Loan auto Mii 1.0 SE best way to drive it?!

loonymoon

Full Member
I got a Mii as a loan car while my Ibiza is in for a warranty repair. It's auto/semi auto. I quite like it however the auto box is very scary between first and second when pulling away - seems to be a huge lag before second kicks in .... dangerous sometimes as it slows right down!! I've taken to driving it in manual and using the gears almost as I would in my manual by dropping the accelerator before changing up - seems to help the lag on the gear change.

How do you lot drive yours?

Also what do the two little round blobs by the mileage readout mean when you start the car - I notice they disappear after a minute or two. And what does "SAFE LOCK" mean when you stop in neutral with the hand brake on and switch the engine off. I didn't get much instruction before taking the car, and there's no manual in it.
 

bazves

Guest
The 2 blobs are indicators for the rear seat belt sensors
 

iMatchu

Active Member
Apr 12, 2012
15
0
The auto box on the mii is a automatic manual gearbox rather than a dsg or coventional torque converter box so it's a really weird to use, it has no creep function? So you have pump the accelerator to slowly move :/
My mum had a c4 with a fearbox like it and it'd jump as you started to move then almost stop in the junction as it changed gear with massive clutch judder as you went. So it's not just a bag problem, it from it being a really cheap make of a auto boc
 

loonymoon

Full Member
....it'd jump as you started to move then almost stop in the junction as it changed gear with massive clutch judder as you went.

That's exactly what it does... bloody dangerous!! I was following a bus which pulled off into a bus stop so I slowed right down almost to a stop but when I pressed the accelerator after the bus got off the road the car just kept slowing down!!! It could have been a junction I'd just crawled up to then decided to go without coming to a complete stop. It took probably a full 3 seconds for the car to get going again in auto mode.. the guy behind me was honking like mad!! He thought I was doing it on purpose! If I'd been more familiar I'd have changed it to manual mode - might have helped.

Definitely driving it home in manual mode was much better and less scary once i got used to it!!

I quite like the Mii but I must say I can see why they loaned me this one (which was a sale car) as I think that box would put most people off if they wanted a proper auto!!
 
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iMatchu

Active Member
Apr 12, 2012
15
0
The sad thing is that i don't think there is a correct driving style that will Stop the gearbox lag, the best way i think is to keep it in manual and to stop it changing up and change after the junction.

We got rid of the C4 because of the horrible gearbox and now have a Grand C-max with a DSG box and a creep function with is so much nicer!
 

loonymoon

Full Member
Ahh well at least it's not like I made the decision to buy this car. If it had a manual box I think I'd be having lots of fun!!

I've taken to driving in manual mode for the reasons above... though I'm still pulling the gear stick back when going from 1 to 2.... as that's what i'm used to. By the time I get my car back I'll be crunching the gears and stalling all the time as I forget to use the clutch.

I am looking forward to getting my car back.. though the little Mii is actually much more comfy over bumps due to the fat tyres and normal suspension. I guess I've got used to crashing over potholes with my 17" and sports suspension!!
 

great_kahn

Spooge
Nov 19, 2009
2,415
2
Leicestershire
Ok.

Step 1.
Drive here
crane-cars-thumb10332636.jpg


Step 2.
Wait

Step 3.
Get proper car
 

Damoegan

Sir Bob,a geordy legend..
Oct 15, 2007
8,993
3
Newcastle
Its a curtecey/loan car so it has to be driven like you have stole it..

I personally think that all small engined (1.0-1.4 n/a cars) cars dont suit a auto box as you've got to kick its head in due to the lack of torque and the box being lazy....
 

loonymoon

Full Member
Its a curtecey/loan car so it has to be driven like you have stole it..

I personally think that all small engined (1.0-1.4 n/a cars) cars dont suit a auto box as you've got to kick its head in due to the lack of torque and the box being lazy....



Have to say if it wasn't for the auto box I'd be quite enjoying it, it's certainly nippier than my old 1.4 75ps Ibiza was... without any shadow of a doubt. I quite like it in a few ways - it's fairly roomy for the size of it (it's the 5 door version so more doors than my ibiza). I've already taken it to the local waste recycling centre twice with the back completely full of stuff as we're tiding up our house a bit - it doesn't do too bad on load capacity for it's dinky size.

I feel sorry for it really as it's only done 100 miles and I've done 70 of them - so it's still being run in really.
 

iMatchu

Active Member
Apr 12, 2012
15
0
I believe the mii has more cabin space than the Ibiza, I know that's the case for the citigo vs fabia.
I really hope they're going to put the 1.2 tsi in the fr line mii, that would make it awesome little hot hatch
 

loonymoon

Full Member
I believe the mii has more cabin space than the Ibiza, I know that's the case for the citigo vs fabia.
I really hope they're going to put the 1.2 tsi in the fr line mii, that would make it awesome little hot hatch

Yes I think it's got more "height" than my ibiza, I've not tried sitting in the back but I know in my 3Dr ibiza there's good legroom but not good headroom. I'm a short arse when I sit down (I have a short upper body) and my head is near the ceiling in the ibiza. The boot is certainly roomier on the ibiza though.

Not sure about the looks, I like it from the front, indifferent from the side (5 dr looks a bit boring like a mini-people carrier) but I'm not that keen on the rear view.
 

bazves

Guest
I'd agree that the back end is definetly not its best feature :)
 

iMatchu

Active Member
Apr 12, 2012
15
0
looks like i'm getting a auto mii on saturday so should be fun to compare with the ibiza auto!
I'll report back what i find of it's interesting gearbox.
 

loonymoon

Full Member
looks like i'm getting a auto mii on saturday so should be fun to compare with the ibiza auto!
I'll report back what i find of it's interesting gearbox.

LOL enjoy. I'm kind f getting used to it now. It's not soo bad if you give it lots of welly as you pull away - reading that skoda manual it seems it has two modes of driving and it applies them according to how it thinks you want to drive - for economy or sporty.... so if you give it more welly it leaves it in a lower gear longer... BUT it has still done the scary slow down thing a couple of times to me since..... ARGH!!!!:wtf:

I also think that I'm now so used to the great torque on the 1.2 TSI that I'm not used to using my right foot quite so aggressively so I was probably tricking it into a more economy mode and not letting it have enough revs.

Still would rather have a manual one though!!

Get my Ibiza back probably on Tuesday....
 
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