Pretty sure the i40, certainly of that age, has a t/c auto. We had a 2014 i30 turbo diesel before the Jazz and it definitely had a t/c, which was one of the reasons I went for it.

Pretty sure the i40, certainly of that age, has a t/c auto. We had a 2014 i30 turbo diesel before the Jazz and it definitely had a t/c, which was one of the reasons I went for it.

Right enough the i40 did use a conventional torque converter set up, it was the post 2015 i30 which has the automated manual. I read the OP’s requirement for a hatchback and thought i30 instead of reading correctly as the i40 is a saloon. That said even the i40 and older i30 are quite prone to gearbox issues both auto and manual according to HJ’s reviews.

Sadly the i40 now also has a dual clutch gearbox, though not sure from when. While we only had our i30 for 3 years, we never had any problems with the gearbox. The only things whic h irritated me about it were the really slow 'manual change' via the gear selector. Like the old tiptronic, you slid the lever across then pushed it backwards or forwards to go up or down, but it was so slow in its reactions, there was absolutely no point in using it. Also, the gearbox seemed to have been programmed for a high revving petrol as if you activated kickdown from say 50mph, the gearbox would pick a ratio too low, so the engine would be revving at a speed past where there was any more power to be gained.

This is where the Jazz's CVT comes into it's own by comparison. The reactions are so much quicker, and being such a high revving motor, there is always more to come when you activate kickdown.

Additionally, if, as it appears, the OP wants a larger car, at least the Civic in its last two versions has a big boot, bigger than most C-segment cars like the Focus, Golf or Mazda3.