charleydog Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Having read that the fiats automatic box being described as awful has me slightly puzzled. this gearbox is mated to a relatively small engine and requires a certain style of driving to haul a 3.5 ton box.Gentle use pulling out onto roundabouts e.t.c.When you have an automatic you hand over the responsibility of driving to it. If the method of use is hard to master, or frustrating in use then perhaps a( rev the nuts off it manual) might be a better option And whose to say that the nine-speed wonder wont give problems in time.Only an opinion. :-S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rael Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 Ours is a comformatic as well and I think its great. I know very little about cars/vans etc. but I find ours great to drive. I did have a bit of an issue pulling away from roundabouts to begin with but after a chat with a Fiat dealership I realised my error and all good now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney1 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 I've had 2 Comfortmatics. One on an x250 and one on the 290. Not perfect but I've never wished I didn't have it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverback Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 rael - 2020-07-09 1:02 PM Ours is a comformatic as well and I think its great. I know very little about cars/vans etc. but I find ours great to drive. I did have a bit of an issue pulling away from roundabouts to begin with but after a chat with a Fiat dealership I realised my error and all good now. so what is the solution at pulling away? I just boot it and hope it goes and the traffic from the side slows down! Jonathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 ComfortMatic is an automated manual transmission of the type described here https://www.whatcar.com/news/which-type-of-automatic-gearbox-should-i-buy/n17022#3 It has the usual quirks/limitations of the breed, but it does do away with the clutch-pedal which alone may justify having chosen it as a Fiat Ducato option. This multi-page forum thread initiated by Brian Kirby in November 2013 may be worth reading https://forums.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Motorhome-Matters/150hp-Fiat-Comfortmatic/33156/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don636 Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 My van has Comfortmatic and I would not be without it. Yes, it is not as quite good as the 8 speed torque converter auto in my Volvo V90 but still way better than a manual as it makes driving much more relaxing. It can sometimes be too slow to change down going up a steep hill but I can get over that by nudging it into a lower gear earlier or indeed going into manual if the road is particularly steep or winding. As for being slow to get away at junctions, it is a heavy van, what do you expect. I have never found this to be a problem as I just pick my gap. If I am a bit slow getting up to speed and this slows the vehicle coming up behind a bit my view is - so what - driving is about give and take and this happens with HGV’s all the time. Drivers experience the same lethargic pulling away issue with some VW group twin clutch gearboxes and I would imagine that might be more of a nuisance in a car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebeaches Posted July 10, 2020 Share Posted July 10, 2020 Perfectly happy with the Comfortmatic gearbox on our pvc. Just switch the hill climber mode on to hold the lower gears a little longer for a bit more zip. Very relaxing to drive. :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weldted Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 I find that if you press to hard on the gas when pulling away there is a noticeable lag when changing from 1st into 2nd which is a little concerning but if you don’t press quite so hard the change is quicker then give it more power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkyrunner Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Had the Comfo in my 1st van (PVC) on the Fiat 3ltr and although I still like it very much on this M/H I miss the grunt and sheer torque of the 3ltr. I used to pull away in 2nd on the PVC which solved any delay on take off. I wish that we still had the option of the 3ltr, which you can get on the top of the range Aclass. The 2.3 is adequate only and the biggest difference is the long hill climbs you tend to get in France I could maintaine a good speed ie 70mph on hill mode and the PVC would just sit there no problem, the 2.3 does much more changing of gears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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