Small Autos – the Background
A little history, and the options available now
Although difficult to believe, there was a time when small cars were uncomplicated and not burdened by the extra weight of airbags and bulky crumple zones.
And most were fitted with manual gearboxes. "Big deal", you say. Well, it is if you spend most of your time grinding your way around town in the usual stop-start manner. It's just the sort of environment that cries out for a small car with an auto gearbox.
So why weren't we all running around in automatic Fiestas, Minis and Novas? There is no single answer to this question. To understand why, you must understand the automatic gearbox. Until even the last 10 years or so, the automatic gearbox has very much been the preserve of the luxury car. Three reasons: it's a costly piece of kit, it's bulky and it tends to absorb valuable engine power.
So, on a small, inexpensive car, the last thing you need is an expensive optional extra – potentially costing around 10 percent of a car's value – and one robbing it of its already modest power output.
If you're thinking of buying a small automatic see our selection of five of the best.
The present
Technology, however, has come on apace in recent years. As such there's been something of a resurgence in the world of the small auto. Now buyers looking at models from the mainstream makers have a choice.
It's all largely down to more efficient engines boasting improved fuel economy and, crucially, more horsepower than a decade a go. Where once a supermini might have had around 65bhp, a similar car today could have around 100bhp. Factor in a little more torque to help boost acceleration and you've got yourself a better platform with which to use a conventional auto gearbox. And those gearboxes have got smaller, lighter and more efficient.
What's on offer?
The days of pottering around in three-speed auto Minis are long gone. Yes the conventional auto remains, but you're now treated to several more forward gears. And there's even the prospect of doing it yourself. The trend for sequential operation is growing – the push-pull element of the gearlever can add fun to the driving experience. The same is true of the F1-style paddles often located behind the steering column.
Although sometimes dismissed as a gimmick, paddles can help make progress more predictable if your gearbox has a habit of 'holding on' to a gear for too long. Screaming around town in second is not good for fuel economy and refinement, making a quick flick of a paddle a useful way of boosting economy and reducing excessive wear and tear.
Screaming used to be a regular activity for cars equipped with continuously variable transmissions (CVTs). Serious enthusiasts will probably remember DAF's attempts with its Variomatic technology from the 1950s. Early drawbacks included a clunky operation and the hefty weight of the gearbox – hardly ideal when fitted to a small car – plus the prospect of engines revving hard but not delivering sufficient forward motion.
Since then Ford and Fiat took the plunge with the Fiesta and Uno respectively, although early results weren't terribly impressive. They have since been joined by the likes of Honda, Mercedes, Mini and Audi in the quest for better performance, economy and driver convenience. And with economy a major factor for cars with hybrid powertrains, the CVT gearbox comes into its own.
How does CVT work?
In essence, a CVT gearbox employs two pulleys and a belt. With one pulley fixed, by way of clever engineering, the other pulley varies its diameter and hence the overall gear ratio. The belt rides up and down this 'gradient' just like a bicycle chain on a set of gears. The only limitation is an engine's torque figure. Only Audi has managed to successfully combine CVT with big, torquey engines, although this isn't a major consideration in the supermini arena.
Smaller, lighter gearboxes, plus more powerful engines, have conspired to make the CVT route a more desirable one for makers and buyers alike. Promises of improved fuel economy are becoming a reality, while refinement and ease of use are also important plus points. Because there's no traditional gearchange as such, there's no 'step', which means smoother progress during acceleration.
Manufacturers, in a bid to boost driving appeal, sometimes engineer faux-stepped gearchanges, and combine this feature with steering wheel-mounted controls. Honda's Jazz is an obvious example.
Something more conventional
If you want the experience of a manual gearbox but without the hassle of using a clutch pedal, the other major development has been in automating conventional manual gearboxes. Alfa Romeo (Selespeed) and Citroen (Sensodrive) are probably the most well known in this field.
In simple terms, clever hydraulics or electric motors operate the clutch and gear-change mechanism for you. Early efforts delivered decidedly jerky results unless you were smooth with throttle inputs. Some critics maintain nothing much has changed, but the key is to not treat these gearboxes as regular automatic units. To facilitate a smooth change you do need to lift off the throttle a little, like you would with a normal manual gearbox. And this is the problem: if it's supposed to be automatic in operation, why do you have to change your driving habits?
Initially such technology was fitted to sporty models as a way of connecting a car firm's motorsport aspirations with performance driving. The combination of a sequential-style gear lever and steering wheel-mounted paddles certainly helped, and it's been improvements in electronics that have helped smooth out most of the early problems.
However, in a curious twist, such technology is being promoted as more of a convenience feature. With gear levers in this case nothing more than glorified electronic switches, car makers realise they can put them anywhere, thus freeing up space between the front seats of a people carrier for example.
Gearlevers as electric switches? F1-style paddles? Shouldn't an automatic gearbox be all about convenience and ease of use? Well yes, it should, but no one system is better or worse than the other. If you just want a car that allows you to get in and go, something with a conventional automatic gearbox will be fine.
If, on the other hand, you a greater level of involvement, any of the various automated manual units will no doubt add an extra layer of enjoyment. That said, don't feel intimidated by such systems. There's always the ability to stick any of these gearboxes into 'Drive' and leave it to do its thing. And like anything new, it's worth trying at least once – that's what the test drive is for.
Future fantastic?
That's all very well for the present, but the leaps made in refining all the major gearbox options have happened in only the last few years. With that in mind, you'd expect progress to race along. In fact, save for anything radical coming along, it's unlikely that much will change dramatically until new propulsion units appear.
Don't expect anything less than motor units in each wheel, possibly doing away with conventional gearboxes completely. Until then, look out for increased refinement, more diesel automatics and more gears added to regular auto gearboxes as part of refinement and efficiency drives. Lexus is already up to eight cogs on its LS 460 and it's only a matter of time before that filters down to humbler motors…
See our selection of five of the best small cars with automatic transmission.