^^ Yeah. Why not i10 or i20 AT? i20 AT have air-bag and ABS.
^^ Better get a used AT car. You can find a lot these days.
But EcoSport is a lot more costly than Xcent. Comparing these 2 is not good idea. Other option, if you are looking for AT is, Nissan Micra CVT. Although space is little less and dashboard looks blunt and plain, it is CVT and offers decent FE. The OTR will be around 7.5L.
Wow. 8.5L is a lot of dough for a tiny car like Xcent when you can get a Honda City with 2 Airbags for similar price. They are really milking the customer in name of AT.
Also what is the general view about diesels these days. I wouldn't go near a Honda Diesel, having personally suffered because of it's NVH levels. With the govt looking to do away with subsidy on diesel, I am personally looking to wait and see how that plays out. Was never in favor of a diesel car for myself but running of nearly 3k kms a month demanded it. Currently using a Petrol A-Star with FE of 19 on the highway and 16 in the City with AC on all the time.