[abhatt]

Why is AMT a big no at Teambhp? My FIL has a NIOS AMT and I drive it sometimes, I don't understand why it is such a big deal! I have had a chance to drive automatics in other countries for 5 years but I really don't think AMTs are as bad an experience as this community calls it out to be.

I am not sure on reliability aspect of it as the NIOS is relatively new but really I drove it from Mumbai to Bangalore and have driven it in peak traffic in Mumbai and Bangalore and it is not as bad as it is considered here.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by abhatt

Why is AMT a big no at Teambhp? My FIL has a NIOS AMT and I drive it sometimes, I don't understand why it is such a big deal! I have had a chance to drive automatics in other countries for 5 years but I really don't think AMTs are as bad an experience as this community calls it out to be.

I am not sure on reliability aspect of it as the NIOS is relatively new but really I drove it from Mumbai to Bangalore and have driven it in peak traffic in Mumbai and Bangalore and it is not as bad as it is considered here.

Hyundai has the best AMTs in the market, so the experience wouldn't be too bad, but considering the AMTs on Renault, Suzuki, etc, you can feel the difference, the jerkiness is quite evident in some models. Moreover, in more powerful cars like the XUV300 and Nexon the AMT just dampens the experience, instead of the AMT, a better automatic like TC or DCT will surely provide a better experience in such cars as well.

For example, if you drive the Tata Nexon 1.2 Petrol AMT and DCA (albeit Tata's DCAs aren't the best for performance), you can clearly understand the difference, the head-nod won't be there and it will be much smoother too. For the 50k extra on ex-showroom price in the base to mid variants, I would recommend the DCA over the AMT.

[goku_saiyan]

Hi everyone,

Really excited to be part of the community here!

I had a similar question, we are looking to buy our first car and want to buy an automatic as both my wife and me are novice drivers (we've done some driving classes here and then every now and then but no real life driving experience).

I am super confused as there is a lot of content on shortcomings for different types of Automatic gearboxes.

What we are looking for is a nice, safe and a fuss free experience for our first car. We have shortlisted multiple options like Hyundai Exter in the <10L range and the Honda City and Hyundai Verna in the <18L range.

Usage will be mostly for office ~25km each day and the odd monthly trip for 500kms. Primary users - wife, me, our 1.5 month old, + set of parents and baby nanny (at times).

Can someone please guide us, thank you.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by goku_saiyan

Can someone please guide us, thank you.

Amaze CVT and Fronx boosterjet AT would seem ideal for you.

Honda’s CVTs are the only reliable iteration of the CVT transmission so you get to enjoy the best (in theory) form of an automatic as well as the refinement of a 4 cylinder motor and I don’t know about you but I personally find beige interiors to keep me in a more calm and relaxed state of mind compared to darker color tones.

Maruti seems to have toughened up the Fronx compared to the older Baleno and there is simply no better after sales service compared to Maruti. Parts will be dirt cheap and service centres are plenty all over the country. So while both cars can be expected to be reliable considering their Japanese heritage, you will enjoy increased ease of ownership with a Maruti in India. The 1 liter booster jet is also quite capable and the conventional 6 speed torque converter it comes mated to is robust.

Test drive both and see which suits you better

[goku_saiyan]

Thanks Ishan for your recommendation. I am also getting some inputs from friends to try out either the Hyundai Exter or even the Venue/Kia Sonet. What are your and the community's view on this?

Personally I think instead of getting a Venue/Sonet auto for ~14L, better to add 2-3L and get a City VX auto. We plan on having the car for a long time, maybe even 10 years.

[07CR]

Originally Posted by goku_saiyan

Thanks Ishan for your recommendation. I am also getting some inputs from friends to try out either the Hyundai Exter or even the Venue/Kia Sonet. What are your and the community's view on this?

Personally I think instead of getting a Venue/Sonet auto for ~14L, better to add 2-3L and get a City VX auto. We plan on having the car for a long time, maybe even 10 years.

For <10L Exter makes sense. I hate the looks of the car, but for a city runabout especially for fairer sex it makes perfect sense.

For <18L, if you don't need the practicality(added ground clearance/ease of driving due to smaller size and better field of view/ easy ingress/egress, ease of parking) of a CSUV and are smitten by the sedan style, I would suggest the Verna over the City. City IMO is now getting a little old and outdated. The facelift hardly improved any of its weakness.

