Citigo Automatic

[djc290761]

We am in our 80's and we have just lost our old VW Polo in the floods over Christmas - a really good present for us.

 

We now wish to buy a small, good quality. easy to drive, easy to park and cheap to run small car and we have settled on a Citigo automatic.

 

We have no previous experience of the Citgo so we have no idea as to what models and trim levels are available or what changed when the car received a facelift.

 

We are interested in brochures and videos detailing models and trim levels, both pre and post facelift. Plus, of course any other helpful information.

 

It's very difficult buying a car blind!!

[freemansteve]

The Citigo Automatic (and Up! and Mii)  has an "assisted gearbox", and is unique in the VW range. It's not like the "DSG"-type autos, or the "Torque Converter"-type autos. Older cars do seem to get issues that seem difficult to fix with the ASG box, although no doubt, many owners on here will say that their own ASG cars are fine - but that's anecdotal and not statistical.  ASG is a cut-price auto in my book, adding complexity and therefore risk, and being quite rare, that means it's harder to find someone who can fix it without expensive guesswork.....

 

Just my view here, but if you have to have an automatic, I'd look elsewhere. Maybe Kia/Hyundai, or if you have budget, get an  electric car. The Citigo/Up!/Mii does have a good and easy to use manual gearbox and light clutch, if you can use a manual - far less likely to go wrong and far cheaper to fix if it does.

 

Edited 12 January, 2021 by freemansteve

[peter3197]

Have a browse of this which will give you a good idea of the specs etc by viewing the individual cars.. I have a 14 plate 60ps Greentech manual so have no experience of the ASG.

https://usedcars.skoda.co.uk/en/used-cars/skoda/model-search?atDistancePos=47-12079-115473%3A2&limiter=dkey[47-12079-115473%3A6]&mkey=47-11988-60546&country=gb&lat=52.443321&lon=-0.83367002&unitSystem=imperial&currency=GBP&customer=&mcategory=all&zip=NN14+2LB&radius=8047&price_from=&price_to=&gears=1||7&km_ab=&km_bis=&gas=&manufacturer=54&reg_date_from=&reg_date_to=&doors_grouped=&consCombined_from=&emission_to=&cylinderCapacity_to=&kw_from=&trim=1628%3ABlack+Edition%3BColour+Edition%3BElegance%3BIV+SE+L%3BMonte+Carlo%3BSE%3BSE+L%3B!

[freemansteve]

I found this, which covers some recent models - see attached 

brochure_citigo.pdf

[Citigouk]

The Citigo ASG is an automated gearbox which has been used in models such as Vauxhall, smart and others - ours has just passed 120,000miles from having it new and yes you need to get used to the gearbox and how it will not crawl when you lift your foot off the brake pedal.

 

I would suggest going for the highest specification your budget will allow 

We only wish it was still in production as we would order a new model today, instead we will continue with our exisitng

[Gerrycan]

Depending on your agility you might have to consider how difficult it could be for you both getting in and out a smaller car.

I taxi my mother in law around in our old Echo. That works well as long as I do not park next to a curb. It also has a relatively high roof so no ducking.

Hopefully you will already have had your jabs and be able to circulate in a couple of weeks to check things out?

[freemansteve]

My late father was a very portly 80 y.o. and of all the cars my wife and I owned over the years, he greatly preferred her Smart over all others, saying it was by far the easiest to get in and out of, and he'd also been given rides in Range Rovers and other SUVs which often had cluttered cabins...

The smart was an automatic which had become his preference, and was by far the easiest to slip into any space. Mind you, he had a Peugeot 406 for many years which was a terrible car!   My point is that "small" does not necessarily mean car is hard to get in and out of - a lot depends on the door aperture size (3 doors are best, as the b-pillar is a foot rearwards), and the seat height is important.

 

Edited 3 February, 2021 by freemansteve

[Ootohere]

Many find a 3 door the most awkward.

