If you were planning to purchase new and get rid of it before the warranty was up, i'd say go right ahead with the 1.5tsi. But, automated dual cluch gearboxes, from any manufacturer, don't have a great reputation for reliability. So in your case, assuming you plan to actually buy this car, and want to keep it for more than a couple of years, i'd be looking for something else. If it has to be automatic, something with either a torque converter auto, or a cvt (such as a hybrid of some kind).

Edited by SLO76 on 28/02/2018 at 09:37

Check out a used Toyota Auris Touring hybrid - petrol, and automatic - and should easily beat 42 mpg. The 6' 4" may be a problem.

Might be worth looking at the Suzuki Vitara 1.4T petrol - whether the auto version has a dual clutch gearbox (DSG/DCT) or standard torque converter (TC) one seems to be a matter of debate (I'm not sure) - and is on another (relatively recent) thread on the forum (do a search using the tool on the main Back Room page). If that doesn't give you any definite answer, then email Honest John and he can find out for you if you can't get a definitive answer from Suzuki.

I would also check with them (or any car you're considering with a turbo), if you do any large load carrying or towing of any kind, what the weight limit is and, for such trips (or up steep hills and on longer journeys, e.g. going on holiday) the procedure for cooling down the turbo when you stop the engine - not as bad as for 'big turbo' cars (Subarus etc), but is worth doing when the engine is worked hard to not ruin the oil and the turbo. Often just requires 30-60 sec of idling the engine at the destination in such circumstances.

The car itself is a one HJ highly recommends (see the reviews section) and is a similar shaped and sized replacement for your Qashqai with none of the drawbacks of running a diesel on short/slow-moving journeys (not good for DPF regens) and (IMO) partially/fully Renault-engineered cars (even with a Nissan badge).

I have no idea whether the headroom would be enough for a taller person such as yourself though - best to check it out (and obviously any other car that makes your shortlist) yourself first. Worth also bringing the sort of items you and your family take on holiday (suitcases [they don't have to be full], etc) to see whether such cars meet your boot storage needs. The auto option (especially if you want to avoid problems with dual clutch units) rather limits you on the medium sized MPVs.

The Octavia would certainly fit the bill as regards space and (with the 1.4/1.5TSi engine) performance, but having the DSG auto box could be an issue, more if you are going to keep it longer than the warranty (most, though not all, 'bad' reliability issues with them seem to appear after that), but some people find the box does hesistate when moving off from a standstill, not especially good when trying to move into fast-moving traffic.

I would also sumise (my opinion only) that if you towed with such a gearbox on a regular basis, that problems would come sooner than if you didn't, as it put more strain on the gearbox, as does mainly using it in heavy traffic, as it slips the clutch like a manual (sometimes more so, especially when creeping forward at walking pace) and wears more quickly as a result, far more so than, in my opinion, a TC box. CVT auto boxes from makes other than Nissan/Renault (which seem to have reliability problems) will probably be fine as well, though perhaps not so good if you do any towing.

Not so many options at the moment if you need a larger estate car with a petrol engine and an (non-DSG) auto box that is reasonably fuel efficient, and not overly expensive. This might improve down the line as petrol-engine (or hybrid) cars become more popular again, but that doesn't help you at the moment. Have you considered larger cars in hatch or saloon form (better in hatch form for the larger, more useful boot opening) - this would give you a larger number of cars on the 'possibles' list.

I had three Octavia vRS estates, one of which had DSG. I beileve that all VW Group 2.0 TSIs (and TDIs for that matter) are fitted with the wet-clutch DSG, whereas the lower-capacity engines have the dry-clutch version.

For some reason too technical for me, the wet-clutch DSG seems to be much more reliable than the dry-clutch. So you should find a newish Octavia vRS which should do you well.

Alternatively look at the Mazda 6 estate (2.0 petrol - don't go near the diesel) or possibly the Honda Civic Tourer if it's bg enough. Try the Honda CRV if it isn't. A Volvo XC60 also has a torque-converter auto box but petrol versions are hard to find.