Introduction

There's a growing belief among car makers in India that automatics, which have so far been clearly ignored by the Indian buying public, are bound to succeed. "We have seen it happen in other markets where automatics were rarely considered," seems to be the common standpoint be it Hyundai, Volkswagen or more recently, Ford.

So, to take advantage of this boom - as and when it happens - car makers are readying themselves with automatic variants. This interest however is limited to the C-segment. You do have almost every model in this classification - the Honda City, the Hyundai Verna, the Skoda Rapid and the Volkswagen Vento - with auto 'boxes. Ford too has joined the bandwagon with the Fiesta auto. And on paper, it is the most technologically advanced auto, and the most fuel efficient in the segment. Here's how it feels on the road -

Highlights-

- The automatic is a 6-speed dual clutch unit.

- The new 'box for now will only come with the 1.5-litre petrol engine and will be available only on the top of the line Titanium version.

- The rest of the car remains unchanged. So, it is well equipped and not very spacious.

The drive

The convenience of an automatic cannot be overrated. If you drive to work everyday, no matter how short the commute, the constant stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic can be tremendously tedious. Won't it be just simpler to take your foot off the brake and move along rather than hold the gear shifter, depress the clutch, shift into first, let the clutch out and then slip it so that the car moves just enough and at a pace that matches the car ahead. Just writing it (and I am sure for you, reading it as well) is tedious enough; imagine doing it countless times, every few seconds after a day's work. Terrible.

In that sense, the autos are brilliant. But take them out of the crawling traffic scene, and things don't remain as rosy. The slow kickdown, the increase of revs without proportional increase in speed, loss of pickup, and of course, the resultant loss of fuel economy for no gain whatsoever, isn't exactly what one looks for. Little wonder, automatics aren't that popular.

This of course changed hugely when the Volkswagen group introduced the DSG. Sadly though, the DSG or the dual clutch transmission, only serviced the very well heeled. But, with Ford's new PowerShift 'box, things are set to go more mainstream.

The PowerShift is an automatic for it handles the gear changes on its own and there's no clutch pedal for the driver to work up a sweat. But, in construction and working, and in terms of feel in the real world to an extent, it's closer to a manual. What it has are two clutches that work two separate gear shafts instead of a torque converter as on other autos in the Fiesta's segment. So, when one clutch is engaged, the other with the next gear is already primed and straining at the leash to engage. The end result, are quicker shifts.

On the road, it is immediately clear, the PowerShift is by far the best working automatic in the segment. The upshifts are quick and almost seamless. It's only when you drive hard does the 'box have a tendency to hold on to gear rather than quickly upshift. And it does so without dropping the engine revs at times, even though you are off the throttle pedal. It can get unnerving; after all your mind is programmed for the car to slow down when you get off the throttle and not keep going at the same speed!

As far as downshifts go, again, the lag compared to other autos in the segment is minimal. Also, when you choose to drive in L mode rather than in D, the upshifts only happen at the redline while downshifts take place the moment the revs drop down to 3500rpm or so. And it does so with a blip of the throttle. What you get as a result is more control and the feel of almost like driving in Sports mode.

And that's good because it's the closest you will get to the 'box feeling sporty given that the PowerShift transmission not only lacks the sports mode, it also doesn't come with a manual override function.

Verdict

One of Fiesta's shortcomings has been its relatively high price tag. Sure, it is one of the best equipped cars in the segment, but the space on offer as well as the quality inside isn't as outstanding as the over Rs 10 lakh price tag suggests.

As for the automatic, it is without doubt the best auto 'box in the segment. And if priced right, for those looking at the convenience of the auto without its shortcomings of a sluggish drive or poor fuel economy (as per Ford's claims), the Fiesta is the answer.