There needs to be space when parked to get a bigger door open to get in and out so maybe Disabled Spaces needed.

Reaching back to get a seat belt can be an issue with 3 doors that might not be with a small 5 door car.

 

Sometimes it takes someone with disabilities or who are infirm to know what suits their needs as someone without the problems can get the needs wrong.

 

IME the Small car with the easiest access and the most room for 2 not small people in the front and even one in the back was the Toyota iQ.

The CVT was / is great.  

Better then the Smart box, and more room in the Iq than in a Smart.

What a Pity they were discontinued and what a shame they have not been reintroduced as an EV.

 

The big doors could be an issue if someone came and parked close to you and then you could not get the door open to get back in the car..

The passengers seat slid forward and they still had lots of leg room to let a full size passenger behind them, or get a wheel chair in via the front door.

The car is as wide as a larger car for the front space.

 

Edited 3 February, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[freemansteve]

Well, yeah, but I have never been in a standard supermarket car parking space that allows me to open any door enough, so I just park away from the Douglas Bader parking brigade. And don't forget that with a three-door, the "usable aperture" is pretty much the same as a 5 door, even if the angle of the door is less on the 3 door in a given space. I have recently tried both, in Sainsbury's, and getting in and out is the same. The seatbelt is just as easy to reach if you use your right hand. The big issue with 3 doors is getting objects onto  the rear seats - you have tilt the front seat which annoying, but on the plus side, the 3 door has far better visibility at angled junctions (no B pillar in the way).

 

IQ and Smart - similar propositions, with regard easy access,  but you can still buy the latter new. As far as I know Smarts don't have those appalling whiny CVTs either, which have mostly died out for good reason!

 

If the OP needs auto, and wants a Citigo/Up rather than a Kia, IQ, Smart or whatever, an EV might do it if one can be found, used, at a good price with battery warranty...

Edited 3 February, 2021 by freemansteve

[Ootohere]

The Motability

 Website search for a car section is very good for showing door opening angles, sill height, floor height, seat height, head space etc etc.   Douglas Badder types actually exist and may have different needs for pedal spacing, sill to floor height and many other things.    Then a person with arthritis might have very different needs, and there are many reasons drivers or passengers have differing needs for vehicles and access.  A wheel chair bound person might drive a 3 door and slide there seat forward to get their chair into the rear.   Some should maybe walk in others shoes before being glib.  Being abled body really might give no understanding of others needs.  Even an understanding of taller, shorter, bigger or smaller people's requirements.    A Zoe or Leaf are very good for access for lots of people, hence popular for those Leasing through Motability.  Available used at quite good prices.   PS I had a Smart for a while but the access and seat to floor height was not suitable really for me.   Best for me were Jimny,s so I had those over 18 years as well as other cars. That was my daily driver for local use

, Easy in and out.   PPS  CVT,s have certainly not died out and there are some very good ones about. The new small Honda Hybrids are worth checking out, and any new Smart 3 or 5 door are EV only unless a unregistered petrol is sitting someplace.

 

Edited 4 February, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[freemansteve]

No! "Douglas Bader types" is a not uncommon expression that refers to the perfectly able-bodied people who obsessively have to squeeze into any supermarket car park (and disabled & child spaces) simply to save a few yards on the oh so long walk to the supermarket doors! They are also known for putting all those dings into other people's car doors. Apologies if I am not "woke" enough to be perfectly  politically correct! And yes, I have disabled immediate family members, so I am not entirely disconnected.

 

Anyway to the main point, I would think someone who does find it hard to get in and out of a car, may well find a Citigo less than ideal, whether 3 or 5 door. And there are plenty of choices for automatics (inc all EVs), most of which are nicer to use and more reliable....

 

Edited 4 February, 2021 by freemansteve

[Ootohere]

Never heard the term and i have been going to Limb Fitting Centres since i was 17.  I met Douglas Bader at one as my limb fitter had done legs for him.

I think someone with a disability knows that they will know best what suits them.

