Automatic SUVs that offer equal or more mileage than manuals: Maruti Vitara Brezza to Toyota Fortuner

One of the major benefits of manual gearbox equipped cars over their automatic counterparts is that the former offer better mileage than the latter. While this was a fact for a long time in almost all cars, that’s no longer the universal fact it used to be. Technological advancements in cars and mechanics have resulted in vast improvements in automatic transmissions. Most auto boxes now don’t feel jerky and are shift quickly. Moreover, many cars with an automatic transmission now deliver better or equal mileage as compared to their manual counterparts. Here is a look at 5 such automatic SUVs that are more fuel-efficient than their manual counterparts.

Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza

Starting off the list is the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, which is by far the most popular sub-4 meter SUV in the country. The Brezza comes with only a single engine option, which is the 1.3-litre DDiS unit. This engine puts out 89 Bhp of power along with 200 Nm of torque. Both the manual and automatic gearbox options on the Vitara Brezza are 5-speed units and have equal fuel efficiency figures. The manual variants of the car have a fuel efficiency of 24.29 km/l while the AMT variants have the same fuel efficiency too.

Tata Nexon

Next in line is another sub-4 meter SUV, the Tata Nexon. The Nexon gets both diesel and petrol engine options to choose from along with offering manual and automatic gearbox options with both the engines. The petrol engine on the Nexon is a 1.2-litre unit that churns out a healthy 108 Bhp of power along with 170 Nm of torque. The diesel engine is a 1.5-litre unit with 108 Bhp power and 260 Nm of torque on tap. Talking of fuel efficiency, both the gearboxes are 6-speed unit and have the same fuel efficiency too. The diesel-powered variants deliver a mileage of 23.97 km/l while the petrol variants deliver 17.88 km/l.

Honda BR-V

The Honda BR-V is an SUV (crossover) whose automatic variants are more fuel efficient than their manual counterparts. The BR-V rivals the likes of the Hyundai Creta and the Nissan Kicks among others in the compact SUV segment. It is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine that puts out 118 Bhp of power and 145 Nm of torque. The engine is offered with both a 5-speed manual and a CVT automatic gearbox. As for the fuel efficiency figures, the manual version of the BR-V petrol has a figure of 15.4 km/l which is less than the CVT variant’s score, which stands at 16 km/l.

Hyundai Creta

The most popular compact SUV in the country, the Hyundai Creta rivals the likes of the Renault Duster, Nissan Kicks and the Honda BR-V among others. The petrol powered variants of the Creta have the same fuel efficiency figures with both manual and auto gearboxes. The petrol engine powering the Creta is a 1.6-litre unit that pumps out 122 Bhp of power along with 151 Nm of torque. The manual gearbox, which is a 6-speed unit, has a fuel efficiency figure of 15.29 km/l which is the same as what the 6-speed automatic gearbox variants deliver.

Toyota Fortuner

Finishing off the list is the big brute Toyota Fortuner. The Fortuner rivals the likes of the Ford Endeavour and the Skoda Kodiaq among others in its segment. The petrol-powered version of the Fortuner comes with a choice of either a 6-speed manual gearbox or an automatic gearbox. The petrol engine on the Fortuner is a 2.7-litre petrol engine that puts out 164 Bhp of power and 245 Nm of torque. As for the fuel efficiency, the petrol automatic version of the Fortuner returns a mileage of 10.26 km/l which is slightly better than the manual SUV’s fuel efficiency figure of 10.01 km/l.