150hp Fiat Comfortmatic

[Brian Kirby]

Our van is based on a Ducato 150hp auto (Comfortmatic) chassis, with cruise control. Not having driven any kind of auto before, and having now driven 2,000 miles around France, I thought it may be helpful to others considering this option if I gave my impressions of how it performs. I have been prompted to do this, in part, because I have now read three accounts, in two different magazines, of this gearbox in use. Both seem to have reached much the same conclusions as I have.

 

The first thing to say is that it is very nice to have a little man to change gear for you under most circumstances, and that at times it can be a great help being able to keep both hands on the wheel while he selects the cogs. So far, so good! However, under some circumstances, he does very strange things indeed, and it is then necessary to take control back from him.

 

First, exiting a side road into traffic, or entering a roundabout from a standstill, when you need to move forward briskly. First is pre-selected at standstill, and the drive away in first is flawless. You then anticipate a quick snick up to second, and away. No such luck! Second is eventually selected, but only after what seems an interminable pause. This is odd, because under leisurely acceleration the change into second is quick and almost imperceptible. If acceleration is maintained, the remaining changes up are admirably quick and smooth. It is just that change from first into second under acceleration that drags, which inevitably confuses following drivers as the van suddenly loses momentum.

 

Second, on hills, and especially when using cruise control, the system hangs onto too high a gear for far too long. Rather like an inexperienced driver, by the time it decides a lower gear is required it is losing speed, and by the time it has changed down it lands back in the same predicament, as the new gear is by then also too high. It will sort this out with a quicker change down next time, but had it responded more quickly with the first change down, it would not have needed the second and would have maintained speed. It is possible to “nudge” it to change down earlier, but if this is done too early, it merely changes back up again.

 

Conversely, when descending hills, it has a tendency to hold too low a gear for too long before accepting that a higher gear is required. However, when braking for a downhill bend it drops a gear faultlessly just when it is wanted. Very puzzling.

 

But, by far its worst characteristic is revealed on winding, uphill, roads which, in simple terms, it cannot cope with. As one accelerates from a bend up a straight, and then decelerates onto the next bend, the box promptly changes up, when any sane driver would change down. So, now entering the bend in too high a gear, it adopts the slow change scenario it suffers from first into second, flusters, revs the engine, drops a gear, which is by then too high, drops another, and eventually drags away from a virtual standstill. Variations on this behaviour arise on each successive bend, with inappropriate gears being selected as one winds one’s way up. Using the “nudge” feature is generally defeated as the box goes back to the gear it first wanted, until eventually one selects manual and imposes sanity.

 

This last characteristic has been separately referred to by two Belgian testers, and one German, in magazine van reviews, so it is not just our van on which the auto fails lamentably on winding uphill roads.

 

There is an “Up” button, which supposedly caters for hills by allowing the gearbox to hold lower gears for longer. This is true, but the result is that it merely exhibits the same illogical sequence of changes at higher revs! If Fiat were based in Holland, where hills are rare, one might excuse this as the result of scarce development opportunity. However, the Italians have the Alps and the Apennines, with their multitude of such roads on which to refine the performance of this box. Instead, it seems they did all the development work in Holland, but Lord knows why! I have to say it is a big disappointment under exactly the circumstances when it ought to be of greatest benefit. On level roads it is fine, but then (except for those with physical disability) so is a manual gearbox.

 

Those with the 3.0 litre automatics seem pleased with the way they work, so this may be due to poor matching with the torque curves of the smaller engines, and that a program modification will be released to rectify the problem. It may also be that it will improve as the engine loosens with use. However, without some improvement my reaction is that the minimal benefits it achieves do not compensate for the additional cost and weight. So, on balance, I’d say give it a miss until it is properly developed.

[Poppy]

Thanks for that.Our new van, when we get it, will have this engine and gear box.Rethinking now.We have automatics on our two cars that work perfectly.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Told you not to get one...personally don't see the point in a camper. it's just another expense and something to go wrong. on a city car maybe, but a camper, that spends most of its time in 6th on the open road......If you have a disability then I can see a justification, but I prefer being in control when driving over being told how to drive.

