Talk to me about boring automatics, 6-10k

DanTheMan

DanTheMan

DanTheMan

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Hi all,

My mum is looking to buy a new car and so far the only criteria is that it must be an automatic.

Budget is 6-10k and size wise, I can't see her wanting anything bigger than a focus size.

My first thought for automatics is something VAG due to DSG. I don't know an awful lot about other brand's auto offerings. I remember Ford autos not having the best reputation, is this still the case with the power shift offerings?

Also, what about CVT? The Honda Jazz seems ideal but I have no idea how CVTs are to drive and how reliable they are.

Any help is appreciated.
 
I was going to recommend a Figaro until I saw the age requirement.

I've never got on with Ford autos, VAG gives you a lot of choice for that segment.
 
I think the small car automatic market has stagnated now with lack of technical development due to ev's;

my opinion was confirmed by the recent auto vs manual thread discussion, I'd like to find a modern torque convertor automatic for parents in a small car footprint
TC's seem to have many advantages of dct or cvt, but they/mftr have not developed lighter torque convertors for smaller cars,
the older technology TC's have just 4speeds , and are less efficient.

Unfortunately can't yet get a viable ev in 6-10K slot, I think.

although I did read today
Petrol prices rose by 4.4% to £14,206 from Q2 to Q3, while used diesel prices rose by 5.3% to £11,383 during the same period, according to online used car platform Autorola.

Looking at the rise of online used prices since Q1 the increase is even more dramatic with petrol prices rising by 9.4% and diesel prices by 11.3%.

These price levels have never been seen by Autorola in its 15-year history.

Hybrids and EV prices meanwhile have stabilised during 2020, mainly down to consumers considering them expensive when compared with identical petrol and diesel models.

In Q3 average EV prices reached £16,019, just £16 more than in Q1. Hybrids experienced a price fall of £561 in the same period from £16,778 in Q1 to £16,197 in Q3.
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after reading below, with my, aforesaid, dsg aversion, a 208 1.2 EAT6 would be interessting to try, newer 8 speed auto probablt too expensive.
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008072195916

https://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/466519-want-to-go-back-to-auto-gearbox-but-not-dsg/
Now the EAT6 gearbox. This is great. It's made by the Japanese firm AISIN, argueably the best torque converter automatic gearbox manufacturers in the world. It's almost as smooth as a DSG, but not quite as smooth going from 1st to 2nd gear when cold, or even when hot actually unless you move off quickly, then it's very smooth. Slower move offs produce just a slight jolt when changing up from 1st to second gear, not enough to annoy but you know it's there. All the other gear changes are very smooth and on par with the DSG. It's also on par with the VAG Tiptronic torque converter box fitted to the Fabia's between 2007 and 2010 with the 1600cc petrol engines. I had one of those to and It was very good. The EAT6 is especially good in traffic. There are no clutches to wear out so you can just leave it in 'D' and forget about it. When you are in a hurry you can just plant you foot on the loud pedal and it takes off like a scalded cat, and remarkably, the harder you drive it the smoother it is. Not sensitive like some of the DSG boxes can be when moving off. The EAT6 box has a good reputation for reliability and toughness. It's used widely in the Peugeot and Citreon ranges and is certified up to 160hp. It's a tough box.



Don't know if any of that helps you but go for a long drive in one and see what you think. And by the way, many manufacturers are going back to torque converter boxes to avoid the DSG issues. Any that haven't are in the process of planning the change over. I know as I've been involved recently in some design work for a major manufacturer concerning this very thing. It's up to you of course but CVT boxes all give early issues and suffer shorter lives than DSG or Torque converter boxes. Look at Honda, and Toyota, Nissan CVT. Not good with early failures very often. That's why you'll see some changes soon.
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ICE option Honda Jazz good car, very reliable father in law had a 54 plate for years and he only got rid of it last year, he's got a Suzuki Splash now, its ok but I don't think it'll last as long having said that it might outlast him :eek:

EV option from 6k Nissan Leaf 24kWh (60-80 mile range) or 9k and above a 30kWh (80-100 mile range), there is also the Kia Soul EV but that starts at around 10k and goes around 70-90 miles
 
I drove a Jazz for just over 2 years as a company car, they're perfectly fine for your Mum, the CVT feels like a normal "geared" Autobox unless you floor it when the CVT's single drive nature reveals itself. As for reliability our company used Jazz's for about 5 years and only recently swapped to Ford Explorer SUV's (we need the AWD now) and none of the 8-10 Jazz's we had ever had a gearbox issue over the 10k/year mileage.
 
Thanks for the responses.

I think it's between the Jazz cvt and the best 1.2 tsi dsg for the money. We've had a manual Fabia 1.2 tsi for 3 years and it's been brilliant considering it's price and size so I'm tempted by an auto one.

I did consider the 208 as if read good things about the 8 speed auto when we were looking at the 2008 but it's out of budget for a decent one.
 
Has she test driven cars yet , in the environment she usually drives, -
at least for my, probably, older parents, when you ride shotgun, pulling out from junctions and parking are the more difficult manouvers,
where you need throttle predictability, and, nothing, that would compound slower reactions., more satisfied by a cvt genus I think.

the 208etc has its older 6speed torque convertor.

edit : too much but, yes, the eat8 corsa mechanically sounds impressive
2020 | Opel Corsa 1.2 Turbo 96 kW POV Autobahn Drive + Acceleration 0 - 200 km/h
edit2:LOL they have these gearboxes in the usa golf
 
Last edited:
jpaul said:
Has she test driven cars yet , in the environment she usually drives, -
at least for my, probably, older parents, when you ride shotgun, pulling out from junctions and parking are the more difficult manouvers,
where you need throttle predictability, and, nothing, that would compound slower reactions., more satisfied by a cvt genus I think.

the 208etc has its older 6speed torque convertor.

edit : too much but, yes, the eat8 corsa mechanically sounds impressive
2020 | Opel Corsa 1.2 Turbo 96 kW POV Autobahn Drive + Acceleration 0 - 200 km/h
edit2:LOL they have these gearboxes in the usa golf
Click to expand...

Were going to try and test drive a Jazz and a Fabia and potentially a few others, covid dependent.

I'm still unsure about the CVT in the Jazz but I definitely think it's worth a drive as it seems like it's would suit for the majority of her driving.
 
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