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Due to a deterioration in condition & pain levels – I will need to move from manual to auto !!
I’ll be looking at an SUV size vehicle up to £1000 max AP.
what automatics do you rate ???? TIA
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Personally I love dual clutch autos (not sure I’d love them so much if I was buying the car second hand). VAG group DSG are the prime example but Ford’s powershift is a dual clutch as well and the Kuga I’ve just handed back as faultless over the three years.
Old school torque converter autos are much better as well these days, 6,7,8 even 9 spd and electronically controlled, long way from the slush boxes of old.
Personally I have CVTs.
I’ve driven the Peugeot partner tepee robotic multi mode auto box and it works very well, now have a Peugeot Rifter and the auto gearbox is excellent .
I agree there’s certainly plenty to like about the VW 7 speed DSG (I have a Golf 2.0 TDI GT DSG).
Under normal driving it can offer silky smooth gear changes. As it pre-selects the gear it anticipates you will require next, it will normally be able to respond to manual gear changes via the paddles in well under a second. It can occasionally get caught out though, meaning the gear change takes a couple of seconds.
As the reviews usually point out, around town in stop-start traffic the ‘box can be less smooth. It’s hardly anything to be concerned about though – still much more pleasant that using your left foot.
A quick search on the motabilty website seems to offer a relatively small selection in Auto SUV’s under £1000 – basically you have the Suzuki Vitara, Vauxhall Grandland X, Renault Kadjar, Skoda Karoq and Mercedes GLA with multiple trims. With a potential list that relatively short it’s probably worth spending most of a day and have a pop around to look at them in person – you will probably quickly dismiss a couple for personal reasons then you’ll have a more manageable shortlist which you can then ask for personal opinions on…
"Man is born in freedom, but he soon becomes a slave, in cages of convention, from the cradle, to the grave."
Automatic’s are different thats for sure. I need an auto now also, like you and my current car is a golf dsg. The gearbox is always changing up way to early like at 30mph it’s in 6th gear, coz i’m light on throttle or using acc. Then when i need to increase speed, I’ve gotta press the pedal so far down to make it downshift.. its so annoying, or it’s badly laboured. so i have to knock it into sport mode from normal. but that kills the fuel and over revs before it changes up.. it’s great at that changing up.. unless it’s in 7th gear then it will have 6th ready.. ha ha but actually if you drive it hard it’s great, smooth it is not and is why i’m getting a cvt.. coz it’s on the car I’m getting soon..
My next car will be a honda and that has a CVT there’s pro’s and cons to both but really it depends how you drive. Deffo getting a test drive for more than 20 mins a must as you may not like it. At the end of the day 3 years is along time and worst thing about my golf is the seats. so this time i need an auto more comfortable seats and adaptive cruise..
checkout https://www.motability.co.uk/products/search/
prob not much choice in the bigger suv’s under 1k that are auto’s they do cost more than the manuals
Peugeot/Citroen and BMW share the same 8 speed auto gearbox and it’s tremendous, silky smooth in auto mode and instant changes with the paddles, very good on economy also.
I know it’s a lot of money but if you can find another £250, I can recommend the BMW X1 auto. It is a sublime gearbox. ?
Good luck.
? I will be remembered for nothing but had great fun doing it ?
on the smaller suv side theres the nissan juke or the mini countryman.
the countryman has the bmw auto box which is excellant.
Vinalspin I didn’t know that Ive read the BMW 8 speed is very good indeed
Yes the BMW auto box is awesome. So smooth so responsive to the accelerator. Love the paddle shift in sports mode for the odd made half hour of fun.
Joss
Current car: BMW X2 sDrive 20i M Sport 5dr Step Auto In metallic Portimão Blue. 04:10:2025
Previous car:Peugeot 308 GT Premium 1.2 Pure tech Petrol.Thanks fir comments & feedback this far – Yes not much choice for SUV autos under £1k but looking at mini, Suzuki, Renault & MG to test drive and bmw – as some good discounts on AP’s via some dealership groups.
What was the lead time on the mini as I’m considering getting of these.
I’ve driven a lot of automatics and can definitely agree with the guys on the BMW gearbox. It is without doubt one of the best if not the best out there.
craig, i should get it mid march, ordered 14 jan.
countryman cooper s exclusive auto with comf/nav+ . british racing green, sat grey leather,white roof and mirror caps.
