Which transmission option to buy in India in 2020?

There was a time when only manual transmissions were available with a car. But as technology went on ahead, varied new transmission options made their way into the market.  Now with so many options, many buyers are confused on which transmission to invest their money upon. Question about Manual vs. iMT vs. AMT vs. DCT vs. CVT vs. Automatic Transmission answered here. Find below Which transmission option to buy in India in 2020.

What is a gearbox?

If there is no gearbox in your car, the engine will run at a higher rpm for a long time thus reducing the engine’s life, increasing fuel consumption and maintenance cost.  Different gears give you the mechanical advantage of going up to higher speeds without increasing the overall rpm of the engine. This keeps the engine stress free.

More about Manual transmission

The Manual transmission includes clutch, brake, accelerator and shifter or gear knob.  In manual transmission, everything is under your control.  Advantages of this transmission include reliability, low-cost maintenance, low production cost and highest fuel efficiency.

More about iMT

This transmission was first showcased by Kia, but is available only with the Hyundai Venue as of now. It was known as semi-automatic transmission in the olden times. It gives you all the advantages of a manual gearbox without the issue of using a clutch.  Manual transmission with clutch in bumper to bumper traffic in the city is highly stressful. It costs Rs. 25,000 more than the manual transmission.  There is clutch present in the car, but operates via a sensor.

More about AMT

There is a small brain present with the car, which knows which gear to engage during which speeds.  AMT components include 2 actuators. The biggest advantage of this transmission is the ease of use and low initial cost.  It costs Rs. 50,000 to 70,000 more than the manual transmission. In the bare-bones functionality, it is still a manual transmission.  Downsides include slow shifts, jerky behaviour including others.  You generally do not get Park feature in an AMT.  The normal automatic is slightly more smoother compared to AMT.

More about Torque Convertor Automatic

This is the oldest automatic transmission present in the car market.  Benefits of this transmission include reliability, low speed of shifting and good fuel efficiency. People generally don’t prefer automatic under Rs.10 lakh budget as the same car with manual transmission costs Rs. 1.00 lakh less.  You need to change transmission oil periodically with this transmission.  You also get various modes with this transmission. More about transmission option in  India 2020 below.

More about DCT transmission

It looks similar to the CVT automatic transmission but comes with dual-clutch, which is the main difference from the alternatives.  One clutch controls 1,3,5,7 and the other clutch controls 2,4,6, and R. This configuration enables lightning-fast gear shifts. This transmission option is majorly used in race cars.  Currently sold Kia and Hyundai’s DCT transmission are quite reliable too.  You also get good fuel efficiency.

More about CVT transmission

This is a hugely different transmission present in today’s generation cars. It also comes with similar functionality like the DCT transmission. Honda City comes with CVT transmission. There is no jerkiness with this transmission. You also get better mileage than manual, good reliability and overall performance.

Verdict

The manual transmission is the most affordable, fuel-efficient and comes with the lowest cost of maintenance. The automatic transmissions require oil changes frequently. There are no reliability issues with any transmission except the Volkswagen’s DSG transmission.  If you need performance, but with the convenience of the automatic, you should prefer DCT. iMT is also a great new transmission too.

Also read: iMT vs AMT – Pros and Cons

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