SUVs With a Torque-Converter Automatic: The Cheapest Trim of Each, Not AMT

The cheapest SUV in India with a torque-converter automatic is the Mahindra XUV 3XO REVX M (O) AT at Rs 9,99,000 ex-showroom, a 1.2 turbo petrol with a 6-speed torque converter. After it come the Maruti Brezza VXi AT at Rs 10,60,900, the Maruti Fronx Zeta Turbo AT at Rs 11,03,900 and the Toyota Taisor G Turbo AT at Rs 11,86,000. In the mid-size class the Maruti Victoris VXi AT (Rs 13,40,900) and Grand Vitara Delta AT (Rs 13,49,700) are the entry points, and the Jimny Zeta AT (Rs 13,65,000) is the cheapest one with four-wheel drive. Plenty of popular SUVs, including the Tata Nexon and Punch, Hyundai Exter, Honda Elevate and the Renault-Nissan pair, sell no torque converter at all.

This page answers one narrow question for every SUV on sale: what is the cheapest variant that has a real torque-converter automatic, as opposed to an AMT, a CVT or a dual-clutch? The answer is often a specific engine, not just a trim, so each entry names both.

The cheapest torque-converter trim of each SUV

SUV	Cheapest torque-converter variant	Engine with it	Gearbox	Price (ex-showroom)
Mahindra XUV 3XO	REVX M (O) AT	1.2 TCMPFi turbo petrol, 82 kW, 200 Nm	6-speed	Rs 9,99,000
Maruti Brezza	VXi AT	1.5 K15C petrol, 103.05 PS, 139 Nm	6-speed	Rs 10,60,900
Maruti Fronx	Zeta Turbo AT	1.0 turbo petrol, 100.06 PS, 147.6 Nm	6-speed	Rs 11,03,900
Toyota Taisor	G Turbo AT	1.0 turbo petrol, 100.06 PS, 147.6 Nm	6-speed	Rs 11,86,000
Maruti Victoris	VXi AT	1.5 K15C mild hybrid, 103.06 PS, 139 Nm	6-speed	Rs 13,40,900
Maruti Grand Vitara	Delta AT	1.5 K15C mild hybrid, 103.06 PS, 139 Nm	6-speed	Rs 13,49,700
Maruti Jimny	Zeta AT	1.5 K15B petrol, 104.8 PS, 134.2 Nm	4-speed	Rs 13,65,000
Mahindra Thar	LXT petrol 2WD AT	2.0 turbo petrol, 119 kW, 330 Nm	6-speed	Rs 14,76,500
Mahindra Thar Roxx	MX3 petrol AT 2WD	2.0 turbo petrol, 130 kW, 380 Nm	6-speed	Rs 15,39,000
Hyundai Creta	EX(O) diesel AT	1.5 CRDi diesel	6-speed	Rs 16,08,200
Mahindra Scorpio-N	Z4 petrol AT	2.0 turbo petrol, 149.14 kW, 380 Nm	6-speed	Rs 17,15,693

Prices are ex-showroom, checked October 2026 on each maker's own site: Mahindra's variant cards, Maruti's Arena price pages and NEXA's compare tool (single-tone paint), Toyota's Taisor page and Hyundai's Creta price list. Engines and gearboxes are from each maker's brochure or specification page.

Eight more SUVs sell a torque-converter automatic whose price the maker does not publish. They are listed further down, after the eleven above.

The eleven with a published price

1. Mahindra XUV 3XO REVX M (O) AT, Rs 9,99,000

The only SUV with a torque converter under Rs 10 lakh, and the clearest case of "check the engine, not the badge". Mahindra's brochure calls it a "New 6 Speed Torque Converter Automatic Transmission" and fits it to both petrol engines: the 1.2 TCMPFi (82 kW, 200 Nm) in this variant and the stronger 1.2 TGDi (96 kW, 230 Nm), whose cheapest automatic is the AX5 L at Rs 13,27,500. The diesel automatic is different. Mahindra lists it as "6 AutoSHIFT+" and its variant grid labels that an AMT, so a diesel XUV 3XO automatic is not what this page is about. The boot is 364 litres. Bharat NCAP gave the XUV 3XO 5 stars, with 29.36 of 32 for adults and 43 of 49 for children. Mahindra prints no fuel-efficiency figure for the petrol in its brochure.

