Find my daughter an automatic...? | Motoring discussion | Back Room Forum

What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Wed 12 Jun 2019 22:51

Find my daughter an automatic...? - VengaPete

Another find me a car thread but with a few twists..

To set the scene...I have a 2012 Kia Venga Auto. Its a great car, especially for my wife who has restricted hip movement but ridiculously thirsty around town (ie: 23mpg is a common score for us)

Daughter is returning to driving shortly (epilepsy break courtesy of DVLA - and quite a sensible rule)

She does like the Venga but feels the 23mpg around town(which will be most of her miles) will be difficult to live with.

She wants an auto, as reliable as possible(don't we all!), hatchback / MPV, Venga / ix20 sized, 30mpg around town would be nice, lowish insurance group, petrol due to usage, not red. Absolute max is £5K

I've had a look around bearing in mind I'm a regular lurker / occasional poster on here and some options seem to be:-

Honda Jazz CVT (or is iShift acceptable in the automated manual basket?).

Also whats the deal with Honda DSi (dual spark plug) thing? Is it just more to go wrong?

Honda Civic CVT (or iShift?)

Suzuki SX4 - Torque Converter (T/C) - although tax is quite high at £280 on the autos

Suzuki Swift - T/C from what I can find

Kia Rio / i20 - T/C

Yaris CVT / Verso CVT - not MMT version

Mazda 2 - T/C

Maybe a Meriva / Astra but not with the Easytronic box -I believe if it isn't Easytronic it is T/C?

A Fiesta / Focus / Fusion pre Powershift when they used T/C boxes

I think a Nissan Note had a T/C box before it got the self destruct CVT from around 2011?

or something else I haven't thought of yet??

As you can see I'm trying to keep away from automated manuals / DCT and the Nissan notorious CVT but is that a good path to be following? Also as budget is £5K, age isn't as important as condition (although younger is normally nicer)

My research more and more makes me think I should do a website that allows folks to say they only want a T/C car or CVT car etc and be able to choose from a list of models. At present its hard enough to find what type of auto, never mind what car they are in.

Anyway, if anyone has any other suggestions around a suitable auto or wishes to correct what I've found so far, all advice greatly received.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Wed 12 Jun 2019 23:27

Find my daughter an automatic...? - Happy Blue!

The HJ Real mpg listings might give you a steer on the likely economy for these cars.

My experience of a mix of suburban driving with some urban and motorway miles thrown in, in petrol cars was always 20mpg from a variety of automatics. So 23mpg from a boxy Venga is no surprise.

More modern cars may be more efficient but the cost difference between 23mpg and 30mpg over say 5,000 miles is not huge. Bigger factors will be insurance, road tax and depreciation.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 00:29

Find my daughter an automatic...? - SLO76

“Honda Jazz CVT (or is iShift acceptable in the automated manual basket?)”

Avoid I-shift, it’s rubbish. The later CVT is fine if you find one with a full Honda service history and proof of gearbox fluid changes. Horrid to drive in my opinion but reliable and great on fuel.

“Also whats the deal with Honda DSi (dual spark plug) thing? Is it just more to go wrong?”

Utterly reliable, no worries.

“Honda Civic CVT (or iShift?)”

The Civic either uses a torque converter box or I-shift. Avoid the latter, the conventional 1.8 auto is bulletproof.

“Suzuki SX4 - Torque Converter (T/C) - although tax is quite high at £280 on the autos”

Bit greedy but cheap and reliable.

“Suzuki Swift - T/C from what I can find”

A hoot to drive and very robust. Tiny inside though.

“Kia Rio / i20 - T/C”

Dull to drive but reliable and cheap. Underbody rot is the fear here.

“Yaris CVT / Verso CVT - not MMT version”

CVT is reliable and economical, look for one with full Toyota history again as fluid changes are vital. Forget MMT automated manual, even Toyota couldn’t make it work.

“Mazda 2 - T/C”

Brilliant things. Watch for rust but otherwise tough, cheap to buy and run and fun too.

“Maybe a Meriva / Astra but not with the Easytronic box -I believe if it isn't Easytronic it is T/C?”

Astra J (2010 onwards) will certainly be a torque converter box and a good one too. Avoid the 1.6/2.0 Fiat diesels.

“A Fiesta / Focus / Fusion pre Powershift when they used T/C boxes”

Yamaha designed 1.4 and 1.6 petrols are excellent and pre-Powershift autos are ok. Steering racks are a very common failure and not cheap. Watch for knocks and clunks through the steering. Sellers will often describe it as “just a bush away guv” but trust me, it ain’t.

“I think a Nissan Note had a T/C box before it got the self destruct CVT from around 2011?”

Dull but worthy and very cheap. Watch for rot in front crossmembers and subframes now.

Edited by SLO76 on 13/06/2019 at 00:32

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 00:34

Find my daughter an automatic...? - Avant

Quite a difficult one this, and you've already realised why. Torque converter automatics are the most reliable, but particularly on small cars they sap power, so that to make reasonable progress you need more 'right foot' thereby using more fuel.

