I need a safe, solid comfy automatic car.

I'm a 70-year old woman. I need an automatic car that is safe, solid and comfortable. Mainly for rural driving. I'm not interested in frills. Can you suggest a make and model?

23.06.2015

Our answer:

Hi Anne,

OK, safe, solid and comfortable and good for rural driving. Plus you want an automatic. A car that comes immediately to mind is the Skoda Yeti – ticks all the boxes, and its extra ride height and long-travel suspension makes it ideal for back roads, plus it’s compact enough not to feel bulky between narrow hedgerows. You can get a new 1.2 TSI petrol turbo with the DSG automatic gearbox from €26k. Second hand Yetis with auto ‘boxes are thin on the ground, but we did find one priced at €21k.

If you’re looking for something a little more affordable, then have a look at the Suzuki SX4 hatchback. Like the Yeti. it’s tall but compact, rugged yet comfy and very, very reliable. The only issue is that to get an automatic version you may have to track down one that’s been imported from Japan, but there are some dealers around who specialise in this. Prices for these start at around €7,500 for a 2008 model year car.

A final good option would be a Kia Soul, with the 1.6 CRDi diesel engine. Again, it’s hard to find one with an auto transmission, but we did manage to track down one, a 2010 model, for sale at €12,750. It even has two years of its original manufacturer's warranty left to run, and you can find it here: http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/kia/soul/used-2010-kia-soul-1-6-crdi-autom-dublin-fpa-170814346251304870

Answered by Shane O'Donoghue
26.06.2015

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