The popularity of automatic geared cars has risen extensively over the past few years. And the reason is quite palpable as such models facilitate driving ease by dismissing the need to push the clutch pedal repeatedly, while shifting the gears in heavy traffic conditions. It must be noted that automatic cars are already a favoured choice amongst car buyers in the International markets like US and many others. In India, however, cars with automatic transmission are slowly and steadily moving up the ladder of fame.
The popular car makers that have entered the automatic car segment in India are, namely, Honda, Hyundai Motor India and Maruti Suzuki India. While Honda enrolled into the automatic hatchback segment with the launch of its Brio AT in 2012, its competitor Hyundai recently rolled out the juggernaut Grand i10 automatic to rival against the same. Another company that caught up the fever of automatic transmission cars is Maruti Suzuki with its A-Star model. Honda developed Brio after a comprehensive research of the Indian car market with local driving conditions and the specific requisites of an average Indian car buyer. Brio Automatic is available in two trims- the lower ‘S‘ and the top ‘V‘. Honda Brio AT comes with a 5-speed automatic transmission, and is powered by a 1.2-Litre i-VTEC petrol engine that generates 86 bhp of power and 109 Nm of peak torque. The company claims that on account of fuel economy, the Brio AT has an ARAI certification and returns a mileage of 16.5 kmpl.
Coming to the South Korean auto maker, Grand i10 automatic is not the first automatic geared car from Hyundai, however it is an all-new mated version of the i20 and Verna. This automatic car comes equipped with a four-speed automatic gearbox, which is similar to the one in i20 and Verna. Hyundai Grand i10 automatic is mated to an 81 bhp 1.2-litre petrol motor and is available in two trims - Asta and Sportz. Out of the two, Asta scores higher on many accounts. The Grand i10 automatic in Sportz trim is loaded with features like all power windows, electric outer rear view mirrors, power steering, integrated 2-DIN music system, reverse parking sensors, chrome handles, roof rails, tilt steering and many more. The Asta trim of Hyundai Grand i10 has a number of additional features, such as a rear defogger, spoiler, alloy wheels, Bluetooth and 1GB on-board memory for the entertainment system.
Beating both the aforementioned automatic cars is Maruti Suzuki A-Star, which is the cheapest automatic model available in the Indian auto market. A-star is fitted with a 4-speed automatic box and is available in a single trim, Vxi. It sports features like Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) as standard and comes equipped with a smaller 1-litre K-series petrol engine. On basis of what they are priced at, Maruti Suzuki A-Star (Automatic) is a clear winner as against its competitors, Hyundai Grand i10 AT and Honda Brio AT.