2. Maruti Brezza VXi AT, Rs 10,60,900

The automatic Brezza is the 1.5-litre K15C (103.05 PS, 139 Nm) with a 6-speed automatic, offered on the VXi, ZXi and ZXi+. The new 1.0 turbo Brezza (110.12 PS, 170 Nm) is manual only, so "turbo Brezza automatic" does not exist. Bharat NCAP rated the Brezza 5 stars (30.41 of 32 and 43 of 49), and its applicability table lists the 1.5L 6AT on the VXi, ZXi and ZXi+. The weakness is pull: the automatic Brezza makes 139 Nm, against 200 Nm in the cheaper XUV 3XO automatic.

3. Maruti Fronx Zeta Turbo AT, Rs 11,03,900

Two engines, two automatics. The 1.2-litre Fronx automatic (Delta AGS, Rs 8,24,900) is an AMT; the torque converter is reserved for the 1.0 turbo, from the Zeta at Rs 11,03,900 to the Alpha at Rs 11,88,900. Maruti certifies the turbo automatic at 20.01 km/l against 22.89 km/l for the 1.2 AGS, so the smoother gearbox costs you some efficiency as well as Rs 2,79,000. Six airbags are standard. The Fronx has no Bharat NCAP result.

4. Toyota Taisor G Turbo AT, Rs 11,86,000

The Taisor is the Fronx with Toyota badges and the same 1.0 turbo and 6-speed automatic. Toyota's own page prices the G Turbo AT at Rs 11,86,000 and the V Turbo AT at Rs 12,78,000, so it costs Rs 82,100 more than the equivalent Fronx. Toyota certifies it at 19.86 km/l, slightly below the Fronx's 20.01.

5. Maruti Victoris VXi AT, Rs 13,40,900

The cheapest mid-size torque converter, and the most efficient: Maruti certifies 21.06 km/l for the 6AT. It is also the only mid-size car here with a published Bharat NCAP 5-star rating that covers the automatic, from the VXi to the ZXi+(O) 4WD (31.66 of 32 and 43 of 49). Our mid-size page goes into the variants; see mid-size SUV automatics under Rs 15 lakh.

6. Maruti Grand Vitara Delta AT, Rs 13,49,700

Same engine and gearbox as the Victoris, Rs 8,800 more, 20.58 km/l. Six airbags are standard on every Grand Vitara. It has not been crash tested by Bharat NCAP, which is the main reason we would pick the Victoris at almost the same price.

7. Maruti Jimny Zeta AT, Rs 13,65,000

The odd one out: a 4-speed torque converter, not a 6-speed, but it comes with ALLGRIP PRO four-wheel drive and a low-range transfer gear on every variant. Maruti rates the automatic at 16.39 km/l against 16.94 for the manual, and the step from manual to automatic is Rs 1,06,000 on each trim. If off-road ability matters, our off-road manual vs automatic comparison goes deeper.

8. Mahindra Thar LXT petrol 2WD AT, Rs 14,76,500

Mahindra's brochure gives the Thar a 6-speed torque-converter automatic on the 2.0 turbo petrol (119 kW, 330 Nm) and on the 2.2 diesel. The cheapest one is rear-wheel drive. The cheapest four-wheel-drive automatic is the LXT petrol 4WD AT at Rs 17,22,500.

9. Mahindra Thar Roxx MX3 petrol AT 2WD, Rs 15,39,000

The five-door Roxx's petrol automatic makes 130 kW and 380 Nm. It is rear-wheel drive only; four-wheel drive with the automatic means the diesel AX5L at Rs 21,67,000.

10. Hyundai Creta EX(O) diesel AT, Rs 16,08,200

A trap for shoppers. The Creta automatic most people try first, the 1.5 petrol IVT from Rs 14,49,700, is a CVT, and the turbo petrol is a 7-speed DCT. Hyundai's brochure gives the 6AT to the 1.5 diesel only, from the EX(O). Hyundai publishes no certified mileage in the brochure.

11. Mahindra Scorpio-N Z4 petrol AT, Rs 17,15,693

Both Scorpio-N engines come with a 6-speed automatic. The Z4 petrol AT is the cheapest; the Z4 diesel AT is Rs 17,68,437. Four-wheel drive with the automatic starts much higher, on the Z8T diesel 4WD AT at Rs 24,39,249.