 

And for those considering a van with 3 litre and auto, watch the front axle weight! especially if fresh tank under sofa..van probably unusable

 

Other then that how you finding the van..hope your enjoying it...also maiden voyages always a bit fraught..feel sure you will get used to the box and learn to live with it...most seem to speak highly of them..but not for me.

 

I would most definitely think situation will improve...my van was far from great to drive untill I had covered approx 10,000 miles and now it's a pleasure. So hold fast! And no remapping yet! :-D

[bolero boy]

Brian, thanks for this posting. I have been considering the Comfortmatic on our next van, either by ordering it of by finding it on a demonstrator.

My father has always had automatic cars due to a wartime knee injury and i have driven, with distase, pretty much all of them. In fairness, none have been a robotised manual (comfortmatic) nor the supposed wonders of the German prestige brands (my own Audi is a manual).

I have used a 1970s 1300 ford Escort which drank fuel at twice the rate of my Cortina 1500 and others including the Honda Jazz and now a Peugeot Partner (berlingo).

I have pretty much disliked all of them.

For tootling around town, there is a small argument re avoiding much clutch pedal action , and this is where the auto scores most of its points.

As you leave behind the town and move into real driving the gloss falls away.

I have not experienced the particular trait of a slow first to second change during a fast getaway (roundabout/junction) in any of the boxes i have used, i have just found them all generally sluggish, tho most of the engines i have used have been small ones.

I did notice a tester in a UK magazine reporting the exact same reaction to junction emerging (Rachael Stothert, perhaps) and used the nudge to move into second after it had happened a few times.

I cant explain this specific trait, maybe Fiat can, but i can shed some light on your observations regarding the uphill winding road scenario.

The main characteristic of the upchanges in an auto box relate to speed and load. As you are going up through the gears the box will select a higher gear if the load reduces as you would if manually, say, slipping into 6th as tounhave reached your cruising speed.

In the situation you describe, while a manual box has to stay in the same gear and reduce speed as you lift the throttle, an auto box will recognise the reduced load on the engine, decide that it has the torque to cope with a higher gear and, obligingly, change up....just when you dont want to.

It seems that, despite much more electronic wizardry than of old, this is still an issue.

If it were me driving, i would be snicking into manual as i approach a series of uphills, and similarly downhill sections, and do my own thing.

As i said, autos, for me anyway, seem to work best in urban areas avoiding sometimes tiring clutch work in city centres. But as we wont be able to take our vans into these areas soon......

I might still try one bit i reckon it still needs taming and some astute use of the manual override will keep you in charge, and i mean moving wholly to manual, not just helping it decide on an early up or down change, as it will soon be back making up its own mind.

Try a slightly different tack and you might come to love it.

Thanks for the detail.

[Guest JudgeMental]

Promobil.de seem to think the combination you have a good one....how about some advanced driving lessons? :D

 

http://www.promobil.de/test/test-fiat-ducato-150-multijet-comfortmatic-auf-promobil.de-546037.html

[hughman]

bolero boy - 2013-11-11 8:00 AM

 

The main characteristic of the upchanges in an auto box relate to speed and load. As you are going up through the gears the box will select a higher gear if the load reduces as you would if manually, say, slipping into 6th as tounhave reached your cruising speed.

In the situation you describe, while a manual box has to stay in the same gear and reduce speed as you lift the throttle, an auto box will recognise the reduced load on the engine, decide that it has the torque to cope with a higher gear and, obligingly, change up....just when you dont want to.

It seems that, despite much more electronic wizardry than of old, this is still an issue.

If it were me driving, i would be snicking into manual as i approach a series of uphills, and similarly downhill sections, and do my own thing.

As i said, autos, for me anyway, seem to work best in urban areas avoiding sometimes tiring clutch work in city centres. But as we wont be able to take our vans into these areas soon......

I might still try one bit i reckon it still needs taming and some astute use of the manual override will keep you in charge, and i mean moving wholly to manual, not just helping it decide on an early up or down change, as it will soon be back making up its own mind.

