India is known for having bumper-to-bumper traffic. In such traffic, automatic transmissions are the best, especially in terms of comfort. Over a decade ago, an automatic transmission used to be a luxury feature. But nowadays, Indian mass-market cars come with an optional automatic transmission.
In terms of popularity, the CVT (continuously variable transmission) is ahead of other automatic transmissions. However, several mass-market cars now come with different types of automatic transmissions, such as DCT, torque converter, AMT, and the new iMT. So, if you are planning to purchase an affordable automatic car, this article might come in handy. Below are some of the best automatic cars in India:
1) Tata Tiago: The hatchback from Tata Motors is one of the most popular cars in the country. The Tata Tiago features a premium cabin and offers a perceptible good fit and finish. It is also pretty well equipped in terms of features in its class. It sports a cooled glove box, projector headlamps with LED DRLs, auto HVAC, and a touchscreen infotainment unit with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, to name a few.
Under the hood, it gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine that generates 86PS and 113Nm of torque. The Tiago gets either a 5-speed manual or a 5-speed AMT.
The starting price of the Tata Tiago is Rs 5.38 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
2) Maruti Suzuki Swift: It is Maruti Suzuki’s bestselling car. The Maruti Suzuki Swift has been and will always be a bestseller. The Swift is popular among families, young students, and petrolheads. As far as the Maruti Suzuki Swift’s engine specifications are concerned, it gets a 1.2-litre Dual-Jet petrol engine with 88bhp and 113Nm of torque. It is available with an optional 5-speed AMT. The ARAI-claimed mileage of the Maruti Suzuki Swift with AMT is 23.76kmpl. The starting price of the Maruti Suzuki Swift is Rs 5.92 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
Also, if you want a curated list of automatic car prices in India, visit autoX.
3) Tata Nexon: The sub-compact SUV from Tata Motors is doing well in the country. The Tata Nexon has a long list of features such as auto-dimming IRVM, rain-sensing wipers, front ventilated seats, an air purifier, etc. It gets a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol (118bhp/170Nm) and a 1.5-litre turbo-diesel (108bhp/260Nm), each paired with a standard 6-speed MT and an optional 6-speed AMT.
The Tata Nexon has a starting price of Rs 7.55 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and goes up to Rs 13.9 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
4) Maruti Suzuki Dzire: The Dzire is one of the most popular sub-four-metre sedans in the country among families and fleet operators. Under the hood, it gets the same engine as the smaller version, the Maruti Suzuki Swift. It gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine that generates 88bhp and 113Nm of torque. The transmission options include a standard 5-speed manual transmission and a 5-speed automated manual transmission (AMT).
The claimed ARAI mileage of the Maruti Suzuki Dzire with AMT is 24.12kmpl.
The automatic variants of the Maruti Dzire start from Rs 7.78 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the base model, Dzire VXI AT, and go up to Rs 9.18 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi) for the top model, Dzire ZXI Plus AT.
5) Honda Amaze: The Honda Amaze is a strong competitor to the Maruti Suzuki Dzire. In its class, the Honda Amaze’s interior gives an elevated sense of design. It gets a dual-tone black and beige cabin, and it’s feature-loaded, such as a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment unit, cruise control, auto HVAC, and electric ORVMs, to name a few.
The Honda Amaze gets a 1.2-litre petrol engine that churns out 88bhp and 110Nm of torque. On the other hand, the 1.5-litre diesel engine produces 88bhp and 200 Nm of torque.
Both have a standard 5-speed manual and an optional CVT. The diesel-CVT gives slightly less power at 78bhp and 160Nm of torque than its manual counterpart. The ARAI-rated mileage of the Honda Amaze’s automatic spec ranges between 18.3kmpl and 21kmpl, depending upon the engine.
The Honda Amaze CVT has three variants: S CVT 1.2 Petrol, VX CVT 1.2 Petrol, and a VX CVT 1.5 Diesel. The starting price of the Honda Amaze CVT is Rs 8.22 lakh and goes up to Rs 11.31 lakh (all prices ex-showroom Delhi).
6) Volkswagen Virtus: The German carmaker, Volkswagen Group, recently introduced the Volkswagen Virtus under their India 2.0 strategy. It locks horns with the Skoda Slavia, Honda City, Hyundai Verna, and the Maruti Suzuki Ciaz. The launch event of the Virtrus took place on June 9th, 2022.
In terms of features, the Volkswagen Virtus is pretty much loaded. It boasts of having front ventilated seats, a soft-touch HVAC control panel, a touchscreen infotainment unit, and a digital instrument cluster, to name a few. In addition, it also gets a cooled glove box, a wireless phone charger, a connected car app, a single-pane sunroof, etc.
On the safety front, the Volkswagen Virtus consists of up to six airbags, electronic stability control, a hill hold assist, and rear parking sensors, to name a few.
The Virtus has two broad trims: Dynamic Line and Performance Line. The former gets a 1-litre turbo-petrol engine (113bhp/178Nm), while the latter has a 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine (148bhp/250Nm).
The 1-litre gets a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic transmission, while the 1.5-litre is available only with a 7-speed DSG.
The ARAI-claimed mileage of the Volkswagen Virtus is 18.12kmpl and 18.67kmpl for the 1.0 TSI AT and the 1.5 TSI DSG, respectively.
The automatic variants of the Volkswagen Virtus start at Rs 14.28 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) and go up to Rs 17.92 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi).
So, these are a few automatic cars that you can consider purchasing. However, all transmissions are good in their own way and have pros and cons. The type of automatic transmission varies from vehicle to vehicle. The type of transmission also affects the price of the car. For more information on the top automatic cars in India, check out the list on autoX under the cars section.