Which Car To Choose? AT vs CVT?

[shriti]

Hi there,
I currently drive a 2005 baleno and would like to buy a new car and I need suggestions about which car I should buy. Here are few things important to me-

1. Comfort and ride quality is the most important factor. Our current car baleno is very smooth , comfortable and great ride quality, so we are looking for similar comfort.
2. We are a couple so, rear seats comfort is not a big issue.
3. We are planning to take on a 2 year road trip of India after six months so car should be powerful on highways and comfortable.
4. Mileage, diesel, petrol etc.. is not an issue as comfort and power is most important to us.
5. Our budget is under 13 lakhs.
6. We are looking for a sedan or an MUV but it should not be manual.

Here are few cars which I have shortlisted-

1. Ford Eco sport
2. Honda City - ( I have read lot of bad complaints about this car and some people complained about tyre bursting and water leakage)
3. New skoda rapid (which was released today)
4. New Vento
5. Hyundai verna
6. Sunny CVT
7. Renault Scala

Please suggest which car I should go for?

 

[AMG]

Re: Which car to choose- AT vs CVT?

We are planning to take on a 2 year road trip of India after six months so car should be powerful on highways and comfortable.

Keeping in mind your requirement #3, I'd suggest an ecosport or alternatively, an scorpio automatic.

The reason is that the ecosport's design(and also the scorpio's) is such that you can load up more stuff in it than in others, if you choose to remove the rear seats.

And secondly the higher ground clearance would help you, because the highways are not going to be very good throughout the country.

The scorpio automatic will give you the added feature of being a 4x4, which the ecosport will not.

 

[furious_driver]

Let's take Verna, Vento and Scala for comparision as I find them worthy in AT league.

1. Engine Displacement
Verna - 1582cc
Vento - 1498cc
Scala - 1498cc

2. Gearbox
Verna - 4 speed
Vento - 7 speed DSG
Scala - 5 speed

3. Mileage & Fuel Type(FE)
Verna- 22 & Diesel
Vento-21 & Diesel
Scala-17 & Petrol

4. Price(Top End)
Verna - 11.7L OTR
Vento - 10.9L OTR
Scala - 10.1 L OTR

If you look at the above, it looks like Verna is the winner, but for me, it is Vento,

Reason, is 7 Speed DSG is far better compared to 4 & 5Speed AT in other two cars. And FE is not behind much compared to Verna and finally, Vento facelift has got a lot of interior upgrades which may come closer to interior of Verna.

Scala/Sunny both use Petrol which might not be good in your case, considering your all-india road trip and for me, Diesel with good VGT will be better than Petrol.

For raw power, good handling, good highway manners, go for Vento.
For sheer comfort and premiumn-ess, go for Verna.

It is not that Verna is not good in Highways, but with AT it changes. DSG v 4-Speed AT is no-brainer and if Verna has something as good as DSG, it would have been neck-to-neck decision.

Keeping in mind your requirement #3, I'd suggest an ecosport or alternatively, an scorpio automatic.

The reason is that the ecosport's design(and also the scorpio's) is such that you can load up more stuff in it than in others, if you choose to remove the rear seats.

And secondly the higher ground clearance would help you, because the highways are not going to be very good throughout the country.

The scorpio automatic will give you the added feature of being a 4x4, which the ecosport will not.

Yeah, but he never mentioned anything like off-roading. Isn't it?

 

[AMG]

Re: Which car to choose- AT vs CVT?

And you chose to ignore how susceptible those Europeans are to poor quality petrol?

 

[Jazzy]

Re: Which car to choose- AT vs CVT?

I would agree with AMG. Good ground clearance is required if you are planning to drive all over India. But sometimes, cars with lower ground clearance but having smaller wheelbase & fatter tires help in avoiding bumps.
The new scorpio is hideous looking if you ask me. Stick to Ecosport.

 

[AMG]

Yeah, but he never mentioned anything like off-roading. Isn't it?

But he never mentioned expressway only, did he?
Have you ever been on a state highway?
Seen the potholes?

The new scorpio is hideous looking if you ask me. Stick to Ecosport.

Thanks for agreeing with me. [:p]

And what have looks got to do with anything?
The OP's requirements do not talk of good looks.

And the Scorpio isnt as hideous as the Scala/Sunny.

 

[furious_driver]

I gave options, from my POV and it is upto OP to choose from.

 

[Rollerdude]

2. Honda City - ( I have read lot of bad complaints about this car and some people complained about tyre bursting and water leakage)

Lol, that has to be the most comical statement regarding a Honda City but then it also sells the most in the segment.