Verna on the other hand would satisfy all your requirements. The SX(O) IVT is a no non sense fuss free car to own with excellent NVH, class leading interior and boot space, fuss free Hyundai after sales experience and a very good equipment list. Get the SX(O) DCT, if you want the thrill of owning the fastest car (slightly better equipment the SX(O) IVT) on the lower side of 50L rupees! It would be about a 1 L over your budget and do factor in complexities of DCT box (that said, Hyundai DCTs haven't been that troublesome). I briefly considered this before going for Seltos DCT Facelift.

[AJ56]

Originally Posted by goku_saiyan

Hi everyone,

What we are looking for is a nice, safe and a fuss free experience for our first car. We have shortlisted multiple options like Hyundai Exter in the <10L range and the Honda City and Hyundai Verna in the <18L range.

Can someone please guide us, thank you.

Get the Verna 1.5 DCT at 19L, it’s a slight stretch but considering you’re keeping this 10+ years, it’s completely worth it. It gets better ADAS and more power compared to City, also has a superior dual clutch transmission over the slow CVT found in the City.

Take it from someone who learnt to drive on the Amaze and Accord over a decade ago, you really don’t want a sub 150HP engine in a new car. It’s slow and you need to rev it to near redline to get any acceleration out of it, specially the 80-90 HP cars.

Also the Amaze (gen 1 and gen 2) are very light cars that have poor headlights and cannot be taken on highways as even the slightest crosswinds unsettle the car at higher speeds. You also don’t get side airbags and ESP, two critical safety features in my opinion.

Initially while you’re learning you won’t notice as throttle inputs are slow and light, but a few years down the line you’ll be a seasoned driver but the car will remain and you will end up regretting getting the underpowered vehicle in the first place.

Test drive both and you’ll see what I’m saying. Cheers.

[noopster]

This is a great thread that I've gone through in its entirety. I am in the market to replace my 2011 VW Vento by the end of the year. My elder kid is in process of getting her DL so I figure by then she will have some miles under her belt to be able to confidently drive a new car. Requirements are as the thread suggests: new car, around 10L, automatic. And one additional VITAL requirement: it can't be wider than the Vento.

This is because of parking constraints in my building. I am not planning to go beyond 2 cars for the family else would just have bought an additional parking from the builder. And my current parking slot is so narrow that I can barely squeeze the Vento in there. Any wider than my current car (1699 mm) and it won't fit.

I'm pretty sure that rules out the Hyundai i20 Sportz DCT and the Tata Altroz XTA which seem to be around 1775 and 1755 mm wide respectively and will not fit in there or at least be too much trouble to be able to park confidently. The other popular option on this thread, the Honda Amaze CVT seems to be suitable at 1695 mm (assuming they have similar mirror size!) but it's a seriously dated car now and will definitely feel like a downgrade (my VW may already be a teenager but has some spiffy features we've gotten used to!)

So what to do? We have an Ather so my parking is equipped for charging so turned my attention to the compact EVs and to my surprise the Citroen eC3 is actually 1733 mm wide! That leaves only the MG Comet and the Tata Tiago EV in contention. I've done a TD of the latter and quite liked it, to be honest! The Comet is quite polarising in its looks and I have a feeling it will be rejected by an image-conscious college kid (but you never know!)

Any other car that fits the size requirement has an AMT. I've driven AMTs and not particularly loved nor hated the experience so that could be an option. Or I could go the MT route but that feels like regressing.

Any advice?

[Aakash118]

Originally Posted by noopster

This is a great thread that I've gone through in its entirety. I am in the market to replace my 2011 VW Vento by the end of the year. My elder kid is in process of getting her DL so I figure by then she will have some miles under her belt to be able to confidently drive a new car. Requirements are as the thread suggests: new car, around 10L, automatic. And one additional VITAL requirement: it can't be wider than the Vento.


Any advice?

Try the Jimny. It ticks most of your requirements. The other option is obviously the Tiago EV. If these two don’t work, you have no choice other than going for AMT or MT.

[noopster]

Originally Posted by Aakash118

Try the Jimny. It ticks most of your requirements.

Thanks for your input. However Jimny costs around 16-17L on the road Pune in AT avatar. It's also not a practical city car with low FE and barely able to seat 4 comfortably.

