New Automatic Hatchback: A-Star / Brio / Micra / Grand i10?

[acechip]

Hi folks,
my first post on AI-


I am looking for a new AT. Have a requirement for
1) decent fuel economy
2 )Decent space for 4 adults (2 elderly ones at back)
3) reasonable maintenance
4) Reasonable boot space
5) Decent resale value.

Have shortlisted Astar, Brio, Micra CVT, Grand I-10 and regular I-10 (one available in Sportz trim).

The budget is between 5.5 to 7.5 lac.

Did a test drive of Astar , Brio so far.

Astar- decent performance in traffic, not-too-many features but ABS is there- atrocious rear seat comfort and boot space.

Brio- extremely smooth to drive- reasonable comfort in the rear seat, small boot space, slight worry about Honda maintenance costs.

Havent test drivent I10 Grand or I10 yet but I am told that their fuel efficiency is generally lower than the other automatics.

Nissan CVT is fully loaded , but pricey, and am not sure about after sales cost and service experience.
Also, I believe the resale value of the Honda would be the highest amongst these.
I own a Linea TJet plus, so obviously i am keeping my overally driveability/ ride-handling expectations low from these cars, but I hear that Brio is pretty decent on highway runs.

Any recommendations? Head says Astar purely based on cost, but 4 seat comfort is poor. Heart says Brio- but Honda after sales costs are a slight concern( i feel they may be high).
Dunno about Micra.

 

[acechip]

Dear fellow enthusiasts, would really appreciate your feedback since i am planning to seal the deal soon. Specifically, am concerned about honda maintenance costs. Also, how is the honda build quality? What about engine/underbody protection?

 

[Deceptron]

Hello AceChip,

I'm not so sure about Honda. But i have recently booked for Grand i10 Asta Automatic and waiting for delivery. The reason i chose grand i10 is based on my previous experience, features, price.

You can checkout the thread here : http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...ecosport-grand-i10-booked-grand-i10-asta.html

If you really love the looks of brio, the interiors, comfort level and performance. Then way to go!
I believe honda wont charge that much of money for anything related to service. But i may be wrong..
You should make your call here though.

Regarding the underbody protection, I suggest you to have a look after and check if they've really made anything. Because, some dealers provide this for free with their sales and they paint only on certain areas under the body. Not completely.
My dealer offered me this and i said one big NO thanks.

 

[acechip]

Hi Deceptron, thanks. Can you please confirm if Grand I-10 Asta has 2 airbags ? It doesnt seem to have ABS, as per your thread.

Do you not feel that is a bit of a letdown from Hyundai ? I did take a look at GrandI-10 on display at a showroom here. But there was major confusion about its availability. First of all, the salesperson said its launched, but not available ... When i pointed to a noticeboard in his showroom indicating a wait time for Grand I-10 Asta-AT was 2 weeks, he said that information is outdated. I asked him to doublecheck with his senior (was a bit peeved). Then he came back with sheepishly confirming..but then was not sure about its features.

 

[Gurrala74]

@aceship

Welcome to TAI !! with your requirements, go with Brio Automatic eyes closed. We have one since last 6 months and it is really excellent to drive this small beauty in city traffic.

There is no extra maintenance we have spent on this car so far except the regular service schedules. Since this is used by my colleagues wife, hence I do not have pics and full story here.

 

[Deceptron]

Hi Deceptron, thanks. Can you please confirm if Grand I-10 Asta has 2 airbags ? It doesnt seem to have ABS, as per your thread.

Do you not feel that is a bit of a letdown from Hyundai ? I did take a look at GrandI-10 on display at a showroom here. But there was major confusion about its availability. First of all, the salesperson said its launched, but not available ... When i pointed to a noticeboard in his showroom indicating a wait time for Grand I-10 Asta-AT was 2 weeks, he said that information is outdated. I asked him to doublecheck with his senior (was a bit peeved). Then he came back with sheepishly confirming..but then was not sure about its features.

Yes, Grand i10 doesn't come with airbags. It is pretty disappointing, even the new grand i10 doesn't come with dead pedal/footrest.

But seems like all these sales person are getting trained by genuine hyundai clowns. Because, i got the same response as you've said.
On the waiting list it says, 4-5 weeks. But he strongly quoted me 2 weeks delivery. Which is exactly in week of December.

Brio, It has one of the best exterior design. I can easily fall in love looking at its eyes all day. But one thing that bugged me is the interiors, which looked very blank ( for me )

If you're planning to go with Brio and satisfied with the interiors and comfort level. Then I'd say, you've made the right choice.

Keep us updated with your purchase and experience.

