With rising disposable incomes and increasing number of cars on our streets, Indian consumers are now progressively warming up to automatic cars. While they are generally heavier fuel sippers than manuals, the convenience of not having to cycle through gears, especially in bumper-to-bumper traffic, is a huge boon. Manufacturers have been paying close attention and are offering more options for buyers to meet contrasting needs. Korean carmaker Hyundai saw this early on and launched a four-speed AT variant for the Verna, and in the wake of this emerging demand trend, Volkswagen and Skoda recently launched mid-size sedans with a direct-shift gearbox (DSG); the Vento being offered with a DSG on the petrol and the diesel variants, while the Rapid gets it only on the diesel version.
The Vento diesel uses VW group's new 1.5-litre four-pot engine that mills out 103bhp. The Rapid gets the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit that makes the same figures. The Vento makes 25.49kgm of torque, the Rapid milling out the same number. How this power is transmitted to the front wheels is the same for both the cars as well – via a seven-speed DSG. The Verna, on the other hand has a 1.6-litre CRDi engine that is mated to a four-speed automatic gearbox. The Verna’s diesel engine is capable of producing 126bhp and 26.51kgm of torque – the best figures among the lot.
The DSG on the Rapid diesel makes it a frugal fuel sipper. The fuel efficiency on the automatic is actually higher than what is achieved on the one which shifts manually. This is down to the fact that the DSG has two extra cogs. Same is the case with the VW Vento. The Rapid diesel, with DSG, tops the fuel efficiency list with 21.66km to a litre of fuel, followed closely by the Vento DSG which can manage 21.21km to a litre. At 17.61kpl, the Verna is the least frugal of the lot