Looks like it's between the Amaze CVT and Tiago EV for now. However one thing I will need to check is if my parking has 2-3" additional clearance because in effect that's all that is needed to squeeze an i20 or Altroz in!

[ex-innova-guy]

Originally Posted by noopster

However one thing I will need to check is if my parking has 2-3" additional clearance because in effect that's all that is needed to squeeze an i20 or Altroz in!

Noopster, why not switch your parking with a friend or a neighbor? Some people do that in our society, and although it surely isn’t a permanent solution, it just might help. Cheers.

[goku_saiyan]

Test drove the Verna and loved the fast pace it provided. But I am still in 2 minds if should invest so much in my first car that too while I learn how to drive.

What is the community's view on the best automatic transmission out there? Is a TC transmission going to serve my purpose of being hassle free, easy ownership, mostly city driving, odd monthly highway driving (the missus quite like the new Mahindra XUV 3XO which is TC).

Thank you!

Originally Posted by AJ56

Get the Verna 1.5 DCT at 19L, it’s a slight stretch but considering you’re keeping this 10+ years, it’s completely worth it. It gets better ADAS and more power compared to City, also has a superior dual clutch transmission over the slow CVT found in the City.

Take it from someone who learnt to drive on the Amaze and Accord over a decade ago, you really don’t want a sub 150HP engine in a new car. It’s slow and you need to rev it to near redline to get any acceleration out of it, specially the 80-90 HP cars.

Also the Amaze (gen 1 and gen 2) are very light cars that have poor headlights and cannot be taken on highways as even the slightest crosswinds unsettle the car at higher speeds. You also don’t get side airbags and ESP, two critical safety features in my opinion.

Initially while you’re learning you won’t notice as throttle inputs are slow and light, but a few years down the line you’ll be a seasoned driver but the car will remain and you will end up regretting getting the underpowered vehicle in the first place.

Test drive both and you’ll see what I’m saying. Cheers.

[bijims]

Originally Posted by goku_saiyan

Test drove the Verna and loved the fast pace it provided. But I am still in 2 minds if should invest so much in my first car that too while I learn how to drive.

What is the community's view on the best automatic transmission out there? Is a TC transmission going to serve my purpose of being hassle free, easy ownership, mostly city driving, odd monthly highway driving (the missus quite like the new Mahindra XUV 3XO which is TC).

Thank you!

Considering the fact both you and your spouse are novice drivers, spending 19 lakhs on a first car may seem a bit high, so here are some of the cheaper options available (all are Petrol automatics, no AMTs)

1. Tata Altroz DCA
The Tata Altroz is a safe (5-star NCAP), spacious hatch with a smooth 6-speed DCT although it ain't the most powerful or torquey (87 bhp and 115 Nm), it gets the job done, however, I wouldn't say it is the hassle-free long-term reliable car, there have been a few niggles reported and Tata's After Sales Service hasn't known to be the best either. So although it's a great choice, from a long-term perspective, I am not too sure, If you are interested do check it out and get a test drive. The Base XMA Plus Petrol costs only Rs.9.83 lakhs OTR in your city whereas the top-end costs 12 lakhs OTR. Tata has introduced a few offers for the Altroz for July too which include up to Rs 25K Cash discount + 20K Exchange bonus + Rs 5000 Corporate discount as well. Not sure if these apply to all the variants though.

2. Honda Amaze CVT
The Amaze CVT is a safe (GNCAP 4 stars), spacious and practical sedan with an adequately powered engine (89 bhp of power and 115 Nm of torque) mated to a CVT and is as reliable as it can get. You can hold on to it for years and it will be a reliable car with little to no niggles at all. However, the current model has gotten old and is pending a facelift. If you are still interested, the Base S CVT costs Rs.9.86 lakhs OTR whereas the top-end Elite CVT costs 11.15 lakhs. You also get up to Rs 96K Benefits (Upto Rs 40K Cash + Upto Rs 20K Exchange Bonus + Corporate, Loyalty & Accessories Pack) which makes the deal even sweeter.