Try a slightly different tack and you might come to love it.

Thanks for the detail.

 

I've got one of these and I agree generally with comments. I found the slowness to shift from 1st to 2nd really annoying until switching on the 'up' button, which more or less sorted the problem.

 

As to downhills etc, a bit of manual intervention is easy and does the job, and for me, the advantages of auto, especially in towns or traffic jams, still outweigh the minor inconveniences that come with it.

 

It does also help with Cruise control, which, whilst it can be slow to respond on uphill stretches, still beats manual for me on long runs.

[lennyhb]

Our Brian is very detailed and scrutinising in his reports, not a bad thing I just hope a lot of the problems he has encountered is down to being unfamiliar with driving autos if only because I have ordered the 150 Comfortmatic.

 

I do wonder if some of the problems when you need to intercept and change down manually is the same as the situation with a normal auto box you would use the kick down to change down. I assume the Comfortmatic does not have a kick down switch, either that or he is not using it.

 

The Promobil report sounds encouraging in their conclusion they reckon it works better with the 150 engine than the 180.

 

My current car is a manual & I really get fed up with it at times especially when stuck on the M25, never again previous 2 cars were auto.

The logic behind getting a manual was that the current Motorhome is manual & SWMBO was constantly screaming in my ear "it's not an auto you know" as I negotiate a roundabout in 6th or shudder to a stop without disengaging the clutch. I also have a bad habit of not putting the handbrake on (well you never use it in an auto) had a few very near misses because of that. Since found out very seldom forget it in the car so must be due to being on the right side, are well new van should solve that as it's a LHD handbrake will be on the left.

 

Edit:

Just wondering if the electronic control on the box is set the same as white van man box i.e. set up for a much lighter load, but Fiat are very clued up on campervans so I wouldn't have thought so as they use different ratios in the box on the manual campervan chassis.

[Will86]

I'm not familiar with Brian's auto system but having used VW and Merc (modern autos!) for many years there are a few things one learns.

 

Disengage the cruise before going over a hilltop or steep rise as there is a tendency to find the van will leap over the top rather suddenly.

 

When driving up winding hill roads always move into a single gear, the same goes for steep down hill. The cruise being off of course. The 1st - 2nd gear problem sounds odd.

 

Although an automatic gear box can create near perfect travel ... on unusual gradients driver adjustments can be an advantage.

[Muswell]

We have a Golf with DSG and it is brilliant. It whizzes up and down 7 gears imperceptibly, gives very good economy and if you know you are going to want to hold the gears longer, such as overtaking, just flick it into Sport. But then it was designed to do that, rather than being a set of servos on a manual ....which is a bodge.

[euroserv]

Hello Brian,

 

I would like to add to this after a few years of driving a 3.0JTD with Comfort-matic.

 

Much of what you have said is also true of the larger engine. It is very determined to change up to inappropriate gears while climbing and does tend to want to hang on to lower gears for too long when descending even mild slopes.

 

The programming has been concentrated on economy and safety and because the 'little man' that makes the decisions does not have a view of the road ahead, this makes his choices less well informed!

 

The experience of driving these vehicles can be made more enjoyable by observing some rules:

 

First, moving away from a standstill.

The gearbox will happily disengage the clutch at 3500rpm or more when moving from 1st to 2nd gear but will not re-engage until the revs drop below 1200rpm. This explains the lag that you get under brisk acceleration from standstill. You should instead move away more gently and allow second to be selected quickly and then accelerate more vigorously in 2nd gear. You will clear junctions more quickly and with less drama.

 

When negotiating a series of inclines and bends you really must select manual and get involved with the gear selection process. It will over-ride you sometimes and will prohibit some of the more questionable notions that you may have but it will give you more control and that, given your view of upcoming obstacles is a much better thing. 'True' auto's are also often guilty of getting it wrong and manual intervention is often a good idea.

 

I completely understand if this is frustrating because let's face it; you have spent a lot of money and paid a weight penalty for this automated 'box but don't forget.... you are not having to press a clutch pedal, so that is definitely one less thing to worry about!

