Got an Automatic Transmission Car

My AT Dream Comes True

After selling my old manual transmission car, I have gotten myself a Ford Fiesta Automatic Transmission Car

It has been a dream come true to me to drive an automatic transmission.

I struggled a lot to learn driving manual transmission, you can know about how I ranted about manual transmission cars earlier, through gods grace I somehow learned and mastered manual transmission car

Desire to own and drive with ease an automatic never died away. I test drove many cars for more than an year and finally decided to own an automatic and you can see some photos

About my manual transmission driving

Initially I struggled to master this, but now it become a second brain and effortless. In fact loved the way car revved when I downshifted, the real joy of manual transmission I agree, but at the cost of more fuel drinking when revving to high rpms in lower gears!

I ended up with this formula, my old car's max RPM was 6000 RPM and Torque max was 4000 RPM, its idle RPM with AC was 1000 RPM and the correct shift point was (4000 RPM - 1000 RPM) / 2 + 1000 RPM which is 2500 RPM! It was way enthusiastic shifting to next gear and the car revving was music to my ears. I had the cars tyres upsized to 175/70 R13 (175 mm width and 70 percent of 175 mm as sidewall height (do the math buddy)) . This gave the car tremendous grip and all thanks to alloys and Michelin XM2 tyres. I had thoroughly enjoyed the are, which zipped in and out of traffic due to its small dimensions and the way I shifted gears after 2500 RPMS, all with disastrous effects on mileage. It was joy to drive car, no major problems, but I am not to be settled with good, I want better .... sorry about my bad mentality to seek perfection and it may be costly

Mind was set on diesel cars and mileage

As you know, my mind was set on owning diesel cars and I started test driving an year and a half back.In fact test drove lots of cars, here I give a brief overview of what I loved and what I did not 

I tested

Hyundai i10 Automatic

Hyundai i20 CRDI

Swift Diesel

Fiat Punto 75 HP

Chevrolet Spark

Chevrolet Sail UVA Diesel Hatchback

Fiat Punto 90 HP

Honda Amaze Diesel

Toyota Eitos Diesel
Ford Fiesta Classic Diesel

New Ford Fiesta Diesel

New Ford Fiesta Automatic

Ford Ecosport Diesel

Nissan Sunny Diesel

Swift Dzire Diesel

Volkswagen Polo TDI

Volkswagen Polo Petrol

Volkswagen Polo GT Automatic

Volkswagen Vento TDI

Tata indica diesel

Santro

Eon

Wagon R

Alto

Maruti 800

and last but not the least

Ritz petrol

What I loved and hated from my test drives, net browsing analysis and my observations

Hyundai i20 Diesel

Driven couple of times

i20 is a sophisticated machine, top notch quality, loaded to the brim and shocked me by showing video of rearview when I reversed. It is tempting car with all 4 disc brakes, with ABS brakes from sports model. It had bluetooth connectivity like my old i10. Costed above 8 Lacs with no waiting time. Very good pickup past 1800 RPM and made me wonder if it was a diesel engine without sounding like one (It was super smooth) Its suspension setup is much better than i10 and its boot is big, good space in the rear. 

For all its advantages it scared me with its not chilling AC, i10's AC is one of the best and it cooled the cabin in thick hot sunlight within minutes whereas i20 test drive during a summer noon with my friend gave this question from friend and me "Is AC working in i20?" Later came to know from someone that AC issue in i20 has been fixed. Next i20 disappointed me with its super super light steering, if i10 is light steering i20 is even lighter! and from internet heard it had sterring rattles. Its ground clearance is not great due to longer wheelbase

Still loved to own this vehicle, and why not, it is the most sophisticated vehicle 

Hyundai i10 Automatic

Driven once

Test drove and loved it, began my hunt for next car after test driving this as it showed how much I am missing. Yet I dont want to move lateral, cute little i10 at, I said a sad good bye after test drive and after all it is a petrol car again if I went with it

Swift ZDI Diesel

Driven once

Here are my stupid observations of my first drive and my confused thoughts of swift

But when my friend got swift, it blowed my mind, it is a fantastic vehicle, the steering is stunning to hold and turn, there is not much to turn a slight turn turns the big car like a toy, the suspension was awesome, pickup after 2000 RPM was good, dashboard was very addictive, sound system stunned my mind, seats are good, maruti service which my friends did tempted me again and again, it is easy to own maruti with such good service. Tyres were very big, even spare was alloy!

And I hated its brakes, it was not sharp like my old i10. It did not have bluetooth, but it was a jabra freeway away had I googled earlier. Its sound insulation was not that good like i10. Its boot is small which is not to my liking

Swift ZDI tempted me till I decided to go with Ford Fiesta

Fiat Punto 75 HP

Driven 3 times

It is an addictive car, I loved its superb steering very well weighted. Its awesome suspension, chilling AC .... 

