Dual-Clutch Auto trans

[pbm]

What is the consensus of the probable durability in this type of A/T as currently found in the new Ford Fiesta and Focus?

 

[Solo2driver]

I rented a Fiesta and drove it 1200 miles...and may have, uh, rallycrossed it somewhere along the way. Trans felt clunky and awkward around town, but was fine at highway speeds with upshifting/downshifting. The 0 to 1st gear felt like I was riding with a teenager who have never driven a clutch before!

You cannot disable TC with the Fiesta. We DID get stuck in the mud while doing a driver swap in the middle of a heavy rain storm. Also, the engine will not tolerate WOT for more than 4 sec at a time, it cuts out...may be dangerous during merging/passing/accident avoidance.

We saw a combined mileage of 42mpg in that car, with about 9K miles on it. YMMV.

This all being said, I really really liked the Fiesta. Biggest drawback was the transmission.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

I've read somewhere recently the dual clutch in the fiesta is not too good at all. Ive only driven a Smart 42 w/o a reflash and that was OK but very slow shifting. Not me cup O'Tea.

 

[pbm]

I drove a rented 2012 Focus for a week last fall and my MPG was AWESOME. I don't have a problem with the way the A/T shifted (it's not much different than my 2011 Cruze in that respect). It's the long term durability that I wonder about.

 

[Scotty59]

Bought a new focus in may of 2011. The longer I had the car the more I hated the drive train! In cruise, the thing was so sluggish when calling for more power it would eventually jump down at least 2 gears and roar till it shifted back to high gear, only to bog down again. Hated this, so much that I traded it on a Chevy Cruze in September, carefully buying one with a manual transmission. What a difference. Not only does it work better, it gets better mileage. No it is not a Eco, but a LT. Not only doesn't it bog, it simply climbs little grades w/o losing more than a mph. So much more satisfied with this car in REAL WORLD driving, remember that auto journalist rarely drive as the average "schlepp" does every day.

 

[pbm]

Originally Posted By: Scotty59
Bought a new focus in may of 2011. The longer I had the car the more I hated the drive train! In cruise, the thing was so sluggish when calling for more power it would eventually jump down at least 2 gears and roar till it shifted back to high gear, only to bog down again. Hated this, so much that I traded it on a Chevy Cruze in September, carefully buying one with a manual transmission. What a difference. Not only does it work better, it gets better mileage. No it is not a Eco, but a LT. Not only doesn't it bog, it simply climbs little grades w/o losing more than a mph. So much more satisfied with this car in REAL WORLD driving, remember that auto journalist rarely drive as the average "schlepp" does every day.



Wow...I'm thinking of going the other way (Cruze to Focus). The 6 speed A/T in the Cruze can be weird too. I'm not sure the D-C A/T would last 200K (which I believe any new car should). Maybe a 5 speed Focus is the answer.