12 affordable automatic cars that are MORE fuel efficient than manual variants: Honda City to Toyota Yaris

Who says automatic transmission-equipped cars are less fuel efficient than their manual counterparts? Thanks to advancements in technology, some automatic cars on sale in India go on to offer an even higher mileage than their manual siblings. Here’s a list of popular mainstream automatic cars that are more fuel-efficient than their manual counterparts.

Toyota Yaris CVT

The Toyota Yaris is the newest car on this list. The Yaris comes with a 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces 108 bhp and 137 Nm. The engine is available with a six-speed manual transmission as standard and a 7-step CVT with paddle-shifters as optional. The CVT-equipped Yaris automatic has an ARAI-tested mileage of 17.8 kmpl. In comparison, its manual variant offers 17.1 kmpl, which is marginally lesser.

Renault Kwid 1.0 AMT

The Renault Kwid 1.0 is powered by a 1-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine that offers 67 bhp and a peak torque of 91 Nm. This engine variant comes with a 5-speed manual transmission as standard. Also on offer is a 5-speed AMT. The AMT variant offers a mileage of 24.04 kmpl, which is marginally better than the 23.01 kmp of the manual variant.

Honda Jazz CVT

The petrol variant of the Honda Jazz offers a 5-speed manual transmission as standard and a CVT as optional. The car is powered by a 1.2-litre four-cylinder petrol engine that outputs 89 bhp and 110 Nm. The CVT automatic variant offers a mileage of 19 kmpl, while the manual variant offers a slightly lower fuel efficiency of 18.7 kmpl.

Volkswagen Ameo DSG

The Ameo Diesel is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged oil burner that outputs 108 bhp and 250 Nm. The Ameo diesel can be bought with a DSG automatic transmission that offers 21.73 kmpl. The manual transmission-equipped model offers a slightly lower mileage of 21.66 kmpl. The slightly higher mileage is mainly due to the technologically advanced DQ200 7-speed DSG.

Skoda Rapid DSG

The Rapid is another DSG-equipped car that offers a higher mileage than its manual counterpart. The Rapid Diesel DSG outputs 21.72 kmpl, which is slightly higher than the 21.13 kmpl of the manual transmission-equipped variant. The Rapid Diesel DSG shares its engine with the Ameo diesel. It comes with the same 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine that outputs 108 bhp and 250 Nm.

Volkswagen Vento DSG

The DSG variant of the Vento is slightly more frugal than the manual variant. The Vento too comes with the same 1.5-litre turbo diesel engine that powers the Ameo and the Rapid. It offers an ARAI-claimed mileage of 21.5 kmpl, which is higher than the 20.64 kmpl that the manual variant offers.

Nissan Sunny CVT

While the Sunny isn’t a popular car anymore, it offers a CVT with the petrol engine variant. The Sunny’s petrol CVT variant offers a mileage of 17.97 kmpl, which is more than 1 kmpl higher than the manual variant’s 16.95 kmpl. The petrol-powered Sunny gets its juice from a 1.5-litre naturally aspirated engine that outputs 98 bhp and 134 Nm.

Honda City CVT

Much like the Jazz, even the City has an optional CVT for the petrol engine variant. The petrol-powered City comes with a very refined 1.5-litre petrol engine that outputs 118 bhp and 145 Nm. The engine comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission as standard. The MT variant offers 17.4 kmpl. The CVT model, on the other hand, offers 18 kmpl.

Honda BR-V CVT

Another Honda to offer a CVT is the BR-V. This Brio-based SUV rivals the likes of Hyundai Creta and Renault Duster. The petrol variant of the BR-V is powered by the same 1.5-litre unit that powers the City. It comes mated to a five-speed manual transmission as standard and also offers an optional CVT. The manual transmission variant offers 15.4 kmpl. The CVT-equipped model, however, offers 16 kmpl, thereby being clearly more fuel efficient than the MT version.

Toyota Fortuner Automatic

The petrol variant of the Toyota Fortuner is powered by a 2.7-litre four-cylinder engine that outputs 164 bhp and 245 Nm. The manual transmission variant of the petrol-sipping Fortuner offers 10.01 kmpl. However, the automatic variant can deliver up to 10.26 kmpl, which is marginally higher.

Skoda Superb DSG

The Skoda Superb’s petrol variant is powered by a 1.8-litre TSI engine that delivers 177 bhp and 250 Nm. The manual transmission-equipped variant outputs 14.12 kmpl. However, the motor can be also ordered with a DSG. The DSG automatic transmission offers 14.67 kmpl, which makes it slightly more efficient.

Terrano Diesel AMT

The Terrano is another car that isn’t popular anymore but offers an automatic transmission variant that is more frugal than its manual sibling. The AMT-equipped Terrano diesel is powered by the tried-and-tested K9K diesel engine that outputs 108.5 bhp and 245 Nm in the rebadged Duster. The manual variant offers 19.01 kmpl, which makes the automatic variant slightly more fuel efficient with an ARAI mileage of 19.61 kmpl.