5 Best Automatic Hatchbacks

Automatic cars have grown rampantly in past few years and this doesn’t come as a surprise. With dual clutch autos coming in an affordable price band, shifts are faster when juxtaposed with manual. The CVTs  present the smoothest ride possible from an automatic. With the ever growing congestion in cities, automatics are now largely on par with manual, in terms of efficiency. Then why not let your left leg rest a bit! Not to miss, we even have very economical AMTs too, nowadays. Have a lot at the top 5 automatics of India’s highest selling segment, which holds over 50 percent share in terms of overall sales in a month - hatchbacks.  

Renault Kwid EasyR: AMT

AMT gearboxes are getting very popular nowadays, courtesy to their not so exorbitant pricing when compared to their manual counterparts with similar efficiency figures. However, they are not a smooth as conventional automatics. Maruti Suzuki introduced the first ever AMT car in the country and now it offers AMT in a lot of its offerings. Even Tata Nano comes with an AMT option. Though, Renault showcased Kwid EasyR AMT at the Expo and it will be launched this year provided you’re up for an affordable automatic - AMT hatchback. Then why not just wait for the hot-selling value-for-money crossover-esque vehicle, which is coming clutch-less!  

Maruti Suzuki Baleno 1.2l VVT: CVT

Price: Rs. 6.81 Lac (Ex-Showroom New Delhi)

Unlike the rest of the automatics from Maruti Suzuki, Baleno comes with a CVT option. It is offered with the second variant trim Delta. The best bit about Baleno is that it comes standard with dual-front airbags and ABS with EBD, making it one of the best pick. The transmission is mated to Suzuki’s 1.2-litre VVT engine which is also found in the Swift. 

Ford Figo 1.5l Ti-VCT:  6-Speed Double Clutch AT

Price: Rs. 6.98 Lac (Ex-Showroom New Delhi)

The second gen Figo came with a powerful petrol engine and is country’s cheapest dual-clutch automatic offering. The engine we are talking about is the Fiesta’s erstwhile 1.5-litre Ti-VCT motor, retuned to produce 112 PS and 136 Nm of peak torque. We drove it recently, check out Figo AT’s review.

Honda Jazz 1.2l i-VTEC: CVT with Paddle Shifters

Price: Rs. 7.13 Lac/ Rs 7.99 Lac (Ex-Showroom New Delhi)

Jazz automatic is India’s cheapest car to offer steering mounted paddle shifters. The 1.2-litre i-VTEC motor comes mated to a CVT (continuously variable transmission) automatic gearbox. The new Jazz also offers the automatic option with two variants making it more accessible.

Volkswagen Polo GT TSI: 7-Speed Double Clutch AT

Price: Rs. 8.90 Lac (Ex-Showroom New Delhi)

It is the only turbocharged offering mentioned in this article, along with that it also has one of the best automatic transmissions in the country. The hot-hatch features a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol motor mated to a 7-Speed dual-clutch Volkswagen’s DSG gearbox. It differentiates itself from the stock Polo aesthetically in a subtle way and also comes with Electronic Stability Control and Hill Hold Assist. Also, Polo was the very first car in the country in its segment to standardise dual-front airbags.

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