Fiat Comfortmatic, a few thoughts

[Dave225]

Having had the Fiat Comfotmatic now for about 5 months I guess I am starting to get the hang of it. It does the job but it is not a true automatic of course. I still have small glitches getting it to move to auto mode but have now realised that up when it is on the right means neutral while down is reverse. Once you know, it is easy.... well until it does its own thing.

 

My only real gripes, small though they are, are that when you approach a junction it proceeds to change down all the gears, yes, I know that is what we were all taught in driving school, but in the real world one does not do that. We also use the UPS function as well and this does give you engine braking going down a hill, but maybe a tad pessimistic methinks. I am approaching a slow part of the motorway and I find I am down in 3rd gear when 5th would be fine.

 

The biggest gripe is the Hill Start as this is virtually non existent. 2 seconds before releasing the brakes is very short, especially for my wife who is used to Volvo where it holds until it feels you accelerating.

 

However, it is what it is and it does allow us to drive a camper with a form of automatic. As for fuel consumption I suspect it will be worse than a manual due to all the aforementioned gear changes but about 30 mpg should be reasonable, so I will live with it.

 

As for reliability, well time will tell.

 

[DJP]

Wait until you are stuck in the mud, then give us another report!

[Tall_Mike]

Trying to decide if I like it or not, driven about 600 miles with my comfortmatic so far, hope it grows on me. The van has only done 1400 miles, hoping it will loosen up, my other vehicle is a full Saab auto, the comfortmatic isn't comparable, the van has a clutch and an electronic brain, as long as that is remembered life is good, hill starts are fine off the handbrake,don't think we have hill assist. Either I will love it or hate it, jury is out for me at the moment.

 

The first issue is the horrendous pause when pulling away, I know the van isn't a rocket ship but it,s down right dangerous pulling out onto congested roundabouts, it can be eased a bit but it catches me out.

 

Driving along at motorway or cruising speed, absolutely fine, very smooth changes a bit early for me but seems fine and it,s easily possible to override the thing if needed, and no clutch. I have very big feet and find the brake and accelerator too close together, have had a couple of dodgy moments revving when I wanted to slow, getting it on the ramp.. Another excitement of the wrong type. Suspect that fuel consumption will be better than a full manual.

 

I am wondering if our box has a problem, on 2 occasions now it,s momentarily lost all drive, no warning lights, van slows, heart beat increases but it soon picks up again, it,s a kind of is it me , did it just do that moment, one time coming down a motorway slip downhill, I used the kickdown and instead of accelerating, just nothing, although when i backed off it accelerated again, am pondering taking it back to the dealer, it is under warranty .. Not sure the electronic brain is always up to it, ... yes it does rev as it slows which caught me out, normal i think .. Keeping an eye on it.

 

The other issue is on a muddy field, the thing is a nightmare, wanted to gently pull away in second, when you are concentrating, wrestling with the thing, is it in auto or normal etc, it remembers your last gear I think and goes into first or first auto .. Also all the bleeps, need to stop in first to avoid them and it changes into N when i open the door, not wrong at all but needs understanding.

 

Kind of wishing we had bought a manual however my wife is disabled and restricted to an auto, .. We checked with DVL and although really a semi auto, it is covered and she,s ok to drive and we are under the 3500 kg limit, so it,s kind of love the van you have.

[Rayjsj]

How is the Comfortmatic for a TRULY disabled driver, with no left leg assistance possible,and no handbrake use, apart from actual parking ? ie Hillstarts. how does the Comfortmatic manage them ?

Wondering if my Disbaled Wife might be able to use one ?

[Brock]

Good to read a fresh set of experiences on the Comfort-matic. They tend to mirror my initial experience. Now after three years and getting on for 19,000 miles plus, I'm warming to it.

 

The Comfort-matic still has a tendency to get confused in the Pennine hills but the ability to switch to manual mode sorts that out. I've also adjusted my driving style so the box is less confused. I find Hill hold is a joy - it gets a lot use so maybe familiarity is the key, the Up function is fiddly but works, and crossing fast-moving roundabouts can be a challenge. The Comfort-matic does change down gears one by one when approaching junctions or roundabouts but that mirrors the way I drive now and means I'm better placed to accelerate into traffic gaps from a rolling start. I tend to use Traction Plus on wet or muddy fields. Manoeuvring in tight spaces is easier. Cross country driving is effortless.

 

I prefer cross country trunk routes so part from the dash off the Wirral, I tend not to go on motorways.

 

I'm still not convinced the Comfort-matic is worth the extra money though yet it does what it is designed to do.

[peterjl]

Hi

Having had our conformatic on a 2.3ltr engine for 12 months and 6000 miles I was interested to read the comments.

We covered a couple of thousand miles round Iceland with a few hundred miles of unmetaled roads. The only problem I experienced was a on a very steep section, starting from stop, of unmetaled road when it cycled between 1st and 2nd: this was easily overcome by popping into manual.

