Best new clutchless car

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Wed 9 Jul 2003 18:04
Best new clutchless car - automaticallyuk
Can anyone recommend the best clutchless car for under/around £10K. Can be full auto or semi automatic. Main criteria, ease of driving etc.

Please comment if you have driven such a car and what you think is the best \ drawbacks of each.

Thank you

Automatically :-)
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Wed 9 Jul 2003 19:42
Best new clutchless car - bartycrouch
Do you have any other requirements above transmission? (Number of doors, insurance, economy, style, motorway work, options, etc?)

At this sort of money buying new choice will involve a lot of compromises over manual. Most "standard autos" will be 4 speed and available in one or two trim levels only. Many of them are over-budget (206 Auto, 1.4 Nissan, Yaris).

If you don't mind small cars the arosa/lupo are not bad. Performance is leisurely and they have very cramped boots. I think the Arosa has less power than the Lupo. The don't feel as small as they look and you can get one for £8,500

The corsa easytronic is not bad and costs about the same. It can take a time to change though and is better in semi-automatic mode, it's quite slow but pretty economical. The C3 looks interesting (5 speed Paddle shift), but I haven't a clue what they are like - if anyone can oblige with an answer - they are probably over budget as well.

I would the following when choosing on the "new transmissions"

1. Long test drive and use all modes.

2. Might be a very limited market for them when you sell. Small "standard" automatics normally have a £300 price premium over manuals. The market may be wary about these "new fangled options"

If you like performance you will need to think second-hand. You can get some really nice autos for 10K
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Wed 9 Jul 2003 21:20
Best new clutchless car - Marcos{P}
I have been driving auto Mercs now for a few years but when old car was in for a service the dealer gave me a clutchless A160.
Felt really weird at first but the more I drove it the more I liked it, very easy to use and in the city a godsend.
Unfortunately I still preffered my full auto.
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Wed 9 Jul 2003 21:45
Best new clutchless car - SteveH42
Not tried one, but the new Yaris MMT looks the business. It's £400 more than the standard models and is only available on the 1.0, but it is a 5 speed auto or manual - you select the mode. Apparently it even gives better economy in auto mode than the manual! Not likely to appear on the 1.3 or D4D though - something in the latest mag about not being able to design a system that will fit and handle the higher torque.
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