As far as your requirement is considered and in case you are not into off-roading I will recommend the newly launched Skoda Rapid Diesel with the 7-speed DSG. The reason because first it is diesel so will be light on your pocket during your India run. Second it has a very good ride quality, robust build and spacious as well.

In case you are doubtful regarding Skoda After sales and the service cost then go with the Scorpio (lots of space for storing lots of luggage) or maybe a ecosport (but it is not all that powerful enough and the auto-tranny is also not the best in the segment and the pseudo-SUV looks - looks small on the road and all that but take a test drive, it is comfortable for front passengers and also has a lot cool gizmos to play with!)

But he never mentioned expressway only, did he?
Have you ever been on a state highway?
Seen the potholes?

A ecosport with that stiff suspension will be probably way down on my list if I ever have to be on a pot-hole laden road because it is just not comfortable. Stiff suspension, even more stiffer seats! On such roads I will like a car that instead has good ride quality and enough ground clearance to not scrap on every opportunity possible.

 

[AMG]

So you want a guy who is on a trip to break the underbody of his car?

 

[shriti]

Hi, Thanks for the replies. I personally don't like looks of Scorpio. Regarding off-roading, it's optional as I do want to go to leh etc.. but I don't want to end up with an uncomfortable car for the rest of the years just for 10-15 days of Leh trip. So, Eco sport is only applicable if it's comfortable like sedan or else I will go with sedan.

Hi,

I see that you drive you a honda city, what are your views about it?

Lol, that has to be the most comical statement regarding a Honda City but then it also sells the most in the segment.

As far as your requirement is considered and in case you are not into off-roading I will recommend the newly launched Skoda Rapid Diesel with the 7-speed DSG. The reason because first it is diesel so will be light on your pocket during your India run. Second it has a very good ride quality, robust build and spacious as well.

In case you are doubtful regarding Skoda After sales and the service cost then go with the Scorpio (lots of space for storing lots of luggage) or maybe a ecosport (but it is not all that powerful enough and the auto-tranny is also not the best in the segment and the pseudo-SUV looks - looks small on the road and all that but take a test drive, it is comfortable for front passengers and also has a lot cool gizmos to play with!)

Is scorpio comfortable, I once sat in XUV and didn't like it at all. I was getting a felling on being on a bus because of body roll and potholes. I scorpio also like this?

 

[Rollerdude]

So you want a guy who is on a trip to break the underbody of his car?

Not at all, but he ain't driving a lambo with super low GC! I think most of the sedans in this segment come with adequate ground clearance and can tackle bad roads if taken slowly and if off-roading is not a priority. I agree that having a good ground clearance is always an added benefit but shriti needs a car for a long time and a comfortable one and since, he will be driving on highways mainly, yes he can consider an ecosport as well!! But won't a sedan be more comfortable? My reply to you was regarding only when driving on pothole-laden roads.

I see that you drive you a honda city, what are your views about it?

Is scorpio comfortable, I once sat in XUV and didn't like it at all. I was getting a felling on being on a bus because of body roll and potholes. I scorpio also like this?

Hii,
Yes I drive the 4th gen Honda City(petrol). The suspension has been made stiffer than the previous generation which has solved the problem of scraping on full load but has also deteriorated ride quality to some extent. But if you are driving on highways, I think it should not be problem and on bad roads as the speed increases ride becomes comfortable. The petrol is a blast to drive though the electric power steering can do with a bit more weighing up at higher speeds. If you go for the City, I recommend upgrading the skinny tires it comes with. It comes with 175/65 R15, upgrade it to 196/60 r15 and go for Michelin Primacy 3ST or XM2. Any other question regarding the City, feel free to ask I will be glad to answer. You can also go through my ownership thread, here's the link - http://www.theautomotiveindia.com/f...der-new-member-family-4th-gen-honda-city.html

Regarding the Scorpio, the previous version was infamous for bumpy ride but the newer version must have seen some improvement on this front. Test drive it. I agree with your observation about the XUV. If you can compromise on automatic then Renault Duster/Nissan terrano and Safari Storme are two SUVs with great ride quality and awesome ground clearance - full assrurance for an all India trip. In fact, some even consider the Duster to have the best ride quality this side of 50 lacs.

 

[shriti]

Between vento and rapid, which is better?

 

[vishnu vichu]

Vento 7 speed DSG would be the best IMO :)

 

[nishant5858]

Between vento and rapid, which is better?

Both Vento & Rapid are good but I will suggest Rapid because it is slightly cheaper and is more efficient then Vento if you consider ARAI figures is both these cars equipped with DSG Gearbox.

 

[shriti]

Hi, there

We have decided to go with eco sport At. I have a question though, will eco sport AT will be fine for roads like leh ?