Christopher Sharp (Image: Christopher Sharp)
More and more people across the UK are turning to automatic gearboxes – drawn by the far easier driving through not having to manually change gears.
But, with such a vast array of options available, it can be hard to pick the best vehicle. I had the chance to drive seven automatics at the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) Test Day last month.
In a short period of time, around 20 minutes given the ratio of journalists to vehicles, I had a chance find out which one felt the best when roads got twisty.
I’ve ranked the cars from seventh to first – and the number one spot may help you in deciding which automatic car to go for in the future.
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Christopher Sharp with the Chery Tiggo 9 (Image: Christopher Sharp)
7th: Chery Tiggo 9 – RRP £43,105
The Chery Tiggo 9 is a large plug-in hybrid SUV from Chinese manufacturer Chery. It’s similar to the Chery Tiggo 8 that I reviewed last year and which was named Mat Watson’s Car Of The Year.
In short, it’s a big comfortable piece of metal on four wheels that has a big touchscreen inside. It also moves which helps and on the roads it’s very inoffensive to drive. It steers. It stops. It goes, albeit not much as acceleration felt stately rather than brisk.
Over bumps the ride is adequate and very comfortable. Through the corners there’s not much feeling through the steering wheel, but then it’s not a car that encourages enthusiastic driving. Not incredible, but not terrible either.
Christopher Sharp with the Jaecoo 7 (Image: Christopher Sharp)
6th: Jaecoo 7 – £29,210
Ah yes, the ‘Temu Range Rover’, so dubbed by The Economist a few weeks ago. The automotive symbol of recent times on Britain’s roads. This car has been popping up on SMMT’s best seller’s list for a long time.
Truth be told, I wasn’t sure what the Jaecoo would be like to drive. It might be cheaper than the car it looks like, but would it be cheerful? In fact, it was solid and reminded me of a Land Rover Freelander. It might be wide, yes, but it has a short wheelbase and therefore feels nimble.
Albeit not a difficulty bar to surpass, there was more feeling through the steering than the Tiggo 9. The engine pulled well and the brakes were okay, it was average.
Christopher Sharp with the Peugeot 308 SW (Image: Christopher Sharp)
5th: Peugeot 308 SW – £31,195
The Peugeot was the first car I drove at SMMT’s test day. It’s a hybrid estate from the esteemed French carmaker and a relatively practical one too, showing that not all practical cars have to be SUV shaped.
To drive, it was very neutral with a strong pull from its engine and much more feeling through the steering and suspension than the Chinese cars I would driver later in the day. It was perfectly palatable, even if it did have one slightly eccentricity, that I found a bit weird.
In front of every driver there is an instrument binnacle or display that shows things like your revs, speed, and other important information. Once I’d gotten the car into my driving position, the steering wheel blocked it completely. Something overcome by finding a different position, but I’ve never had that in a classic or modern car before.
Christopher Sharp with the Maserati Gran Turismo (Image: Christopher Sharp)
4th: Maserati Granturismo – £125,000
The Maserati is the most expensive car on this list. With a three litre V6, over 450bhp, and a weight of just over 1,600kg, physics was on its side.
I have to admit, I really enjoyed it. The gearbox responses are sharp and it puts a massive smile on your face, even if that smile disappears when you begin to worry about the low nose.
Christopher Sharp with the Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid (Image: Christopher Sharp)
3rd: Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid – £18,995
From the most expensive on this list to the cheapest, but nevertheless better, Fiat Grande Panda Hybrid which has come high on the lists of best small cars on sale in the UK.
Despite coming with a small 1.2 litre petrol engine, it also has hybrid boost to help propel it along and along it propels well. Like other small Italian cars before it, the Panda Hybrid shows you don’t need to have massive bhp and massive tyres to have fun.
It’s so good to drive that, like the car at the top of this list, you forget about the hybrid system and lack of manual gearbox and just revel in it. Each journalist that I saw getting out of it had a smile on their face, and I was no different.
Christopher Sharp with the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio (Image: Christopher Sharp)
2nd: Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio – £87,056
I’ve driven the Giulia Quadrifoglio a couple of times and I have to admit it’s a car that I can’t help but smile about. It’s a small four door saloon with a six cylinder engine made by a charismatic Italian car company that came at a time when we thought Alfa had stopped making such things.
The one I drove came with an added Akrapovic exhaust system so that engine could sing, rumble, and baritone even more. It’s only slightly heavier than the Maserati, but it has more power, 520bhp and a weight of just over 1,700kg. It’s a reminder of what cars, even with space for four and a few suitcases, can be like. It’s soul food for the automotive mind.
Christopher Sharp with the Honda Civic e:HEV (Image: Christopher Sharp)
1st: Honda Civic eHEV – £35,945
I can’t believe Honda have made a hybrid family hatchback, that’s also an eHEV, handle this well. I was absolutely speechless by what this car did and how it drove. I’ve driven the manual Type R version of this car and that’s an absolute legend in the hot hatchback world.
The fact they’ve managed to get a car that turns, stops, and rides like this is great. You quickly forget about the hybrid system and just get the business of driving. At regular speeds it’s so precise and engaging, yet reassuring, requiring minimal movements to get it into a corner and almost no understeer as you progress through it, it’s a scalpel of car and to drive it’s brilliant.
What’s more, as a family hatchback with space for five, it’s practical too. It might not have the practicality of an SUV, which you definitely need if you’ve got children and/or dogs, but it should be good enough for most people.