Reasonably familiar with these...have got one as we speak..owned from new in 2011 albeit, obviously, the previous incarnation i10. I gather the 1.2 engine and transmission has been carried over to the new generation i10 in very similar form...obviously a couple tweaks to the engine but not at all sure if they've done anything to the box. No amount of asking has given a definitive answer to date. Actually I'm not, now, all that interested as I won't have another....it's a shame they upped the emissions on the new auto. Most users seem to grizzle a bit at the poor mpg but if it's not doing mega miles then maybe the convenience of a smooth auto is worth paying for. My mileage is low so it's not a disaster. Servicing, insurance and tax are all very, very average on mine - certainly not low by any stretch of the imagination, but obviously not huge, as it's such a tiny little car.

Almost everyone praises the new shape in manual form (I had a manual too, again in the old shape....not a joyful experience on the whole - quite a few faults...or "characteristics" as they call them). I hope they've managed to fix the new clutches now as the clutch judder took them a long time to master...I'm sure they have.

My auto had a re-designed offside drive shaft sourced from India. It was intended to cure a vibration at 3250rpm (see HJ's reports). It improved it but didn't completely fix it. Mine isn't a pleasure to be in at 70 mph. I invariably return between 32 mpg and 35 mpg if I'm lucky. My face is a familiar one at my dealership's service department (they've just ordered a another new radio aerial base to improve reception). They've been good though and my gripe has been more with Head Office, with whom I've had some battles.

Yes, agreed a super smooth gearchange with the facility to hold all gears if required for engine braking or for whatever reason people hold gears.

I also have a 1.2 Yeti with a DSG box and the difference between the two vehicles is stellar, in every respect except mpg - the Yeti rarely returns more than 36mpg - but it's much heavier and far more capable, comfortable, safe and pleasant to be in and the gearbox is a delight to use. However it's had a DSG clutch pack under warranty and had software updates under warranty and just had new oil in the box as part of the worldwide recall. The dealer has been great though and I'd miss their service if I swapped it for, say, a Honda...which I might well at some point. I deally, with a Honda you might hope you'd see less of your dealer's service department. When I had a CVT Jazz I had no cause whatsover to return to them other than annual servicing but whenever i did have contact with them they were superb.

All the best with yours...you'd have to be darned unlucky to have the same problems I’ve had with both i10s and I'm sure you'll let us know how it goes.

Edited by KB. on 17/10/2014 at 23:40

The new i10's are built in Turkey (rather than India) at the same plant as the i20 - so I would imagine the build quality may be better.

Checked site for any post on I10 autos .......OK only mine so decided to update !

Now 8 months but only 4000 miles into ownership. Can't report if dealers any better than poor VW dealers because haven't had to visit yet....

Find driving a real pleasure - really smooth and quiet. Handles well , very comfortable [ for size of car ]

Average MPG from display over full mileage is 39.9. Turned off real time MPG display as varied from 16 on very steep hills to 99.9 coasting. Due to low mileage not worried too much about MPG anyway.

Although I have a modern camera,TV ,computer etc I'm afraid I don't think twin clutch automated manuals are for me......

Cruises well at 70 - [ and more ] on motorway with only tyre roar to disturb the peace. Can kickdown a bit too easily when overtaking but because of already mentioned quietness and smoothness doesn't bother me too much.

Impressed with build quality and space for size of car.

All in all one of my best purchases.

And another factor is that if you don't leave a manual car in gear when you park on a slope, you might accidentally have failed to pull up the handbrake far enough - or, if you are afflicted with an electronic parking brake, it might suddenly fail.

Thanks for the original post, Chewer1 - useful to know that the i10 auto has a conventional auto box, goven the uncertainty over the longevity of the VW Group DSG. From time to time people come on here asking about small automatics, so the i10 looks likemone to recommend.

Elder daughter, after four 1.3 Yarises, is now on her second i10 (manual): the Yarises were excellent but the 1.2 Hyundai does a similar job for a lot less money. The new version has a much nicer interior and a usefully bigger boot.