Are SEAT Ibiza automatics known to be difficult to control?

My 82-year-old mother-in-law has just changed a BMW 3 Series automatic for a new SEAT Ibiza automatic. She has driven automatics nearly all her life, but this new one is causing her some trouble. When drive is engaged, before depressing the accelerator there is a 1/2 to 3/4-inch delay before drive activates, and if on a slope the car rolls back. As her house drive is steeply sloped to go out on the road, this causes some difficulty. Is this normal for this type of car?

Asked on 19 July 2010 by davidrudman

Answered by David Ross
Modern automatics on smaller cars do tend to do this so it isn't out of the ordinary. You don't say how old the Ibiza is, so we're not sure what type of automatic gearbox it has, as there were various types available, but all of them work like this. There's no 'creep' function as you get on older automatics or larger vehicles - instead you have to touch the throttle to get it to hold immediately. It's strange but seems to be a common feature on this size of car/engine.
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