 

It is not perfect, and I doubt whether an automated or automatic gearbox ever will be but I think it's great, and used wisely makes journeys more relaxing and enjoyable with no fuel economy penalty that i have been able to see.

 

[Alan D]

As I only buy new vehicles, I was loath to pay the extra for an auto box but I am very pleased I eventually did. My cars are both 6 speed autos ( Kia Sportage & Mx5 cabrio)

My Renault motorhome is also 6 speed and I love it.

Gear changes are all smooth and quicker than I could manage in manual, which I never bother with.

To be driving on unfamiliar roads abroad it is one less hassle to worry about.

Autos as I have found are also sort after and the expense has been recouped.

Some drivers prefer to change gear but for me autos are a must.

Alan,

[Chausson le mor]

Having read the comments boy am I glad I bought a Renault Master PVC with the Quickshift 6 gearbox this in nearly 2 years of ownership has never caused me any driving concerns!

I would certainly never buy a manual motorhome again!

My car is a Peugeot 308 e-hdi stop start with the ECG auto box that also is a superb drive!

And meant to add my engine is only the 125BHP Euro 5 its so quiet that people have stopped me on site to ask if the engine was running!

Forget Fiat move to Renault plus all Renault vans have 4 year warranty, 4 year breakdown assistance plus 4 years free servicing!!

[Brian Kirby]

lennyhb - 2013-11-11 9:40 AM..........I do wonder if some of the problems when you need to intercept and change down manually is the same as the situation with a normal auto box you would use the kick down to change down. I assume the Comfortmatic does not have a kick down switch, either that or he is not using it.

 

The Promobil report sounds encouraging in their conclusion they reckon it works better with the 150 engine than the 180. ............................................................................

 

Edit:

Just wondering if the electronic control on the box is set the same as white van man box i.e. set up for a much lighter load, but Fiat are very clued up on campervans so I wouldn't have thought so as they use different ratios in the box on the manual campervan chassis.

 

If you floor the accelerator you get kick down - but would not choose to welly the pedal entering an uphill hairpin! Otherwise, you can nudge, or suggest, a lower gear but, frankly, one might as well put it into manual as it will almost invariably accept the nudge, and then change back up just before you want to turn on the power to lift it round the bend.

 

I think the Promobil report is based on a read of Fiat's publicity blurb. The German test I read was Promobil on an auto 148ps La Strada, and they found it was pretty much useless up hills.

 

Re the edit, that thought had also ocurred to me. Also the comments re auto cars seem largely irrelevant experience as none of these will be close to 3 tonnes empty and 3.5 tonnes laden. Apples and pears, methinks!

 

So what is the point of an auto that has to be driven manually just when an auto should be at its best? Long snaking uphill mountain roads, where it is far easier to concentrate on taking chunks out of the steering using both hands while the auto box gets on with swapping the cogs. I agree heavy traffic is a bit easier, but overall, as one end up with is a clutchless manual transmission.

 

BTW because there is a conventional clutch, there is a specific warning about using the auto to hold the vehicle on hills. Just as with a manual transmission this "rides" the clutch, and will quickly fry it.

[lennyhb]

Brian Kirby - 2013-11-11 1:28 PM

 

BTW because there is a conventional clutch, there is a specific warning about using the auto to hold the vehicle on hills. Just as with a manual transmission this "rides" the clutch, and will quickly fry it.

 

Am I correct in thinking you can just put your foot on the brake & leave it idling in gear or are you expected to put it in neutral?

[euroserv]

I don't agree.

If you are threading your way up a series of twists and turns then the reassurance that you, the driver have control of gears is not going to be any more of a distraction than it would normally be to any other driver. You can't expect to just point any vehicle in a given direction and expect it to pre-empt the road ahead with a high degree of accuracy. The assumption that this kind of transmission would come into it's own for this kind of driving is not at all realistic and in an automatic car you would encounter exactly the same issues. Automatics and semi automatics are at their best when in town traffic or cruising. You are saving yourself the bother of having to press a clutch pedal; this involves certain compromises, most are negated with a little driver involvement with the process.

