[delboy]

Automated manual gearboxes aren't everybody's cup of tea. It's rather a jerky compromise and you'll need to try different things to get the best out of it. You'll probably have to ease up on the gas at a certain point to prompt the gearbox to change. I've had one of these gearboxes on another make of car and to be honest I hated it and sometime drove it in manual. My preference is always the conventional torque converter box fitted to the 1.4

 

[delboy]

So it appears you have a 1.4 like me which is a four speed. Mine normally floats between 2000 and 3000 rpm. It sounds as if it's performing perfectly normally. There is a partial lock up of the torque converter in third. Then when it goes into fourth there is a full lock up which avoids power losses while cruising. I drive mine leisurely and get smooth economical driving.

 

[delboy]

"Switch on the accelerator" I think you must be referring to the kickdown facility for overtaking. It's worth trying kickdown a few times with your foot to the floor to see what she's got. To be frank she hasn't got a lot and I will only overtake on a single carriageway if I have plenty of clear road ahead. Trying to get performance out of these conventional automatics will throw your fuel economy out of the window. Like you've found driving leisurely keeping revs between 2000 and 3000 rpm gives good economy especially if you anticipate and take your foot off the gas early when approaching junctions so you brake sparingly. I've been driving autos now for over thirty years and I love to as drive smoothly as I can and this car has given me six good years so far.
Don't forget you can select lower gears if going through a succession of low speed bends or for engine braking going down steep hills.