And when I test drove, it was having turning radius of 5.4 meters, and when I test drove updated model it had 5 m turning radius!! with much better interiors

Its interior was not so striking like its exteriors, the strength of doors and frame is a sight to behold. Its a manly car to drive, and you may get biceps shifting its tough gears (I liked hyundai gearing the best next to VW cars). With the same engine, swift was agile and this was not so much, I had to rev it hard. Its clutch was like plastic and confused me, its seating was sporty and I was sitting differently from my old tallboy

And what if it had 90 HP ? So mind set on 90 HP and 90 HP Sports

Fiat Punto 90 HP

Driven 2 times

The pickup was the same with all the added power. Again to see the difference I had to drive it on highway and was convinced once when I drove it past 50 that it was powerful

Again, till the last moment before deciding I wanted to own 90 HP Punto, except for the fear of its service though Fiat had opened its service centers.

Who will not love Fiat cars after once falling in love with its appearance, power, suspension, steering ... its a  legendary vehicle

Doesn't that video above make your heart wish you owned a Fiat 90 HP Punto?

Chevrolet Spark

Driven once

The car is a 4 cylinder silent motor. It is spacious and made me feel I could have opted this car for much cheaper price than my old i10

Not much idea other than this

Chevrolet Sail UVA Diesel Hatchback

Driven once

Very good suspension and had nice dials. The car though had same diesel motor as fiat multijet, struggled in 2nd gear, other gears were fine. It was the annoying rattle or sound in second gear which put me off ... waited for its sail sedan but never drove it as my father was hospitalized and underwent a double hernia operation ...

Honda Amaze Diesel

Driven once

All things Japanese gave me a feeling of respect. I venerated Japanese cars, their hard work, resilience, simple yet complex, the complete zen guys

And with that I registered for Amaze before it got released. And I got an invitation to attend Amaze launch ceremony from Honda showroom in Chennai which surprised me. I went evening of the launch day and photographed the car. It looked lovely.

Waited another month or two before going to showroom to test drive the car. I along with my friend test drove its diesel car.

Terrific pickup like petrol or even better. Gear shifting is joy, ergonomics was top notch, though dashboard was retro looked neat. Steering feel was nice and man when I took a U turn it stunned me in disbelief as it turned better than my hatchback. Sit in the back seat and the cushions are like I am sitting in sofa. It is supposed to give great mileage and it seems so, every forum was all praise for this car. AC was chiller, very good suspension, never felt any road defects (lots of bad patches are not felt due to its good suspension) Big boot!!

Heard they tested 17 diesel amaze vehicles each over 7 lakh kilometers before concluding the engine is good, this is stunning to hear and no wonder Honda is so reliable

Now its negatives which are not much, the first is it sounded like tractor (sorry to say). And why Honda ? why ? you gave an integrated headrest in rear ? Next the biggest downer is its waiting time of 4 months :(

I can live with sound and in fact love hearing the sound when revved, but the real downer is waiting period

Wanted to test drive its automatic and did not had time or mindset to test drive after hearing its waiting time, so sad bye bye

Toyota Eitos Diesel

Driven once

Before test driving, I never had great opinions about it. And after driving my opinions were badly shattered.

Etios is spot on with its driving seat ergonomics, I felt at ease the moment I entered the driving seat. The road view was stunning. Steering was awesome, gear shifting was flawless and much better than other diesel cars. ABC pedals were quite good. Felt joyful to drive this vehicle, never felt it was big when driving. Rear seat was big. Suddenly I felt I was driving over a small bump and turned right to see what was it, shock to me, it was a big speed braker!!!!!!! Such is its supsension awesomeness. And add to it, it gave very high mileage.

And hated its noise, which was supposed to be fixed with current Etios thanks to hydraulic mounts for engines, and nothing much to hate after that. Just felt if it had more power what will happen, anyhow I was severly tempted to own it until I saw its on road price ...

So put it on hold, had to agree Toyota are the greatest car makers after tasting its car, wish them great success and wish they give powerful cars to India

Ford Fiesta Classic Diesel

Driven Twice

This car is a looker. I always loved the way it looked, it took the runner up in my decision to own Ford Fiesta. The first drive I did not show its true driveability. Though I loved its interiors, attention to details, good sound system, good AC, good boot, superb steering, super suspension ....

Second drive, I revved a bit more and it crossed 80 in a jiffy. Whichever gear I slotted and revved it raised freely, does it mean it is more powerful ? I was confused by its stunning pickup, everything is awesome in this car. I think Ford tells 70 HP for its diesel engine, but I believe it is 70 HP when its coming to wheels and much more when not connected to wheels!!!!!!

I see only one negative with this car, what if Ford stops classic .... 