 

If you think about it, what you are asking for is for the vehicle to 'know' that you are climbing and select and hold an appropriate gear. If you keep the accelerator pedal still, it will do just that. If you lift off because there is a bend coming up it might change up a gear if it is left in 'auto'. Would you rather it selected a lower gear in readiness and potentially caused you to lurch forward at precisely the wrong moment?

 

Select 'manual' and 'up-hill'. Make the gear selections that you want ahead of the feature in the road. Enjoy smoother progress to the astonishment and delight of your passenger(s), who may be impressed that you have mastered the machine instead of lurching around and cursing you and it. Your choice.

 

I think it's a small price to pay when for the majority of the rest of your journey you look like a monkey on a space mission with little to do but steer and put your feet up!

[betsy]

Hi,

Over the years, my wife and I have had numerous cars with automatic gearboxes. Still have an old 280CE with a big gas guzzling Borg Warner torque converter and a recent 320d auto (fabulous gearbox).

Our current 'van is a 150 with comfortmatic and cruise control which I bought almost sight unseen from a pal a few months ago.

We have recently returned from a 4,000mile 'shakedown' meander across Europe (Alps etc) that saw us turn around in Split, Croatia.

Most of the problems/quirks set out in Brian's thread were experienced en route. Most, like the need to use the handbrake when coming to a brief halt on an incline, were quickly mastered/gotten used to.

For us, probably the most niggling aspect was the tendency to change down a little too often when going downhill and the fact that even when switched into manual to try and overcome this the "little man changing the gears" would still sometimes override us.

Very much on the comfortmatic's plus side, however, is the fact that the trip was without a doubt the most relaxing motorhome journey that we have ever made.

Also on the plus side, we travel at a steady 55-60mph and I reckon the van returned an overall 29mpg.

I stand converted to "comfortmatic"!

 

 

[Guest JudgeMental]

Superb Nick..Love it! :-D

[euroserv]

lennyhb - 2013-11-11 2:01 PM

 

Brian Kirby - 2013-11-11 1:28 PM

 

BTW because there is a conventional clutch, there is a specific warning about using the auto to hold the vehicle on hills. Just as with a manual transmission this "rides" the clutch, and will quickly fry it.

 

Am I correct in thinking you can just put your foot on the brake & leave it idling in gear or are you expected to put it in neutral?

 

Yes. Lenny, that is what you do. It is wise to put it in Neutral and apply the hand brake if you are going to be stationary for more than a couple of minutes.

You cannot hold these on hills with the clutch. They will roll backwards unless the hill holder (if fitted) is operating and then it only apply the brakes for a couple of seconds. If you try to do so by 'feathering' the throttle you are just asking for trouble. That is what the hand brake is for.

[euroserv]

JudgeMental - 2013-11-11 2:10 PM

 

Superb Nick..Love it! :-D

 

Thanks Eddie,

 

It's good to know it's worth the effort.

[grahamw]

I agree with all the comments leveled at the Fiat Comfortmatic auto gearbox but I believe it has a 'behaviour' which is well worth getting used to. I currently drive a Fiat 3.0 litre auto setup and having had a 2.3 litre manual I have found no difference in economy between the two. When overtaking the auto box will invariably change up just at the point when you don't want it to if you have to get back in quickly. If you know it has to be a quick manoeuvre to get back in then a quick prod of the finger drops it into manual mode for fast continuous acceleration. Undulating roads with sharp inclines can sometimes fool the Comfortmatic into having to make 'hasty' and sometimes 'mistimed' gear changes but as already has been said it doesn't have the benefit of seeing the road ahead but you do. I can usually anticipate when the auto box is going to have to drop two gears over a fairly short distance as a steep incline presents itself. Prodding the gear change to drop the first gear at the right point will result in a fast faultless climb of the gradient. I've concluded that driving with the Comfortmatic auto box is a 'partnership' and I love it.