3. Hyundai i20 CVT
The i20 provides a spacious, feature-rich cabin with adequate power and is a reliable hatch. Priced at Rs.10.76 lakhs for the Sprortz IVT going all the way to Rs.12.69 for the Asta IVT, the i20 is a good choice worth considering. Moreover, the current offers make the deal even sweeter with discounts ranging up to Rs 35K Cash discount + 10K Exchange Bonus.

4. Mahindra XUV 3X0 TC AT
The XUV 3X0 is the new kid on the block now with a TC AT (ditching the AMT), the base model MX2 Pro 1.2 L AT is Value for Money priced at 11.39 lakhs OTR providing you with a spacious compact SUV which is powerful and torquey (110 bhp of power and 200 Nm of torque), the price goes all the way up to Rs.17.72 lakhs for the AX7L 1.2 TGDi Petrol AT which is even more powerful (129 bhp), torquey (230 Nm) and feature-rich (Level 2 ADAS, Panoramic sunroof and a whole list of other features). Considering your wife took a keen interest in it, this seems to be a good option. Do note that the boot is on the smaller side.

5. Maruti Suzuki Brezza AT
The Brezza is one of the best-selling compact SUVs for a reason, the Maruti reliability, easy availability of service, spares and being a well-rounded car as well. The 1.5 L K-15C engine produced 102 bhp of power and 136.8 Nm of torque, while not astounding, you have to note that this is a 4-cylinder Naturally aspirated model and is mated to a 6-speed AT, so it will be the most reliable of the compact SUVs out there. The Brezza VXI AT is priced at Rs.12.46 lakhs OTR going all the way up to Rs.15.66 lakhs for the ZXI Plus AT, However this month Maruti has offered up to Rs 10K Cash + 15K Exchange Bonus on the AT variants with the Urbano Edition getting Rs 15K Cash discount (Vxi) and an Additional 15K Exchange Bonus.

Now coming to whether opting for a more expensive option (close to 20 lakhs) as your first car is a good option, the matter boils down to the fact that you won't be a novice for long and once you get the hang of it, you would have felt that you needed a bigger, better and faster car, in such a case it is better to go for the higher end models rather than settling for the cheaper cars with lower power and features. Now coming to the case of which automatic transmission would be more reliable, traditionally the Torque Converter Automatics (TC AT) were considered the most reliable, followed by the CVT and then the DCTs (considered less reliable due to the newer technologies, DCT heating up and DSG failures in VW). So if you go by that then TC AT would be the choice to go for.

Moreover, it has been seen that Naturally aspirated engines seem to have far fewer issues than Turbos but in today's market Turbos rule and there are only a few options in the Naturally Aspirated segment (most of which are the smaller 1.2 Litre engines which have comparatively lower power and torque). So this can't be the only criterion based on which you make your decision.

So I would recommend you get your priorities in order and choose wisely!

[Hatchback_dude]

Originally Posted by goku_saiyan

Test drove the Verna and loved the fast pace it provided. But I am still in 2 minds if should invest so much in my first
What is the community's view on the best automatic transmission out there? Is a TC transmission going to serve my purpose of being hassle free, easy ownership, mostly city driving, odd monthly highway driving (the missus quite like the new Mahindra XUV 3XO which is TC).

Thank you!

Hi, you already have great recommendations on this thread with regards to cars. I am just going to make a limited point on the reliability of torque converters. They are among the oldest automatic transmission iterations and work well. We have three cars and all of them come with torque converters - two with four speed autos and one with a six speed torque converter. The oldest among these is eight years old and is driven everyday in stop and go city traffic. We have never had a problem with the transmission on any of our cars.
A point of interest might be that torque converters are somewhat notorious for sub par fuel efficiency. For instance our grand i10 with a four speed torque converter and a 1.2l four cylinder engine returns a single digit fuel efficiency in city traffic.

[goku_saiyan]

Originally Posted by bijims

Considering the fact both you and your spouse are novice drivers, spending 19 lakhs on a first car may seem a bit high, so here are some of the cheaper options available (all are Petrol automatics, no AMTs)

1. Tata Altroz DCA
The Tata Altroz is a safe (5-star NCAP), spacious hatch with a smooth 6-speed DCT although it ain't the most powerful or torquey (87 bhp and 115 Nm), it gets the job done, however, I wouldn't say it is the hassle-free long-term reliable car, there have been a few niggles reported and Tata's After Sales Service hasn't known to be the best either. So although it's a great choice, from a long-term perspective, I am not too sure, If you are interested do check it out and get a test drive. The Base XMA Plus Petrol costs only Rs.9.83 lakhs OTR in your city whereas the top-end costs 12 lakhs OTR. Tata has introduced a few offers for the Altroz for July too which include up to Rs 25K Cash discount + 20K Exchange bonus + Rs 5000 Corporate discount as well. Not sure if these apply to all the variants though.