Other than this, it is a very tempting car

New Ford Fiesta Diesel

Driven 3 times

I test drove this car when it came and again ... and again before buying Fiesta AT. The car had a lag compared to classic, but is extremely smooth. This suspension is a benchmark, steering is awesome, nvh levels are super quiet. Everything I liked in the car, except initial lag, no lights in rear like classic, black interiors, rear seats are not good like classic. This were compensated by superb dashboard in front, extraordinary seats in front, totally silent cabin, above average 6 speakers, boron steel which is 4 times stronger than conventional steel, 15 inch tyre rims, 195 mm thickness tyres. This one is a very very good car except for its price which will cost more than 12 lakhs

Ford Ecosport Diesel

Driven once

After booking my Ford Fiesta AT, I test drove this once. Had terrific pickup, how come the same engine in Fiesta has lag and this has none. Steering is lighter than fiesta. Though very stable, Not confidence inspiring stability like fiesta. It felt like my old tallboy with beefed up tyres and its 8+ months waiting time

Nissan Sunny Diesel

Driven once

Terrific pickup with no lag. No noise, big, lots of features, pleasing interiors, very good sound insulation,

And I hate its braking ... sorry I really got scared of its no bite brakes or I am not used to such brakes

Swift Dzire Diesel

Driven once

Felt like much bigger car. Very good torque. Loved its interiors and big boot. Why did Maruti give it to cabs and created a notchback, which I never test drove, though I liked its interiors

Tata indica Vista diesel

Driven once

This was the very first car I test drove. Stunning pickup. Did not opt for scare of taxi image. If Tata changes its indica name it will do wonders

Volkswagen Polo TDI

Driven multiple times

This is one car which I loved. The interiors are top notch. gear shifting is superb. The car goes like a rocket in 3rd and gears above. Struggled in 2nd gear. the sound from diesel clatter is gone when you drive hard. Turned corners without effort. Drove it when it had no bluetooth and drove it when it had, :)

Is it a 3 cylinder engine? It felt otherwise when I test drove, the subtle beauty of polo is a sight to watch. It is german engineering and nothing to blame car. With its big 15 inch tyres and above average speed masking capability and the way it turned corners started my liking to VW cars

For all its plus, I hated its rear seat comfort

Volkswagen Polo Petrol

Driven my friends car once

It was a hoot to drive. Never strained and felt much better to drive than my old i10. Could not believe it was a 3 cylinder engine. 

Volkswagen Polo GT

Driven once

Is it an automatic ? It moves like a rocket and shifts extremely fast without even noise. I revved it hard and still the engine did not sound so!!! The spare is also an alloy. And it is VW quality, nothing to blame except rear seat comfort (If I am selfish and went with booking, without thinking about my relatives sitting in back ... did not allow me to book this, this strain of thought)

The car moves very very fast and does not hesitate to cross 5000 RPM mark when I banged its accelerator. Some one honked from behind me, so I thought I will leave some distance and take left to allow them to overtake, thinking thus, I pressed the pedal fully and chanceless ... behold the car in the rearview mirror was quite a distance away and the GT zoomed past like a rocket

Its 4+ months waiting time and it not having good rear seat comfort made me avoid this lovely car

Volkswagen Ventoo TDI

Driven 3 times

Terrific pickup car, feels big. And it is a diesel, so with all revving, it wont cost like petrol. Everything is good, except the suspension which I think never felt as solid as polo

Santro

Driven multiple times

Superb car with very good hydraulic steering and extremely good suspension. Pickup is average. Not having any gadgets like i10, no safety features like Airbags and ABS

Eon

Driven once

My friend wanted to see how this car looks and we test drove. The gear shifter vibrated and did not like it. Its AC made me envious after seeing my i10 AC. Its dashboard looked rich. Boot was also big. Not having any gadgets like i10, no safety features like ABS (it has Airbags, but no ABS brakes)

Wagon R

Driven once

My friends car I drove just once. But the way I had to operate its throttle pedal was not good. It is a car like i10 and can be used to zip in and out of city traffic. Not sure about its safety features

Alto

Driven multiple times

Good car with no knee space for guys who are average tall guys like me. The car is proven car, but no safety features

Maruti 800

Driven multiple times

This is everyones first car. This car is easy for anyone to learn car, though I missed opportunity when I was studying 11th standard to learn with this beauty. Still love the way it looks, cute and adorable car

And my love to drive different cars was endless ...

But to end this article, I test drove Ford Fiesta Automatic, loved the simplicity of using no gears and let the DCT shift it for me

How my current AT car drives

Instead of me learning to shift gears, my car is learning to shift gears and adapt to my driving style. The way the rpm needle goes up and down varies day by day and seems there is a chip which memorizes how I press accelerator pedal. Love the way fiesta handles speed breakers and potholes. The steering is absolute joy. And just leave the brakes slowly, the car creeps smoothly forward. 

I tested L mode, it is giving roaring sound like race car and scared me to change back to D mode. There is a slight judder when I change from N to D or N to R but that is expected

Went to a temple 140 KM away from home and the car is a terrific highway car. It is very hard to know that we were cruising in 100 KM speed when we were thinking it was 60 KM speed. 

In slow moving traffic, the creep function takes care, in high speed, cruise control and 6th gear comes into action

In slopes hill grade assist helps ... all in all it is an exciting car to drive without having to think hard (though I miss downshifting and zooming past cars like before)

Hope you enjoyed my year plus long summary of how I ended up with this AT car, though it seems there is no logic in going to petrol car after hunting an year for diesel cars. Does it sound something familiar which you did

When there is a competition between heart and brain, it is always the heart which wins (It is an old latin proverb)