Mitch did you pay extra for the comfort/nav+?
I was really interested in the Mini but really wanted heated seats and a parking camera which required adding an extra pack upping the AP significantly from the £999.
i am on wpms so the ap for the coopers auto exclusive comf/nav+ is £785 pip its £1899.
stratstone have an ap contribution of £500 so ive to pay £285 plus £160 for the extra leather trim.
but i will get a prorata gcb and refund of ap of £489 so i will have £44 back towards the cost of me changing early £50 so it will cost me £6.
theres an outside chance i may get part of a grant from veterans towards the extra cost of auto as last time i only had £200 and you can have up to £660 i am just waiting for a decision as you can only have it once every 3 years the question is can it be split between 2 contracts so i may get up to £460. but i am not holding my breath lol.
List of vehicles the Aisin EAT8 Transmission is fitted in.
The gearbox is always changing up way to early like at 30mph it’s in 6th gear
I deliberately checked this in my 2017 Golf 2.0 TDI 7-speed DSG this evening.
It changes to 4th at about 28mph and then on to 5th at about 36mph. 6th doesn’t get selected until above 40mph.
At all times it kept revs above 1250rpm. 6th @ 30mph would require sub-1000rpm revs, which just wouldn’t happen unless you have a fault.
Yes the BMW auto box is awesome. So smooth so responsive to the accelerator. Love the paddle shift in sports mode for the odd made half hour of fun.
I agree my last 220i auto was so responsive that I once inadvertently double dipped the accelerator and my wifes neck snapped back and I got an ear full lol
Had a Ford Grand C Max 2016 auto ( the new auto box came in then) faultless reliable and a steady box BMW tho in comparison is in a league of its own
I hear this year may well be an all time high for Automatic car choice and having personally driven Autos for quite a few yrs now ( Wife only has an auto licence long expensive story which I will not go into on this thread lol )
I have found each and every one reliable and stress free unlike before).
I have learnt first hand that not only are today’s Autos more reliable and responsive but almost as fast and more fuel efficient than ever ( Not a lot in it now unlike before)
Personally I believe because of the way 2020 Autos now perform there are now more positives for choosing autos than manuals especially when used in conjunction with ( for example) adaptive cruise control and used when on long motorway journeys
The gearbox is always changing up way to early like at 30mph it’s in 6th gear
I deliberately checked this in my 2017 Golf 2.0 TDI 7-speed DSG this evening. It changes to 4th at about 28mph and then on to 5th at about 36mph. 6th doesn’t get selected until above 40mph. At all times it kept revs above 1250rpm. 6th @ 30mph would require sub-1000rpm revs, which just wouldn’t happen unless you have a fault.
It is the 1.6 tdi mk7 110ps and no paddle shift either, i use acc alot (which is awesome) set at 33mph around town. seems once it cruises at 33mph or i cruising along it’s in 6th, then say i put acc up to 45mph it stays in 6th and i watch the mpg usage go right down. So now i put into manual mode and put it into 5th and off we go then i put it back to auto. Maybe the 2.0 tdi is more suited to the 7 speed box because of that extra bit of grunt and torque. We can both be right.. thats the problem with cars some combo’s work better together than others.
It just recently had an update to the engine software some recall, they did it when it was in for it’s mot (took 3 hours for the update) and imo it’s way worse than it ever was, like it’s set for eco or in limp mode. driving it in normal under certain perimeters… Sometimes i can only drive it in sport mode, if i need to actually drive alot. Which more to do with me and my condition, in such that i have to press the gas peddle down less to make the car move. Also as the peddles alot lower than the brake is on my golf, to brake ya foot needs to not only move across but more towards yourself, which hurts me bad and when i’m really bad, i have to have the seat further back so i can press the gas only a little bit. So is hard to kick down. So paddles a must on my next car.
Maybe i gonna need adaptions soon.
What is the rev counter showing at 33mph/6th gear?
I’ll check it tomorrow.
Had a 2.0 auto petrol Mini Countryman for the past 7 weeks and the auto box is better than every manual I have ever driven. It is awesome especially ragging it in sport mode, and very smooth when just round the doors. To be honest the paddle shifters, I find are useless as it can change gear faster and better than manually.
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