2. Honda Amaze CVT
The Amaze CVT is a safe (GNCAP 4 stars), spacious and practical sedan with an adequately powered engine (89 bhp of power and 115 Nm of torque) mated to a CVT and is as reliable as it can get. You can hold on to it for years and it will be a reliable car with little to no niggles at all. However, the current model has gotten old and is pending a facelift. If you are still interested, the Base S CVT costs Rs.9.86 lakhs OTR whereas the top-end Elite CVT costs 11.15 lakhs. You also get up to Rs 96K Benefits (Upto Rs 40K Cash + Upto Rs 20K Exchange Bonus + Corporate, Loyalty & Accessories Pack) which makes the deal even sweeter.

3. Hyundai i20 CVT
The i20 provides a spacious, feature-rich cabin with adequate power and is a reliable hatch. Priced at Rs.10.76 lakhs for the Sprortz IVT going all the way to Rs.12.69 for the Asta IVT, the i20 is a good choice worth considering. Moreover, the current offers make the deal even sweeter with discounts ranging up to Rs 35K Cash discount + 10K Exchange Bonus.

4. Mahindra XUV 3X0 TC AT
The XUV 3X0 is the new kid on the block now with a TC AT (ditching the AMT), the base model MX2 Pro 1.2 L AT is Value for Money priced at 11.39 lakhs OTR providing you with a spacious compact SUV which is powerful and torquey (110 bhp of power and 200 Nm of torque), the price goes all the way up to Rs.17.72 lakhs for the AX7L 1.2 TGDi Petrol AT which is even more powerful (129 bhp), torquey (230 Nm) and feature-rich (Level 2 ADAS, Panoramic sunroof and a whole list of other features). Considering your wife took a keen interest in it, this seems to be a good option. Do note that the boot is on the smaller side.

5. Maruti Suzuki Brezza AT
The Brezza is one of the best-selling compact SUVs for a reason, the Maruti reliability, easy availability of service, spares and being a well-rounded car as well. The 1.5 L K-15C engine produced 102 bhp of power and 136.8 Nm of torque, while not astounding, you have to note that this is a 4-cylinder Naturally aspirated model and is mated to a 6-speed AT, so it will be the most reliable of the compact SUVs out there. The Brezza VXI AT is priced at Rs.12.46 lakhs OTR going all the way up to Rs.15.66 lakhs for the ZXI Plus AT, However this month Maruti has offered up to Rs 10K Cash + 15K Exchange Bonus on the AT variants with the Urbano Edition getting Rs 15K Cash discount (Vxi) and an Additional 15K Exchange Bonus.

Now coming to whether opting for a more expensive option (close to 20 lakhs) as your first car is a good option, the matter boils down to the fact that you won't be a novice for long and once you get the hang of it, you would have felt that you needed a bigger, better and faster car, in such a case it is better to go for the higher end models rather than settling for the cheaper cars with lower power and features. Now coming to the case of which automatic transmission would be more reliable, traditionally the Torque Converter Automatics (TC AT) were considered the most reliable, followed by the CVT and then the DCTs (considered less reliable due to the newer technologies, DCT heating up and DSG failures in VW). So if you go by that then TC AT would be the choice to go for.

Moreover, it has been seen that Naturally aspirated engines seem to have far fewer issues than Turbos but in today's market Turbos rule and there are only a few options in the Naturally Aspirated segment (most of which are the smaller 1.2 Litre engines which have comparatively lower power and torque). So this can't be the only criterion based on which you make your decision.

So I would recommend you get your priorities in order and choose wisely!

Thanks for the advice!

Test drove the Mahindra XUV 3X0 TC AT and we liked it. Had a question around services and spare parts availability for Mahindra. Have got very mixed reviews from some of my friends who are Mahindra owners with the final verdict being that "Mahindra's service is strictly ok and nothing beyond"!