Small automatics: the best and worst

After a city car or supermini, but don’t want to be bothered with changing gear? There’s a lot more choice than there used to be – but some of them are a lot better than others
Hyundai 110 has plenty of get-up-and-go
What Car|John Calne14 October 2015

There was a time when a small car with an auto box would be labelled a freak.

Nobody thought the idea would ever catch on, and if you did buy one, selling it again was like trying to nail jelly to the ceiling.

That’s all changed – small autos are far more common now.

But there’s still a big difference between the best and the worst. Here’s the pick of the bunch – as well as a rather surprising auto to avoid.

Highly recommended:

Hyundai i10

The i10 is a great little car in manual form, and adding an auto box does little to change that.

It uses more fuel, yes, but it still has plenty of get-up-and-go – and, though it’s most at home in town, it doesn’t struggle on the open road.

With air-con and excellent safety kit as standard, as well as a price tag of less than £11,000, it’s great value – if you’re after a small car and it’s got to be an auto, it’s hard to see past the i10.

Best buy: 1.2 SE auto

Worth thinking about:

Audi A1

The 1.4 TFSI engine spinning the box is the best unit in the A1 line-up

Just as there didn’t used to be automatic small cars, there didn’t used to be premium ones.

The A1 changes both those things, if you specify the excellent S-Tronic twin-clutch box – though you can only do so on Sport and S-line models, as it’s not available with the entry-level SE.

The 1.4 TFSI engine spinning the box is the best unit in the A1 line-up, returning excellent economy even in auto form, and the cabin is small but very well made.

It’s pricey for such a small car – but it will hold its value very well.

Best buy: 1.4 TFSI Sport S Tronic

Ford Fiesta

Ford gets most things right with the Fiesta

Ford gets most things right with the Fiesta, and the Powershift auto works very well behind the 1.0-litre Ecoboost engine.

If the box isn’t quite the last word in perfection, there’s nothing about it to upset the Fiesta’s dynamics on the road – though if you choose this drivetrain combo in the ultra-popular Zetec spec, it’ll chase the ticket price north of £15,000.

Best buy: 1.0 Ecoboost Powershift Zetec

Renault Clio

Renault Clio: comes with a £17,000 price tag

Few superminis do a better job than the Clio of combining diesel power with an automatic box.

The only problem is that this combo is only available in range-topping Dynamique MediaNav trim, with a £17,000-plus price tag for your troubles.

Best buy: Dynamique MediaNav 90 dCi EDC auto

Smart Fortwo

Smart Fortwo: a legend in its own lifetime

The tiny Smart has become a legend in its own lifetime – and deservedly so, because its short proportions give it a level of manoevrability that’s tailor-made for city driving.

The same can be said of its dual-clutch gearbox.

Only problem is that combining the auto box with the best trim level leaves you looking at a bill for £12,715.

Best buy: Fortwo 0.9 90 Passion Twinamic

Not so good:

Volkswagen Up!

VW Up!: The clumsy, jerky gearchanges it delivers are enough to make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse

The Up! is a brilliant little car in everyday manual form, with a chic, roomy interior and good all-round road manners.

But choose the auto option and, rather than VW’s cutting-edge DSG unit, what you get is an old-fashioned robotised box – and the clumsy, jerky gearchanges it delivers are enough to make a sow’s ear out of a silk purse.

The Up! is a great choice in any other guise – bit if you really must have an auto, look elsewhere. Not at a Seat Mii or Skoda Citigo, though, as they’re badge-engineered versions of the same car and have exactly the same problem.

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