Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now???

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Thu 30 Jan 2014 09:48
Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now??? - ken345

Hi,

My 'other half' has got a '07 Ford Focus automatic with the conventional torque converter auto 'box. She's got an automatic-only license & does 25k a year (most days she's driving round the city all day so the automatic is a real benefit).

It's due for replacement soon then in another 3 years or so that replacement will need replacing. We need something of a similar size & something that can probably do 100k+ so a 1.6 petrol Focus 2010-ish fits the bill for the replacement that's due NOW - but looking into the future and in 3 years time we'll be looking at replacing it again and THAT replacement will probably be a 2 or 3 year old car too made about now.

At that time it'll be difficult to get a conventional torque converter auto, all the manufacturers are switching to either CVT or DSG style gearboxes (Ford are fitting their Powershift on the 2011+ Focus). I can see the benefit of these gearboxes compared to a conventional auto in theory but my priority is to have a reliable car that's capable of 100k+ with predictable running costs.

Are these 'next generation' CVT/DSG gearboxes still the unreliable mess they once were, when they'd fail & need replacing at 45k miles at a cost of £5000 or would they be worth taking a chance on in 3 years time - will one of them 'fit the bill'?

I've heard loads of scare stories about these gearboxes but has anyone got any real data on what the failure rates (the percentage of cars fitted with those gearboxes that fail) actually are? Does anyone know which of these 'next gen' gearboxes are the best & most reliable?

If i did get one of these 'next gen' autos i'd save up a bit more cash & buy the newest that i could and take out an aftermarket warranty that covered the gearbox.

Another option would be for her to do her manual driving test and switch to a manual BUT she spends all day driving round the city so that would be a real pain, if we could stick with an automatic that would be best.

I'm asking now & not in 3 years because if we need to switch to a manual in 3 years then we may as well do it now rather than get another auto.

Thanks in advance for your replies!

Ken

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Thu 30 Jan 2014 10:13
Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now??? - RT

Ask the question again in 20-30 years time !

Reputations for reliability can't be achieved in short timescales - some early DSGs have given problems but we won't know how good the later DSGs are for years.

Not all manufacturers are rushing to DSG/CVT.

Remember that conventional "slushbox" automatics have improved their efficiency hugely, to compete with DSG/CVT - there is still an economy gap but it's not nearly as much as it used to be.

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Thu 30 Jan 2014 12:17
Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now??? - ken345

Which manufacturers aren't going away from conventional autos, I got the impression that they were all at it, Honda (it tried i-Shift, now it's back on CVTs with the jazz), VAG, Ford (& all of the companies they own) to mention but three.

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Thu 30 Jan 2014 12:25
Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now??? - RT

Apart from a 10% stake in Aston Martin, Ford don't own any companies any more - Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo have been sold on.

Hyundai, Kia and Vauxhall still use conventional automatics.

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Thu 30 Jan 2014 12:19
Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now??? - colinh

"...driving round the city all day..."

Might be worth considering a Toyota Auris hybrid - has been out about 3 years, so used ones should be available, and official dealers can give reasonable lengthy warranties. With a high % of in-town driving, 60+mpg should be easily obtainable

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Thu 30 Jan 2014 16:34
Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now??? - ken345

She commutes about a 50-ish mile round trip on motorways & A roads then when she's at work she spends allot of the day driving in the city - but in terms of mileage her 'urban mileage' probably doesn't account for more than 20% of her overall total so maybe a Prius wouldn't represent a great investment.

BUT hasn't the Prius got an auto box (I thought it was a CVT - is that right?)? If so Toyota must have sold shed loads a fair few, if they haven't got a reputation for gearbox failures doesn't that suggest that Toyota maybe know enough to produce a fairly reliable CVT (if that is indeed what it is)?

I like the idea of the Kia Cee'd though, I'm off to go & surf around to see if they fit the bill.

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Fri 31 Jan 2014 19:38
Ford focus hatchback - 1.6 Petrol auto 07 - Are the CVT/DSG autos any good now??? - coopshere
Toyota use CVT boxes in their petrol engined cars and some conventional autos in diesels. The hybrids are not CVT's but drive in a similar fashion. If you look at the Toyota range from June 2010 they have a 5 year warranty which can be extended if the car has been maintained in the Toyota dealerships. They also produced a box called the MMT which is to be avoided as there have been problems. Research shows no known problems with the CVT OR Hybrid transmissions. Check out the Real MPG tab on this site to see how economical or not they are. If you are looking at DSG style boxes then research thoroughly as there are problem boxes from several manufacturers.
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