Cartoq poll: The community votes for diesel over automatics

Traffic is getting worse by the day. And petrol prices continue to rise. So what should you do? Buy an automatic to navigate bumper-to-bumper traffic or spend that extra cash on diesel to save money. There are very few diesel automatics so having both is generally not an option.

That was the question posed to the 2.61 lakh-strong Cartoq community.

And an overwhelming number of community members voted for diesel. As many as 70 percent said they would spend the extra cash on buying the diesel variant. The running cost is clearly more important than the convenience offered by the automatics.

In fact, only 15 percent people voted in favour of the automatic with the condition that the auto variant should not cost more than Rs. 30,000 over the regular variant.

Another 15 percent said they won’t opt for automatics no matter what. Is that because there is widespread perception that automatics deliver poor fuel efficiency and are not that much fun to drive? Is that perception true or does the new generation of automatic gear boxes eliminate much of the difference between autos and manuals.  Also read: Five myths about automatic transmission cars

Whatever may be the case, the running cost is the issue that is getting top attention from the buyers. And they want diesel.