Torque converter offered, price not published

SUV	Torque-converter version	Why it isn't ranked
Skoda Kylaq	1.0 TSI (115 PS, 178 Nm), 6-speed torque converter from Classic+	Skoda shows only a Rs 7,59,000 starting price
Toyota Urban Cruiser Hyryder	1.5 mild hybrid 6AT from S NeoDrive; AWD 6AT on the V	Toyota's price list was not available to us
Kia Sonet	1.5 diesel (85 kW, 250 Nm), "6 Speed Advance AT"	Kia shows only a Rs 7,44,900 starting price
Hyundai Venue	1.5 diesel 6AT on HX 5, HX 8 and HX 10	Hyundai's Venue page shows only a starting price
Kia Seltos	1.5 diesel 6AT from HTE (O)	No Kia price for it found on Kia's site
Tata Sierra	1.5 diesel 6AT; 1.5 TGDi turbo petrol is 6AT only	No Tata price for the automatic found
Volkswagen Taigun	1.0 TSI with an 8-speed automatic	No Volkswagen price for the automatic found
Toyota Fortuner	2.8 diesel 6AT, 2WD and 4WD	Toyota's price list was not available to us

The Kylaq is the one most likely to undercut the Brezza. Skoda's own site lists "Automatic 6-Speed Torque Converter" on every trim from Classic+, and its Bharat NCAP 5-star result (30.88 of 32, 45 of 49) applies to the automatic on the Signature, Signature+ and Prestige. Without a published price we can't place it, so get a dealer quote.

SUVs with no torque converter at all

These are the cars where the word "automatic" on a brochure means something else. From each maker's current brochure:

• Tata Nexon: AMT and a 7-speed dual-clutch (DCA).
• Tata Punch: 5-speed AMT.
• Hyundai Exter: AMT.
• Renault Kiger and Nissan Magnite: AMT on the 1.0 petrol, CVT on the turbo.
• Honda Elevate: CVT.
• Renault Duster: a 6-speed DCT on the turbo petrol. We did not check the newly launched Duster hybrid's gearbox.

None of these is a bad gearbox in itself. A good CVT is smooth around town, and a dual-clutch shifts faster than any torque converter. But if you have driven a torque converter and want the same creep and the same unfussy hill starts, these cars won't give you that.

How to read the gearbox labels

Makers rarely write "torque converter". Mahindra and Skoda do: the XUV 3XO, Thar and Thar Roxx brochures and Skoda's Kylaq page use those words. Maruti, Toyota, Hyundai, Kia and Tata write "6AT", "6-speed AT" or "6-speed automatic" and list it separately from their AMTs (Maruti calls them AGS), CVTs (Hyundai and Kia say IVT), dual-clutches (DCT, DCA, DSG) and strong-hybrid e-CVTs. That separate "AT" line is the torque converter. If a quote just says "automatic", ask which of those it is.

Price matters more than you might expect. In almost every model the torque converter sits on one particular engine, and that engine is rarely the cheapest one. The Fronx turbo, Creta diesel and XUV 3XO petrol are all examples.

How this list was built

We took every SUV on sale in India in October 2026, read the gearbox options from the maker's brochure or specification page, and kept the ones that offer a conventional automatic. For each, we found the cheapest variant with that gearbox and took its ex-showroom price from the maker's own site. Maruti prices are single-tone paint. Toyota's Taisor price comes from the variant cards on Toyota's Taisor page; Toyota's main price list sits behind a bot check, so we have no Toyota price for the Hyryder or Fortuner.

What we did not verify: any price a maker does not publish (the second table), real-world mileage, and how each gearbox feels to drive. Mileage is quoted only where the maker certifies it. Where a maker's brochure says "6AT" rather than "torque converter", we have read it the way the industry does, as explained above. Bharat NCAP scores are from bncap.in, and we checked that each rating's applicability table includes the automatic where we say it does; the XUV 3XO's table is in a different format and we could not read its variant coverage. Discontinued models such as the MG Astor are left out.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the cheapest SUV with a torque-converter automatic in India?

The Mahindra XUV 3XO REVX M (O) AT at Rs 9,99,000 ex-showroom, with the 1.2 TCMPFi turbo petrol and a 6-speed torque converter. It is the only one under Rs 10 lakh with a published price.

Is the Maruti Brezza automatic a torque converter or an AMT?

A 6-speed automatic on the 1.5-litre petrol, not an AMT. It starts with the VXi AT at Rs 10,60,900. The 1.0 turbo Brezza is manual only.

Does the Fronx 1.2 AGS have a torque converter?

No. AGS is Maruti's name for an AMT. The Fronx torque converter comes only with the 1.0 turbo, from the Zeta Turbo AT at Rs 11,03,900.

Which Hyundai Creta automatic is a torque converter?

Only the diesel. The petrol uses an IVT (a CVT) and the turbo petrol a 7-speed DCT. The cheapest Creta diesel automatic is the EX(O) at Rs 16,08,200.

Which is the cheapest 4x4 SUV with a torque-converter automatic?

The Maruti Jimny Zeta AT at Rs 13,65,000, with a 4-speed automatic and low-range four-wheel drive. The cheapest Thar 4WD automatic is the LXT petrol 4WD AT at Rs 17,22,500.