Funnily it sometimes take Salespeople at Dealerships that are supposedly the 'Specialist' a while to realise that and not assume stuff.

[freemansteve]

Never experienced a specialist dealership myself, so I don't know good/bad they are - and most of my family can only buy 10th-hand!

My cousin, who lost a leg owing to landmines, swears by big, old-school (and old enough to be affordable),  Mercedes, and can't  really get into a Citigo.

 

It is cool to have met a true hero like Bader though!

[freemansteve]

"The Citigo ASG is an automated gearbox which has been used in models such as Vauxhall, smart and others"

 

I thought the Citigo ASG was unique to VW and thus not the same as used in Vauxhalls and Smarts. As I understand it, the underlying gearbox is same as on other Citigos, but the gear selection process and clutch is automated by solenoids to change the gears/work the clutch, and controlled by an additional computer module, which monitors revs, roadspeed, throttle position and more..... If I have this wrong, do say!

 

I do recall our Smart having a sequential gearbox, albeit automatic, so I'm not the 'boxes are all the same...

 

If you are saying the electronic control module and solenoid controller unit is the same across those other cars (maybe developed by a third party?)  then that seems quite sensible. And a bit more "safety in numbers" if that is true.   Additional electronics and solenoids do not appeal to me though - they are often a pain and comparatively unreliable on 4WD vehicles.

 

Edited 5 February, 2021 by freemansteve

[Ootohere]

It is good that there are choices.

I have been 19 stone without a leg and am now back eventually to 16 stone and have has everything from Original Mini's before there was Motability it was Invalidity and went from Blue Trikes to Minis and then they started doing Metros.  I started dealing in Mini Auto's back then bought at auction at 3 years old.

The Autos available were pretty limited back in the 1970's that you could have from Motability with big advance payments. 

I nearly always have a small or smaller car and always a bigger one for towing car trailers as a minimum. 

Auto Volvo 343's, Daf's, Strada's, Clio's, Citigo, Iq, Picanto and Jimny autos suiting me well as i use my left foot to drive and do not change pedals from standard as that makes going from car to car very easy. 

 

PS

The ASG in the Citigo is the worst Automated Manual i have ever used next to ones in a Smart.

Edited 5 February, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[freemansteve]

So - do you currently run a Citigo, manual or otherwise?

 

[Ootohere]

I only drive Autos or Servo Cutch cars. I used to do Warranty Paint repairs and sometimes had to do Courtesy car accident repairs on Citigo,s so drove those with ASG,s.  No mechanical sympathy given to them.

[freemansteve]

OK - so you don't run/own a Citigo yourself, but at least have driven some....

 

We've had one for 18 months now, and it's a great, sweet little car so far - it's a shame if manual 'boxes are not viable for some drivers, because the post-facelift versions have excellent clutches/gearboxes, actually shaming a few cars at x5 the price. Not sure about early models - I haven't tried them.

 

At risk of repetition, while some owners are happy, I would not go near an ASG (I have had many 'proper' automatics though, which were mostly good)...

 

But have we frightened off the OP?

 

 

 

 

Edited 5 February, 2021 by freemansteve

[Ootohere]

A used Up!MiiCitigo ASG really needs to be checked out before buying a used one and get a 12 months warranty with one that will cover the Box.

 

I have driven the original e-Up and the new ones, and a Citigo iV and Mii electric and would happily own one for using as a daily drive.

It is a real shame they are not going to continue the production of the Citigo iV's.

 

For a while the e-Up's were pretty reasonably priced and fine if someone just wanted a runabout for not going far between charges, but people seem more interested in buying the early ones now.

 

Motability are offering the Mii electric for no advance payment this quarter, but they are doing others as well for £0 or low advance payments.

Edited 5 February, 2021 by e-Roottoot

[freemansteve]

Yes EVs may be a good choice - I question myself about how often I really need to do 300 mile round trip these days. I am a bit hung up from the days when 750 miles in day across Europe seemed fine..... Things change...