 

I shall soon be changing my PVC for another PVC and have the 3.0 litre Comfortmatic high on the list of essentials. I know it comes with a price premium but on long runs and in busy traffic it's just a joy to drive.

[Guest JudgeMental]

have you ever weighed your front axle at a weighbridge....as depending on layouts (tank location etc...) overloading needs to be watched carefully on vans with 3L auto

[Colin Leake]

Thanks for the post Brian, most informative. Have you tried getting it up on levelling blocks yet I have been told that can be a bit tricky. I must say that whilst I have an automatic car I have always had reservations about automated manual boxes. Merc had one which I seem to remember was called Sprint shift but have now given up on it and gone back to a conventional old fashioned auto.

 

Our Honda has an old fashioned 5 speed auto with a torque converter. I can never understand why more speeds are needed with a torque converter. Super smooth, bullet proof and intelligent. If you are descending a long hill it even selects a lower gear to provide engine braking. It also has flappy paddles in drive if you are approaching say a known tight uphill bend flicking the paddle will drop a gear down for a few seconds so that is already in the right gear when you hit the bend. In sports mode the paddles give you full control of gear selection if required but the auto will take over if the revs are going too high.

[armstrongpiper]

I have owned our 3ltrs Comfortmatic Autotrail Tracker for over 5 years, have travelled widely in France, Germany, Austria and Italy and the only times it has not been left to look after its own gearchanging is when I fancied a 'play' to remind myself how to do the manual thing. It has coped with mountain passes, both up and down without any of the dramas described above.

Would I have another if changing the 'van? Certainly!!

 

Neil B

[Mike88]

armstrongpiper - 2013-11-11 6:07 PM

 

I have owned our 3ltrs Comfortmatic Autotrail Tracker for over 5 years, have travelled widely in France, Germany, Austria and Italy and the only times it has not been left to look after its own gearchanging is when I fancied a 'play' to remind myself how to do the manual thing. It has coped with mountain passes, both up and down without any of the dramas described above.

Would I have another if changing the 'van? Certainly!!

 

Neil B

 

Precisely. The gearbox on my 3 litre is fantastic and there are very few Comfortmatic owners who would disagree. I have only ever put mine in auto mode and have driven throughout Europe in the last 3.5 years. Of course some people are worriers - and tend to over analyse things - but most people stick the thing into Auto and get on with their holiday.

 

As to the query in an earlier post about leveling blocks I put mine on blocks on my steep drive with absolutely no problem as well as occasionally when on site.

[Brian Kirby]

euroserv - 2013-11-11 2:06 PM

 

I don't agree.

If you are threading your way up a series of twists and turns then the reassurance that you, the driver have control of gears is not going to be any more of a distraction than it would normally be to any other driver. You can't expect to just point any vehicle in a given direction and expect it to pre-empt the road ahead with a high degree of accuracy. The assumption that this kind of transmission would come into it's own for this kind of driving is not at all realistic and in an automatic car you would encounter exactly the same issues. Automatics and semi automatics are at their best when in town traffic or cruising. You are saving yourself the bother of having to press a clutch pedal; this involves certain compromises, most are negated with a little driver involvement with the process.

 

If you think about it, what you are asking for is for the vehicle to 'know' that you are climbing and select and hold an appropriate gear. If you keep the accelerator pedal still, it will do just that. If you lift off because there is a bend coming up it might change up a gear if it is left in 'auto'. Would you rather it selected a lower gear in readiness and potentially caused you to lurch forward at precisely the wrong moment?

 

Select 'manual' and 'up-hill'. Make the gear selections that you want ahead of the feature in the road. Enjoy smoother progress to the astonishment and delight of your passenger(s), who may be impressed that you have mastered the machine instead of lurching around and cursing you and it. Your choice.

 

I think it's a small price to pay when for the majority of the rest of your journey you look like a monkey on a space mission with little to do but steer and put your feet up!

Hi Nick. Wasn't ignoring your earlier post, had to do some chores!

