CNG cars have become the go-to choice for Indian buyers looking to cut fuel costs without stepping into an EV just yet. To meet these demands, automakers have started developing several features that make ownership more convenient for buyers. Maruti has now done the same, rolling out AMT gearboxes across three of its CNG models and giving buyers the convenience of a clutch-free drive along with CNG running costs. That also boosts mileage. Here’s a quick look at all three.Attention Readers! Join us on our WhatsApp Community for daily auto news updates.
New CNG AMT Cars In India – Maruti Baleno
The Baleno becomes the latest Nexa product to get CNG with an automatic gearbox option. The CNG AMT option is offered in the Delta variant of this hatchback, priced at Rs 9.54 lakh (on-road, Mumbai). With this setup, Maruti claims 34.47 km/kg, about 0.85 km/kg more than the CNG-MT version. Everything else, including the features and powertrains, is unchanged from the existing CNG-MT variants.
One thing worth noting is that Maruti hasn’t given the Baleno the underbody CNG tank seen on the Victoris and Brezza, while recent spy shots suggest it may be included with the WagonR too. The cylinder is still housed inside the boot along with the spare wheel, so practical luggage space is minimal.
Moreover, in this segment, the Tata Altroz remains the only rival to offer a CNG-AMT option, and uses twin CNG cylinders that leave a more usable boot space.
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Maruti Swift CNG AMT
The ever-popular Swift now gets an AMT option on its CNG powertrain, priced from Rs 7.92 lakh (on-road, Mumbai) and available across the VXi, VXi(O), and ZXi trims. It runs on the same 1.2-litre, 3-cylinder NA petrol engine as the CNG Manual version. However, the claimed mileage jumps to 35.34km/kg, a healthy 2.49km/kg boost over the manual version. Just like the Baleno, the Maruti Swift carries over all the other features and the design theme from its standard version.
The Swift CNG AMT will primarily rival the Tata Tiago CNG AMT; however, unlike Tata’s dual-cylinder CNG setup, Maruti sticks with a single large CNG tank here, which means the boot space takes a noticeable hit.
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Maruti Dzire CNG AMT
Rounding off the trio is the Dzire CNG AMT, priced at Rs 9.77 lakh and offered on the VXi and ZXi trims. Mechanically, it’s near-identical to the Swift CNG AMT, with the same 1.2-litre engine and the same 5-speed AMT, but it edges ahead on mileage with a claimed figure of 36.47 km/kg, which is 2.74 km/kg higher than the manual Dzire CNG. That makes it the best mileage car of the trio. As wth the Swift, the CNG tank sits in the boot and eats into cargo room; Maruti has tweaked the suspension to make it more comfortable to carry passengers with the CNG tank.
Its closest rival here is the Tata Tigor CNG AMT, which continues to use Tata’s twin-cylinder layout for a boot-space advantage over the single-tank Dzire.
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MotorOctane Says
With this, Maruti becomes the second carmaker after Tata Motors to offer a (factory-fitted) CNG AMT combo in India. Across all three cars, the AMT versions cost around Rs 35,000 more than their manual CNG counterparts. That is a small premium for the added convenience. If you drive mostly in traffic-heavy cities and want to save on fuel without dealing with a clutch, these three just became the easiest CNG cars to live with.