While my car is in the VW/Skoda dealer for a new clutch I have been driving the dealer's supplied hire car - it's a VW Polo 1.4 Automatic, with about 5000 KM on the clock.
It's a vile machine - the gearbox has a real struggle to make up its mind which gear is appropriate, particularly when a reasonable amount of throttle is applied. It's thirsty, too.
The box has a "sport" setting - "sport", they must be joking!
This confirms my thoughts that a small engine is completely unsuited to a traditional automatic gear box.
What do other back-roomers think?
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The Polo is no longer a small car and it is heavy, so with a small automatic (say 1.4?) it will struggle. You don't buy an automatic small car for economy but for convenience; the transmission losses through the drivetrain are a huge percentage of overall power to the consumption is worse. Using a 3.0 litre engine in a Polo would show minimal difference between auto and manual!
There are better smaller automatics though, but generally of Japanese origin. Even my mother's Suzuki Wagon R+ (built in Hungary) is lively and knows which gear to be in. However it has a lively engine and a light body.
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How many gears malteser? My wife and I drove the Fabia 1.6 105 tiptronic yesterday (in lieu of the similar Roomster that we were interested in) - 6 gears. At 40-50mph on a level road, very minor speed adjustments had it oscillating between 5th & 6th. Putting it into 'sport' mode immediately caused it to drop from 6th to 5th, but a small increase in accelerator pressure and we were in 4th. Too many gears?
Maybe a 6 speed is better suited to a diesel with its narrower band of useful power - but you can't get a diesel auto Fabia or Roomster!
It was a relief and a pleasure to go home in our Civic 1.6 auto - 4 speed, and when it rarely hunts between 3rd/4th on a gradient, a sideways nudge of the lever to D3 stops that.
The power sapping effect of autos on low powered cars would disappear with a DSG box, which would seem to be ideally suited to small cars (low torque too so less risk of failure). But maybe they are too expensive at present?
The Fabia was otherwise great - surprisingly good space, height aside not much less than the Roomster.
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I'm ashamed to admit it, but I didn't really count the number of gears!
I shall be glad to get our Fabia, nearly 7 years old, bought new, 118000 km, 1.9tdi, back, so I can enjoy driving again!
It's been a good car, except for a recurring electrical fault in a power cable, which causes, amongst other symptoms, the PAS to cease functioning.! A shut down & re-start of the engine cures it temporarily, but apart from the clutch, this is the other job being done at present (third time, but luckily under the VAG dealer's two year warranty on workshop work done!)
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New Polo due this year is to be offered with a 7-speed DSG box (with dry clutches), allegedly - hopefully this will be an improvement.
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Depends what use you require from a car.
My wife had a new Polo 1.4 Automatic in 1998, kept it 3 years and passed it to daughter who kept it a further 4 years
They used it in 'shopping trolley' mode and 65bhp was ample for their use and the car did everything they wanted it to do.
It was then passed to my son who, predictably, hated it.
Wife then got, and still has, a new 2001 1.3 Yaris Verso automatic. For her it is quite simply the best car she has ever had; and we have had lots of new Mercs/Audis etc.
Unless Toyota import the new version(Ractis) with a 'proper' autobox it will be retained regardless of any future repair costs.
Enthusiastic drivers might not like low powered cars with a slush box, but we ain't in the majority!
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What happened to three speed auto`s and flexible engines? :>)
Is number of gears now a selling point?
Regards
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I had a current shape Fiesta 1.6 auto as a courtesy car when my old Focus was being serviced, and I really liked it. Mind you being a Ghia with all the toys always helps one's impressions.
Certainly wasn't underpowered and the auto box passed my testing criteria in that I didn't really notice it was there.
Cheers
DP
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Efficiency. A flexible engine running over a wide speed range and varying load is less efficient than a smaller, less flexible engine running in a narrower focussed band.
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Perodua MYVI
Daihatsu Sirion II
Suzuki Swift
are all great as automatics
buy a VW and you get what you deserve
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The older Honda Civic automatic was more or less the most reliable smaller car ever.
You had 'Mercs/Audis' but 'treated' your wife to a VW Polo?
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This confirms my thoughts that a small engine is completely unsuited to a traditional automatic gear box. What do other back-roomers think?
Twelve years on and you might change your mind. Our Peugeot 2008 has a tiny three cylinder engine (1.2 litre) and a 'traditional' Aisin EAT6 autobox. It is a joy to drive, always in the right gear and responds instantly to 'kickdown' acceleration, removing the need to watch the rev counter to change up at optimum 'red-line' revs. The long-legged 6th gear (30mph per 1000revs) is hardly ever engaged on country roads as 5th (25mph per 1000 revs) is tall enough. The high 6th gear gives a typical gallic relaxed feel on fast roads. I'm not sure why the latest version needs 8 gears.
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We had a Corsa 1.4 auto as a loan car and was quite good to drive, being used to the big Volvo estate it was nice to drive the Corsa around town and parking was much easier. However the fuel consumption wasn't very good at but the performance was ok.
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