Other than that no problems. Not had on mud but then I try and avoid anything that looks like mud, I just move on and find somewhere else. Works fine on grass including wet slippery grass.

I am happy for it to cycle down through all the gears - I seldom block down change so not an issue ( I block change on acceleration but not the other way).

On balance I am really pleased and would definitely want another if/when I change motorhomers. I would like on a car if they do such a thing. Relaxing to drive.

 

Peter

[Tall_Mike]

Lacking the use of one,s left leg would not be an issue at all, there are only 2 pedals, brake and accelerator controlled by the right, my wife cannot use her left leg. hill starts are a little tricky, in a full auto it,s possible to balance on the accelerator, car doesn't go easily backwards in drive. however holding the van on a hill against the accelerator is big no, the clutch is being slipped, I put it in N and hold it on the handbrake or footbrake, .. When ready to go, into 1st Auto gently rev and handbrake off in one movement, bit like a traditional hill start in a manual but using the "brain" try to boot it a bit to get onto the torque and to avoid the horrid flat spot. Handbrake is on the right, needs a fair shove to put it on and take it off but wife can manage this.

[Geeco]

My AT is fitted with the 150hp and AMT. we have travelled some 28,000klms now in 15 months. I did find the package took a little time to get used to as the turbo engine does have an influence on the way the transmission operates. A good example is the turbo lag on the one - two gear change. This type of action is not uncommon when you couple a turbo engine to an auto changing box. I once owned an 80's Saab that would almost die then the turbo would come on song and almost throw you into the back seat. It is certainly not as smooth overall as our two cars that are both autos however it is a truck after all and now after learning it's quirks I drive to blend with those and find it a joy. I tend to look at it with the attitude that while I am driving it I am on my way to or from a pleasant time. Next MH will be an auto, Fiat or other depends on what fits at that time. Cheers,

[mikebeaches]

Thanks for posting all the useful observations. We've had a new PVC with comfortmatic on order for just over six months - delivery due early June.

 

Previous van was manual, and part of the reason for changing was to get an automatic (or semi-auto) gearbox. And hence the need for a factory order and - in our case - a long wait.

 

Wife previously owned a Citroen C3 with a semi-auto box - exactly the same arrangement as the Ducato comfortmatic, but on a much smaller scale. All the motoring journalists slated it; and also said it was unreliable. We got on absolutely fine, after initially getting used to it. And now, almost ten years on, our son is still driving it with no problems at all. He loves it as much as we did.

 

Currently have a Merc C Class with a 7-speed automatic gearbox, and that is obviously a completely different kettle of fish. Very good... but still not perfect, in my opinion - it throws up the occasional surprise.

 

Have spent a lifetime wedded to and much preferring manual gearboxes; but as age has crept up on us so our requirements have changed.

 

[lennyhb]

Before judging the Comformatic you need to get some miles on the clock.

The box is set up to work with an engine that is run in so it won't perform at it's best until you have done 15000 miles. Mine has done 14000 and definitely working better since I clocked around 12k, on my recent trip of nearly 3000 miles only got caught out once by the slow gear change on a roundabout.

 

What I used to do was, as approaching a roundabout was to flick it into manual and change up to 2nd manually, also in auto mode after pulling away you can flick it into 2nd and floor it that works as well.

 

Never had a problem with the hill start if anything it holds too long, far longer than my car, on steep hill tend to think something has gone wrong put my foot on the gas and it just sits there then suddenly lunges forward.

 

Mixed feeling on muddy fields had to be towed out once, I find the ham-fisted approach works best, switch Traction-Plus on and floor the throttle usually takes off with one wheel spinning and the other juddering but it gets you out. Make sure you have plenty of space because it don't go where you point it. :-D

Not just muddy field though had a few problems on wet tarmac mountain roads had to use traction plus, problem I think is the front end of my Hymer is very light 1600-1650kg max when fully loaded compared to my mates Carthago at 1750kg.

 

Fuel consumption is better than the manual as it is a manual with far more precise gear changes we average 26-27 which I'm well pleased with doesn't really matter in the overall scheme considering what the van cost.

[breakaleg]

Hi Guys,

Just to add to the mix, I was going to buy a van with comfortmatic when we changed vans last May only problem was the van we fancied was only built on a peugeot.

However, we had auto clutch fitted, we have had it before it costs £1500.00 fitted and can take a couple of days to fit.

Basicly you switch it on (can be left switched off and driven as it confuses the life out of the mechanics) put your foot on the brake and the clutch dips, select your gear first or reverse take your foot off the brake and the clutch moves to the biting point, then as you accelerate the clutch is let out then as you want to change up, you just change gear as normal (there is a little button on the gear knob, slightest touch, dips the clutch.

Not perfect but you can have it fitted to any make of vehicle car or van.

Pete

[Derek Uzzell]

Idle curiosity, but have you checked with Peugeot regarding any potential warranty-related impact there might be in fitting an ‘auto clutch’ to (what I understand was) a brand-new vehicle?

