We have listed the diesel cars that should get automatic transmission in India for the better driving experience
We have listed seven of the diesel cars that should get automatic gearboxes and they predominantly include SUVs. The diesel powertrains offer better fuel economy than their petrol counterparts and the AT will help in easing the owners’ driving experience. In India, the Harrier is sold for prices between Rs. 13.02 lakh and Rs. 17.07 lakh (ex-showroom) and it currently offers a single diesel engine and transmission choice.
The 2.0-litre Kryotec diesel motor kicks out 140 PS and 350 Nm and is connected to a six-speed manual. With the seven-seater Gravitas launching in February 2020, we do expect the Hyundai-sourced six-speed torque converter AT to be added to the lineup and it has already been spied testing. A couple of Blue Oval models we do like to see getting AT are Freestyle and EcoSport.
The Freestyle is a slightly rugged version of the Figo and is retailed with 1.2-litre Ti-VCT petrol and 1.5-litre TDCi diesel engines. Both are offered only with a five-speed manual transmission. The diesel kicks out 99 bhp and 215 Nm with 24.4 kmpl claimed fuel economy. The EcoSport, on the other hand, comes with 1.5-litre petrol and diesel units.
Unlike the Freestyle, the EcoSport gets six-speed automatic ‘box in the petrol engine. Both the vehicles should get an automatic transmission function and especially this will help the EcoSport in closely rivalling the Venue that already features a seven-speed DCT in the petrol version. Hyundai’s Elite i20 and the recently launched Venue are two of the top-sellers for the brand along with the Grand i10 Nios.
Adding an automatic transmission to their range will enable more buying choice for the customers as they are positioned in highly competitive segments. The Venue’s rivals such as Vitara Brezza, Nexon and XUV300 have the option of AMTs while it a diesel AT could give the Elite i20 a distinct advantage over Maruti Baleno and others.
| S.no | Diesel Versions Without AT/AMT Transmission |
| 1 | Tata Harrier |
| 2 | Ford Freestyle |
| 3 | Ford Ecosport |
| 4 | Hyundai Elite i20 |
| 5 | Hyundai Venue |
| 6 | Honda WR-V |
| 7 | Maruti Ertiga |
The Honda WR-V‘s 1.5-litre i-DTEC diesel engine and Ertiga’s 1.5-litre DDiS 225 are other models that should get a respective automatic transmission. The crossover has already seen a massive sales slump and the new transmission could help in a bit of recovery while MPV buyers that like to be chauffeur-driven or want an easy driving experience could prefer the diesel AT.