Advance and be noticed

My wife who, at eighty two, is soon to take an Advanced Driving Test with the Institute of Advanced Driving, plans to change her manual Jazz for an auto. We understand, however, that the new Jazz auto can give an uneven ride. Is this correct and if so are you able to suggest an alternative?

Asked on 5 June 2010 by TC, via email

Answered by Honest John
The IAM assessment is an excellent thing to do (www.iam.org.uk/drivecheck55). Nothing to be nervous of. I have heard of a 93 year old passing with flying colours. She might not like the slightly lurching effect of the Jazz I-Shift automated manual. This can be overcome by a light touch on the accelerator, but is made massively worse by stomping on the accelerator. She may find a Suzuki Swift 1.5 auto, a Suzuki Splash 1.2 auto, a Nissan Note 1.6 auto or a KIA Venga 1.6 auto easier to get on with as they are all conventional 4 speed automatics.
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Neatly styled. Increased room and better performance than original Jazz. better to drive. Very versatile. CVT-7 returned in February 2011 replacing i-SHIFT. More reliable than first generation Jazz.
 

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