did absolutely right thing by launchng it in AT. I wouldn't hesitate to get it for the missus to drive around or even as a second car for city driving.

[pgsagar]

Thanks a lot, d Himan, Noopster, Mdsaab, Anilkalvani, Charthom, Sankar, jackson and Jinojohnt! Good to know you guys liked its looks. I actually wanted to get one in white but when I walked into the showroom with my wife and son to book one, there was this red one on display and my son was hooked. He vetoed for red. I was very apprehensive. Would it be too flashy? But now I think it was a good decision. It looks doubly cute in this colour. And, boy 'o boy! It catches many more eyeballs than cars costing 3/4 times do. Especially from the fairer sex. My wife is worried now, haha... More so, when some of my females colleagues wanted a ride in it. My Lancer gets mostly men's stares.

Ah, yes! The AT tribe. Yes, we are a minority but, I am sure, the number is growing, thanks to our chaotic inner-city traffic.

Anil, you are right. Once an ATian, always an ATian! It's hard to ignore the convenience and go back to shifting. On first day, I reached for non-existent clutch instinctively on a few occassions. Now, into my 4 th day of usage, I got the hang of it. Left leg is getting all the rest. Physically, I am very fit. Yet, mentally I was getting sick and tired of gear-changes which are almost as frequent as breathing. May be my location in this city ( bang in the centre ) has, in large part, contributed to my yearn for an AT. In any case, I am happy. I'm lovin' it.

Charthom, Mdsaab, yes, the rear cabin is cramped. But, frankly, since I drive myself and since only 10% of the time backseat will be occupied, I overlooked this shortcoming. Also, I think, sportiness and space do not go hand in hand. MUVs are spacious but they do not look sporty. Ferraris are sporty but they are so cramped, you have to lower yourself in the confines of its cockpit. Ok, these are the two extreme examples, but in my opinion, A-Star gets all its sportiness from the upswept wasitline ( which results in smaller greenhouse and a general feeling of crampedness).

Noopster, the serrated slot-gate is not hard to master. A day's work is as much as it takes and before you know it, you would be slotting instinctively without looking at the gate. Also, what I have noticed so far is, you hardly need to use anything other than "D" mode for most of your drives. Just slot into "D" and drive away. I have even taken it up steep ramps in "D". Ok, it didn't fly up the ramp, but it didn't crawl up either. Drove up kinda smoothly.

And, yes. Will take some pics sans those dcorations this weekend. And got to check the FE, too. I am sure it's very fuel-efficient. Hundred Kms driven and fuel needle ( I mean those digital bars ) are still where they were. Does it run on petrol vapours?

[iliketurtles]

Allow me to add my voice to the chorus of members that have praised your choice. A marvelous choice all in all and great to look at. I don't want to ask the usual question (kitna deti hai?) but I'm sure you'll answer it at some point nonetheless

Enjoy your wide-eyed pup

[mdsaab]

The A star with it's gated shift does not have a button to be pressed to shift Drive modes.
But our VW and Honda's do not have a gated setup and so we have button on the Gear stick to shift from the various drive modes.
One thing which can happen in the VW ~ Honda setup is that from D, if you accidentally nudge the gear lever it can pop into N. That is one drawback.

[blackasta]

Originally Posted by mdsaab

The A star with it's gated shift does not have a button to be pressed to shift Drive modes.
But our VW and Honda's do not have a gated setup and so we have button on the Gear stick to shift from the various drive modes.
One thing which can happen in the VW ~ Honda setup is that from D, if you accidentally nudge the gear lever it can pop into N. That is one drawback.

N<->D lever shift are always unobstructed in every AT car that I have seen, and this Astar is no exception. The N and D are in straight line. Its only the 3 that is offset. I use the unobstructed N<-> on every traffic signal where I am stuck, and I believe that was one of the reasons why the car makers made it that way.

[Panko]

Sagar. It looks cool in red color. Heartiest congratulations. Take a good care of her!