 

It wasn't that I found having to take control of the gear changes a distraction, just that I had not expected to do so at all with what seems to be presented as an automatic. There are strategies for dealing with the hill climbing oddities. For example, if one lifts off completely approaching a bend the box does not change up but holds the gear. Fine, but one tends to end up braking onto an uphill bend, which is silly. If one merely backs off to allow the hill to kill speed, it is then that the box changes up. However, by far the easiest is to stick it in manual and drive it as a clutchless manual - which is not why I went for the auto version. However, if it were to recognise its error as one tries to accellerate through the bend, and make a quick change down, it would, IMO, be forgiveable. It doesn't: it just falls off its cam, struggles, pauses, eventually changes down (by which time the van has slowed), tries again, and not infrequently then has to grab a yet lower cog. It is just untidy, and not at all what I had expected.

 

We live in a hilly town, and the local buses are autos. They just change up and down on the fly, sweetly and quickly, and on the whole very smoothly. I don't think any bus oparator would tolerate the gear change shenanigans this Fiat "auto" box displays. What I am arguing is that the box works at its best when an auto is not, really, of greatest benefit. I will exclude heavy traffic, though it is not that happy in stop-start traffic on hills, but that apart yes, it is much more relaxed that a manual under these conditions.

 

Regarding "knowing" it is going uphill, why not? On a hill, with the cruise engaged, its typical response is to go on opening the throttle as the vehicle loses speed, until it is wide open and still losing speed. Only then does it respond and change down, often far too late, meaning it has to change down again. It "knows" the state of the throttle, it "knows" it is losing speed, so surely it should "know" it needs a lower gear? In fact it clearly does, and eventually responds, but its responses are far too sluggish. With the first/second lag, why must the revs drop so far before the next gear is engaged. Just engage the gear and then synchronise the engine revs to match, instead of waiting for the vehicle to slow down until they sync with 1200rpm. Grrrr! Yes, I realise I'm arguing with a dumb machine! :-)

 

BTW, according to the horribly written Comfortmatic handbook, the Up function is only available in auto mode, not in manual. In fact, I didn't get much chance to play with the Up mode because when I pressed the button it promptly fell out of the back of its housing and disappeared! After retrieving it several times, I decided to leave well alone to sort out on return. This I think I have now fixed with a cable tie round the rather flimsy lugs at the back of the switch. We shall see. Otherwise, it will have to be a new bit of dashboard. So yes, you are right. Drive it up hills, and to some extent down hills, in manual mode, and leave it in auto on the more-or-less flat. Its just a shame that the areas that I most want to visit are in hilly country!

 

From my perspective, I'd say this is less an automatic, than a clutchelss manual gearbox with some, (I would say somewhat limited) capability of operating in automatic mode. Had I known that before I bought, I think I would have saved the cost, added complexity, and weight, and simply gone for a straight manual. It is fine within its limitations, but it just doesn't at present convince me it brings value in line with its added cost. Maybe I shall grow to appreciate it more with more miles. I certainly hope so! However, after 2,500 miles of very varied roads, I'm not that optimistic about a blinding light and a sudden Damascene conversion. Next time out I think I'll be using it in manual mode much more and, I suspect, largely avoiding auto. I'll also give it a bash in "Up" mode, as Hugh suggests above, as it may be that will work better with a vehicle that is near 3.5 tonnes laden. I suppose it is possible that with a motorhome being substantially heavier than an unladen panel van, the box thinks it is always going uphill, so needs this feature to satisfy its needs.

 

Final comment for Lenny. As Nick says, yes, you will need to use the brake to hold the van on a hill, and I think it will generally be desirable to also engage neutral. You will need to push on the brake pedal to engage neutral, and again to before engaging auto (or manual) first gear. (Also to start the engine, or engage reverse.) If you don't the van will yell at you, and reject the command. All this makes the "Hill holder" facility a great boon. It is available with the manuals as well, but the sheer ease of driving off up a hill from standstill using hill holder in auto is one of the real pluses of this box. Foot on brake, into first, transfer foot to accelerator (left foot braking strongly discouraged in the manual), press down, and off you flawlessly go. Excellent!