Automatic Car Dilemma


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I am in the market for automatic car and test driving vehicles for last 2 months. After test driving Vento/Rapid Diesel DSG, Polo GT TSI (VW Vento TSI not available for test drive), Hyundai Verna Diesel SX AT shortlisted final 3 options. Hyundai Verna Diesel SX AT, Honda City CVT (SV Variant) and XCent 1.2 SX(O) AT.

I am sedate driver who never drove beyond 100 KMPH even when the road is completely free or even when I had bigger cars with more power. Right now managing i10 AT and find it adequate and in need of bigger car as I just sold Optra 1.6 petrol after using for 10 years. Optra was fantastic car but never felt home with manual transmission (after driving automatics for several years in US) and every time I had to cross slopes or hill areas I had heart in my mouth with half-clutch skills.

Cutting long story short I need help in making final decision among Hyundai Verna Diesel AT (SX), Honda City CVT (SV) and XCent SX(0) 1.2 AT.

Rapid Diesel DSG did not meet my expectations as initial pick up was not up to the mark, noisy engine and response from VW/Skoda dealers not encouraging and their deliver timelines about TSI models is even more confusing. Of course maintenance costs also in mind so dropped VW/Skoda options. Surprisingly Hyundai Verna Diesel SX AT was super quick even though it is only 4-speed AT it surprised me with the performance, I felt car almost flying after slightly slow start. This was my first diesel test drive but car was more quicker than I expected may be due to power and torque of engine. So overall happy with the test drives and features this variant offers. I was not able to get City CVT for test drive as no dealer offering CVT test drive. Same case with Xcent AT test drive ( Did not bother much about Xcent AT as I am already driving first gen i10 AT). Now the dilemma


  • Hyundai Verna Diesel SX AT is only 40K more than City SV CVT variant after all year end deals and discounts for Verna. Is it worth? It is fully loaded compared to City SV variant. I heard mileage concerns with Verna Diesel SX AT giving only 9 in city and may be 13-15 on highway being 4- speed AT. Any comparison to City CVT mileage?
  • Safety being top priority which is safe among three variants. All 3 have airbags, ABS with EBD. Structural safety among three ?
  • Long term maintenance of three cars?
  • I was impressed that Honda is charging only 7975 for 3rd & 4th year extended warranty but Hyundai is charging 20K for the same.
  • Resale value of three cars? Which one is better ?
  • Did Hyundai improve Xcent ride on speed breakers. I10 almost jumps out of speed breakers or potholes. Any improvement of Xcent in terms of Ride quality, drivability and mileage compared to first gen i10 AT?
Totally confused need to make final choice in the next 24 hours to avail year end discounts on Verna and XCent. All your inputs are more than welcome.

Regards,
Krish
 
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Well,This Thread is not on the Correct Place so MODS please move it.Coming to the Point,Now is a Good Time to buy a Vento.You can look for the Ciaz which is an Awesome Car.XCent is the Best Car in the Segment.Maruti has better Re-sale.I would go with the City rather than Verna just because of lots of Body roll and very less Stability and is just not worth that 40K Difference.All these 3 are safe.I doubt Maruti.Hyundai is the Safest and also the Most Feauture-rich and Powerful too.Perhaps you can consider looking at the Ecosport Automatics being the Best car under 10 Lakhs One could ever get.

P.S - I still own a Optra 1.6 Manual.Previous cars all Daewoos (Nexias and Cielos)
 
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Of the three: It appears City's CVT is the best of the three and reviews are generally good; your comments on response of Verna AT surprised me (2.5 Yrs back performance was ulta) and from i10 to Xcent, you might feel you've not changed the car interior wise.

Mileage in Verna: Only 40K more for Verna Diesel AT than City CVT ? Could be December and new Verna effects. Lot of times on the highway, I forget to shift after 4th gear, and my manual diesel Verna cruises on for 10 minutes, at steady speeds at 1800-2000 rpm silently (I shift listening to the Engine). I have noticed instant mileage figures of 17-21 depending on wind resistance and many a times continued to drive at 4th [:)]. So, you could expect similar figures on highway. In Metro, when my travel is less than 6km (my office is 3km away) the Avg mileage is 12-14 kpl; when the distance is 15-20 km, it goes up to 15-17 kpl. So you might get 11-15 kpl in City conditions with the AT.

Body Roll and Stability of Verna: My wife rarely slept during long drives when I had a Matiz. In Verna, she always sleeps even for 2 hours. My daughter who is in PU 2nd year, continues her study from the rear seat. One cannot sleep that nicely or go thro' the Phy/Chem/Maths workbooks, if the car is pitching a lot. About 3 weeks back, I could avoid a certain accident (due to a suicidal 2 wheeler cutting from left extreme towards a break in the median at an angle that would have brought him bang in front of me had I braked), by steering away to my right and just accelerating. My colleague (a Diesel Duster owner) in the rear seat asked, "Is it Diesel or Petrol". Verna is certainly not in the leagues of Linea, Fiesta and Rapid, but stability wise, it is extremely good enough to run away from tight spots. AT will not have that acceleration, but will retain the stability and steering.

Structural safety: Honda is known to build their cars light, but kit them nicely when it comes to safety. Verna is 130kg heavier than city. I don't know in what way that translates to structural safety.

Extended Warranty: They are very sure, they are getting Rs.8000/- more for their car, without needing to change parts covered under warranty. That tells lot about Honda Quality [clap]. And perhaps Hyundai is not leaving things to chance :-) However, I might add this: When I wanted to go for Ext.warranty, the salesman said, "Sir, save your money. If in doubt, talk to other Hyundai car owners". Better check on the service cost and intervals.

Resale Value: In India Automatic cars are not that much popular and hence 2nd hand price will be hit irrespective of Brand, as demand IS less. Could change in 5 years' time.

Hope these help you. Wait wait ... I have to muddy the pool. Have you considered the Zest AMT ? [evil]
 

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