The Honda Jazz CVT could be a good bet. Avoid the iShift which is some form of semi-automatic and gave problems. The car-by-car review on this site will tell you which model-years it was fitted: it wasn't for long. But the CVT has a better reputation.

Edit - just looked. The CVT came back in 2011, so you may struggle to find one within budget. There were Jazzes with CVT before iSift came in, but these are now pretty old.

Anyway SLO has given you lots of help above.

Edited by Avant on 13/06/2019 at 00:41

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 11:57

Find my daughter an automatic...? - pyruse

The Jazz CVT gives around 45mpg round town in our 2014 Jazz (and 60mpg on a run), and it is nice to drive IMO. I'd think you'd be able to find a 2012 or so example for your budget.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 12:37

Find my daughter an automatic...? - badbusdriver

Just to clarify a couple of points.

The Ford Fusion ('02-'12) was never available with the powershift DCT box, it did have the earlier automated manual, but only as a 1.4. So stick to the 1.6 auto, which is a t/c.

The Fiesta, assuming we are going to be looking at the 6th generation onwards, is a bit more complex, as your budget will be getting into the powershift DCT which could well be coupled with the 1.0t ecoboost. But if you stick to the pre facelift (>2013) 1.4 auto, that is a t/c, and should be fine.

With the Nissan Note, the 1st gen auto only ever had the 1.6 coupled with a t/c auto and these were made from '06-'13. The CVT only made its appearance on the 2nd gen cars, along with its 1.2 supercharged engine.

Re the Jazz, i agree with pyruse, looking on Autrader, there is a good supply of 2012 CVT models for under £5k.

Alternatives?, given your username, i'm surprised the Venga hasn't came up, or its kissing cousin the Hyundai ix20. £5k is plenty enough to get into a 2012 example. I'm sure you are aware that economy is not a strong point, but reliable and very practical.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 13:05

Find my daughter an automatic...? - Avant

VengaPete is worried about the automatic Venga's thirst for petrol. If CVT Jazzes can be found for £5,000 or less, this does look like a front-runner given its much better economy and good reputation for reliability..

Edited by Avant on 13/06/2019 at 13:30

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 15:30

Find my daughter an automatic...? - Engineer Andy

VengaPete is worried about the automatic Venga's thirst for petrol. If CVT Jazzes can be found for £5,000 or less, this does look like a front-runner given its much better economy and good reputation for reliability..

Especially as it's deceptively capacious interior beats most on the list of Fiesta-sized cars. If I recall correctly, the Venga has quite a large boot too, more of a C-sector car size. I might've suggested (given others have suggested the Focus 1.6 auto) the gen-2 Mazda3 1.6 auto (TC, different engine to the Focus), but it's real mpg average is only 31 or so. That may still be acceptable.

I think it uses the same 4-speed TC box as the mk2 Focus though, and seems very reliable (I haven't heard of any issues on the Mazda3 forum or here). Rust seemingly less of an issue than for the gen-1 Mazda3 - most I see locall seem in very good condition. Very similar performance/handling to the Focus. Not that quick though, but better than the Venga.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 13:06

Find my daughter an automatic...? - badbusdriver

Sorry, just re-read your post and i see you did mention the Venga, and its mpg!.

Witth that in mind, there is another (obscure) choice i was thinking of, the Mitsubishi Mirage. Now i am well aware that the motoring press hates it with a vengeance, though, as is often the case with them, i'm not sure just how much is justified. What i can tell you is that most of the owners reviews i have read about the car is fairly positive. The interior plastics are, it seems, a little low rent, and its handling is a bit behind the competition. But, it is reliable, and it is very efficient. It is (i believe) the only car in its class ('city car') to use a CVT (all the rest exept the i10 and Picanto use automated manuals). Had a look on Autotrader, and there are a couple available under £5k, and a few more if you went up to £5.5k, but driven sensibly you could see 60mpg.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 13:11

Find my daughter an automatic...? - badbusdriver

Sorry again, just ignore me not on form today, i see your daughter also wants a car bigger than a city car!.

Doh!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Thu 13 Jun 2019 16:39

Find my daughter an automatic...? - madf

I have a Jazz CVT (not I Shift ) 2012..

Over 40mpg around town.. (42)

Easy parking

Utterly reliable.

Lots of space.

Not horrible to drive but dislikes potholes/bad surfaces and utterly boring to drive - but very easy to drive as well.

Top white goods small car.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sat 6 Jul 2019 18:48

Find my daughter an automatic...? - Ace Demon

I have just sold a Fiesta 4sp TC. Over 20k miles I averaged 37.3mpg from it (all fills are recorded). A series of short winter journeys could drag it down to 32.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Sun 7 Jul 2019 08:47

Find my daughter an automatic...? - Jungerns

The 7 speed Honda Jazz Automatic I owned in Asia is overall the very best car I ever have had

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Ask Honest John

Sell Your Car

Real MPG

Fuel Calculator