Hey everyone,

So I am looking to buy a used mk7 fiesta and I found a good deal on a 2011 titanium 1.4 automatic. Just wanted to know what the advantages and disadvantages are for manual and automatic in the fiesta's i.e RPM on motorway/city driving, fuel economy, maintenance issues, general feedback from driving both.

is that a proper hydraulic automatic or the more troublesome modern type one

http://autoexpert.com.au/buying-a-car/ford-focus-transmission-problems

I have one of these. It is a good old fashioned 4 speed with torque converter.

Fuel consumption? Short stop start - 34mpg. Open road - 40mpg. Over 10000 miles my long term average is  38mpg.

Top gear runs at lower revs than the manual so it is less responsive at speed unless it shifts down. But you do get a full power shift down that's impossible with a manual. And like a manual, the stick allows you to shift if you want. Best of both worlds. At the other end, it's classic torque converter quick off the mark to 30mph. Go all out and it is almost magical to see the rev counter touch 6000, drop to 3000 and pick up again without fuss. Very hard to do smoothly with a manual, let alone consistently.

In those 4 speeds, if it has a normal first gear and a higher top gear then something has to give. 3rd is like a manual 4th; 2nd is therefore about halfway between manual 2nd and 3rd so compared to a manual, 30-60 feels weak.

It has an annoying habit of changing down to 1st unnecessarily, eg, when rolling up to a junction at about 10mph and the pedal is given even the slightest touch to move off - the engine makes more noise and the car feels dead momentarily as energy is wasted spinning up the engine rather than driving the wheels.  A refinement issue, not a mechanical fault. Of course, the shift is correct and produces the right effect when it is pedalled harder.

As a long time manual driver, I still prefer to take over on hilly roads. Usually I just move the stick to M to lock it to avoid unnecessary up and down shifts on false crests and uphill bends but I occasionaly nudge it between 2nd and 3rd.