Hi, I am looking to buy an automatic car with an on-road budget of 11-12 lakh in Bangalore. I am considering the Tata Altroz Creative S AMT, Tata Altroz DCA, Hyundai i20 Sportz iVT, and Renault Kiger Techno CVT. I have heard that AMT gearboxes have improved significantly and are no longer as jerky as they used to be. My usage will include regular city driving, along with one or two highway trips every month.

Autocar India

•19h

Of your shortlisted cars, the Honda Amaze CVT feels like the best fit. It has a spacious interior, it's excellent on mileage and is compact and easy enough to drive around town. And instead of the VX model you have suggested, you can easily get the top-end ZX well within your budget. Did you mean the Hyundai i20 Sportz (O) IVT? The Grand i10 Nios uses an AMT, which is one of the gearboxes you have ruled out. The i20 is a great option, and in your budget you can even move up to the higher-spec Asta (O) IVT variant. It's nice to drive and has a premium interior, but is not as spacious, practical or fuel efficient as the Honda Amaze CVT.The Maruti Suzuki Brezza ZXI AT, while a more spacious and powerful option, is not available in your budget, and even the lower spec VXI AT will exceed it. The facelifted version is expected to launch soon, and you can expect prices to go up further. If you are willing to extend your budget, it might be worth checking out.Another option you can consider is, the Nissan Magnite Kuro 1.0 Turbo CVT. It's spacious, smooth, loaded with features and comes with a punchy turbo-petrol that is more powerful than the Amaze or i20, and has more torque than the Brezza. It is a great value-for-money option, but bear in mind, Nissan's service network is not as wide as the others'.

Honda Amaze

Hyundai i20

Hyundai Grand i10 Nios

Maruti Suzuki Brezza

Nissan Magnite

Autocar India

•2d

Pick the Hyundai Venue DCT. For mostly city use, it is simply the easiest to live with: compact dimensions for easy parking, a high seating position for better view in traffic, and enough ground clearance to glide over bad patches and tall speed breakers without worrying. Its turbo engine with the automatic feels quick enough to exploit gaps in traffic, and the steering is light, so long commutes will be less tiring. Do note, though, the Venue DCT's can feel a touch hesitant at low speeds, and the city mileage is just okay, as is the case with the others, because it's a small capacity turbo engine.The Hyundai i20 N Line DCT is more fun to drive, but its firmer suspension and lower stance make it less friendly on rough roads and speed bumps, and you're sitting lower, so you won't get as good a view out.The Skoda Kylaq AT has the smoothest gearbox for bumper-to-bumper and feels more at home on the highway, but it isn't as premium or spacious on the inside as the Venue.

Hyundai Venue

Hyundai i20

Skoda Kylaq

Autocar India

•2d

If you're planning to buy an i20 today, I would not wait specifically for the next-generation model unless you're willing to hold off for at least a year. Recent spy shots confirm Hyundai is developing an all new i20, with a redesigned interior, updated technology and the possibility of a hybrid powertrain in the future. However, the launch still appears some way off.The current i20 was facelifted in 2023 and remains one of the most premium hatchbacks in the segment, with a strong feature list, good refinement and a comfortable driving experience. Hyundai has continued updating the model and even revised variants and pricing this year, suggesting the current car still has some life left in the market.

Hyundai i20