 

[acechip]

Okay, just to update, I did a short test drive of the Micra as well. I found it quite good. The GC of 154mm did not bother the car with 2 front occupants. In my 4km drive, it returned an FE of 15.1 kmpl after resetting the MID. This was a mixture of bad service road and a decent patch of the Pune BLR bypass. To sum, here is the situation
Brio- felt quite good in terms of performance, although the gearshift was prominent-
Micra- felt a little more smooth in terms of gearshift (being CVT) but felt that the acceleration was a bit lazy..but conversely perhaps, it returns better economy.

Another difference - in Brio, the rear seat incline felt a tad better, but marred by the rather stubby fixed headrest. In the Micra, the rear seat is a bit more upright, but supprted by adjustable headrests..

Am getting 7.14 OTR for Brio and 7.59 for Micra CVT in Pune..no discounts on the CVT as such..
So now the question may be in terms of maintenance and resale value. Do I consider that the Honda car is a bit better off in both these areas ?

 

[manish09]

HONDA maintenance and service will be definitely better than the MICRA. Also HONDA cars are known for good resale value. You may like to go ahead with BRIO.

Okay, just to update, I did a short test drive of the Micra as well. I found it quite good. The GC of 154mm did not bother the car with 2 front occupants. In my 4km drive, it returned an FE of 15.1 kmpl after resetting the MID. This was a mixture of bad service road and a decent patch of the Pune BLR bypass. To sum, here is the situation
Brio- felt quite good in terms of performance, although the gearshift was prominent-
Micra- felt a little more smooth in terms of gearshift (being CVT) but felt that the acceleration was a bit lazy..but conversely perhaps, it returns better economy.

Another difference - in Brio, the rear seat incline felt a tad better, but marred by the rather stubby fixed headrest. In the Micra, the rear seat is a bit more upright, but supprted by adjustable headrests..

Am getting 7.14 OTR for Brio and 7.59 for Micra CVT in Pune..no discounts on the CVT as such..
So now the question may be in terms of maintenance and resale value. Do I consider that the Honda car is a bit better off in both these areas ?

 

[tai_newbie]

Brio is a product of the world renowned honda. Micro is just behind. Nissan too is a reliable brand next to honda and Toyota. I personally feel nissan seems to be possess more rigid and strong body compared among these three and Toyota is least strong among. I am telling this based on my experience as I own a honda and a Toyota.
Moreover, I have heard nightmares about nissan service in India.

 

[acechip]

I did one more round of testing of the Micra esp for back seat comfort and 4-people sitting. The overall experience was quite nice. I have a couple of questions:
1a) Based on how the CVT is designed, would the CVT Micra need to be put on L mode always for inclines ? For ex our typical ghats, you would accelerate to a point where you know that the car wont take up the incline, you typically shift gear in advance. How does it work for CVT
1b) Can one change the mode from D to L while in motion for CVT or does the car need to be stopped ?
2) Are there any long term reliability issues with using CVT transmission belts ?

 

[optimumspeed]

Hi, I recently got the Micra CVT and the car seems to be a gem to drive, specifically with crazy city traffic and it seems to have adequate power on tap to make you shoot forward from a stop light.
For inclines, L mode is not a necessity always but depends on the steepness of it.
Though, i havent tried it but i think you can shift from D to L while running.
The new CVT variant seems to be good but long term reliability, i am not sure but generally these cars are designed to give pretty decent miles before the wear and tear.

 

[acechip]

My question on long term reliability of Cvt arises from heaps of internet forums and auto sites who are basically saying that companies like Nissan esp, are pushing cvt to comply with fuel efficiency norms, but there are mixed reports of reliability,and Nissan have made recalls to correct cvt transmission failures. So am just a wee bit concerned on long term...cvt is new to mass segment cars as such in India.
Any learned opinions welcome..

 

[draneeshpm]

Acechip,
You can lug the car in D mode for inclines and ghats depending on the inclines.Yes you can shift from D to L mode while driving.Hope this helps.
Regards,
Aneesh.

 

[Gurrala74]

@acechip

Nissan had this CVT problems in 2012 models, but the same is corrected for 2013 models and there are no issues now

 

[acechip]

Hi, I have finalized Micra CVT.

Planned to take a second test drive of Brio AT with my parents but the salesperson goofed up majorly, first of all by not having a test car available after he promised. And no immediate apology to the effect either.

He did however drive us back and forth from the dealership to the stockyard in the manual Brio and then offered a TD of Amaze , which is obviously a bit different from back seat comfort perspective. We were just amazed (in an unfunny way) at the lack of professionalism on display.
My parents were not too impressed with the rear seat comfort of the Brio anyway, so dropped it altogether.

Will continue to update as things go along.