The Best Automatic Cars

Until recently, drivers looking for performance in their cars would never have opted for one with an automatic gearbox. Times, however, are changing. Thanks to advances in technology and engineering, automatic cars now rival their manual counterparts in both speed and control. Automatic gearboxes can now provide the power and performance you are looking for, so which are the best automatic cars to look at?

Types of Automatic Gearbox

There are four main types of automatic gearbox:

• Torque Converter Transmission: The most common and well-known automatic transmission, these offer a smooth but not very fast gear change.
• Automated Manual Transmission: This type of transmission is generally found in city cars. It’s the cheapest of all automatic gearboxes. It also offers a less than smooth gear change.
• Continuously Variable Transmission: CVT uses belts instead of gears to shift, which makes for a smooth gear change but a noisy ride that most drivers want to avoid.
• Dual Clutch Transmission: A system with two clutches that offers incredibly fast, incredibly smooth gear changes. Knowing if a car has a dual-clutch transmission can be confusing. Volkswagen, for example, calls their dual-clutch automatic gearbox, DSG.

Three of the Best Automatic Cars

Given the power and smooth gear changes available with DSG, it’s probably no wonder three of the best automatic cars on the market have one.

Volkswagen Polo

They say nice things come in small packages and that is certainly the case here. For a small car, VW has packed a lot in, including a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The automatic version of this car offers excellent performance, especially when compared to its manual counterparts.

SEAT Leon

Those looking for something a little bigger can’t go far wrong with the SEAT Leon, a family car that shares a platform with the VW Golf and Audi A3. They have recently updated their automatic gearbox to a seven-speed option, which is highly responsive.

Skoda Fabia Estate

For people who need a car with a little more room, the Skoda Fabia Estate is a great option. The automatic version of this car offers great performance and great value for money. Just what you would expect for a vehicle using the VW DSG automatic gearbox.