The demand for CNG cars is continuously increasing in India. Especially among those people who want to reduce their daily fuel expenses without buying an electric car. Keeping this need in mind, Maruti Suzuki has now made available the option of AMT i.e. Automatic Gearbox in its popular CNG cars. Its advantage is that with the low running cost of CNG, now the driver will not have to worry about repeatedly pressing the clutch and changing gears. This new CNG AMT range of Maruti includes Baleno, Swift and Dzire.
Maruti Baleno CNG AMT
Maruti Baleno has become the first car in the company's Nexa range to get the combination of CNG and AMT. Its CNG AMT variant has been introduced in Delta trim. Its on-road price in Mumbai is said to be around Rs 9.54 lakh.
According to the company, Baleno CNG AMT gives a mileage of around 34.47 km/kg. This is about 0.85 km/kg more than the manual CNG version.
No major changes have been made in the engine and other features of the car. However, the boot space remains limited due to the CNG cylinder. In this segment, it competes with Tata Altroz CNG, which has better utilization of boot space due to twin-cylinder technology.
Maruti Swift CNG AMT
Now the option of AMT gearbox is also available in the CNG model of Maruti Suzuki Swift. Its on-road price in Mumbai starts from around Rs 7.92 lakh. It can be purchased in VXi, VXi(O) and ZXi trim.
Swift CNG AMT has a 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder naturally aspirated petrol engine. With AMT gearbox the company claims a mileage of around 35.34 km/kg.
Compared to the manual CNG model, its mileage is said to be about 2.49 km/kg more. The design and most of the features are the same as the standard Swift. Its direct competition in the market will be with Tata Tiago CNG.
Maruti Dzire CNG AMT
The third model in Maruti's CNG AMT range is the Dzire. Its price is around Rs 9.77 lakh and it is offered in VXi and ZXi trim.
Dzire CNG AMT also has a 1.2-litre engine and 5-speed AMT gearbox like the Swift. In terms of mileage, it is at the forefront among the three cars.
According to the company, Dzire CNG AMT gives a mileage of around 36.47 km/kg. This is approximately 2.74 km/kg more than the manual CNG model.
The CNG tank is placed in the boot area. Keeping in mind the extra weight of the tank, changes have also been made in the suspension setup of the car, so that comfort remains during driving. It competes with Tata Tigor CNG.
AMT for just ₹ 35 thousand more
The special thing about these three CNG AMT cars of Maruti Suzuki is that the price of their automatic variants is about Rs 35,000 more than the respective manual CNG models.
That is, for those who have to drive a car in heavy city traffic every day, they get the convenience of AMT along with the low running cost of CNG. Maruti's Baleno, Swift and Dzire have now become options for buyers who want both low fuel economy and clutch-free driving.