[breakaleg]

Hi Derrick,

Good question,

The mobility company will cover the clutch and gearbox for the peugeot warranty period. we had it fitted from new on the last van which we had for nine years without any problems at all, you can remove it completely if you wish. never actually asked Peugeot but just had some warranty work done (last thursday) at a Peugeot dealership and they never mentioned it.but I guess like any alteration they would probably use it to wriggle out of paying .

Pete

[Dave225]

Many thanks for the comments. I feel that our experience is not totally out of synch with others. I may have to get the hill start checked if others find it fine, as I fully admit that it does appear to be very short before releasing the brakes, and even the manual states 2 seconds. As for the handbrake, this is fine for me but my wife is having difficulties reaching down for it and getting it on and off. She is not the largest pf people so short arm syndrome. However, practice makes perfect asthey say.

 

As for reliability, so far no adverse messages, beeps etc and I have noted on some commercial forums that fleet owners prefer the Comfortmatic as it lasts longer than the manual being driven by 'white van man' in his usual brutal way.

 

As I, and others have stated, it is not a car but a 3 1/2 ton truck, so there will be differences. However, it does allow both of us to drive and that is a bonus as it means I do not have to do the whole trip. The brake and accelerator are indeed close together as they have just used the manual set up minus the clutch predal.. Pity Fiat did not feel the need to put in a proper auto set up for the pedals, as it would make life a bit easier, but Hey Ho, it is what we have. My wife handles our caravan no problem, even going round Bordeaux, but again a Volvo V70 with geartronic is a different kettle of fish. Put your foot down, and it takes off even with a ton and a half on the back.

 

The van itself is a Globecar and we both love it, and were very pleasantly suprised as of course it is much smaller inside than the caravan. Of course like others we are attempting to stop some of the rattles we have and the biggest culprit appears to be the Remis blinds on the windscreen and doors. Lots of Bluetak being used.

[Don636]

Our van is two years old with about 6,000 miles on a 150 with Comfortmatic. I also have a 5 series BMW with 8 speed proper auto so can compare the two experiences. There is no doubt that the auto in the BMW is far, far superior, for about the same money by the way!! Having said that I love the auto in the van and would not consider swapping for a manual. It acts perfectly well as an auto most of the time and makes the driving experience much more enjoyable. Yes, you do have to anticipate some sluggishness in operation at times and step in to take manual control but this is easy so no problem at all. I do not have hill start but get round this by simply left foot braking on hills to avoid having to faff about with the handbrake - again not a problem at all.

Bottom line is - if you really want, or need an auto there is no reason to worry about the Comfortmatic as it does the job.

[Campfos]

I have the comfortmatic on my Motorhome.

Now I have done about 6000 miles in just over a year now it does have its limitations but after you get used to them and drive it accordingly Roundabouts can be fun as it will only change up at its own speed.

 

Now I do agree that the brake and accelerator pedals are too close.

When I first picked it up at Stoke on Trent to dive it home to Scotland I had only done about 80 miles when it stopped changing gear. I was in Holmfirth lots of hills there had to call out the Fiat assist which turned out to be an RAC man who found 2 gearbox fault codes which he cleared and it started working OK after that.

On returning home I went to the local Fiat Commerical Dealer in Broxburn he checked it out and found a wiring fault which he fixed.

Now I wonder if I was hitting the accelerator along with the brake pedal which was not helping as I was wearing walking shoes which have a wide sole now I wear dress shoes which works for me.

 

Since this there has been no repeats of it not changing gear this is my only real complaint about it pedal layout.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Brian Kirby]

You may also find this earlier thread, which I started in similar vein in November 2013, of interest http://tinyurl.com/ju2g67d

 

Now with 17,000 miles under its tyres, it is still improving (or I am!).

 

It remains necessary to use manual mode on steep, twisting, hills as its tendency to change up far too soon remains. It then gets its knickers in a real twist by huffing and puffing and changing down again, by which time it has all but stopped, and then changing up again too soon.

 

The "up" mode is far better, but the control switch on mine is badly placed for quick engagement. It really needs another stalk like the cruise control stalk (which I use far more often than I anticipated) on the opposite side of the wheel.

 

Hill hold is, IMO, very good, and always get the van away with no fuss on even sharp "T" junctions where a bit of wheelspin might be expected.

 

If it were just that bit more responsive to gradient, so changed down earlier on hills (though this has improved as the engine has loosened), and up that bit earlier once over the crest, it could be so much better.

 

The kickdown on full throttle is also too sluggish, bearing in mind that it is of most use for overtaking. However, if one gets the timing right, and "nudges" it down a gear before applying the welly it really pulls past trucks etc very impressively. But, hesitate that nanosecond too long before the welly goes in, and it promptly changes back up just as you start your run. Can induce rectal twinges! :-D

 

In view of the number of similar comments I've read, I'm a bit disappointed that Fiat haven't re-worked the control program to refine its action, and released a free remap for the gearbox module to improve its responses. But overall, it ain't bad at all. Overall was it worth it? Marginal, IMO.

[david lloyd]

This is our second comfortmatic Motorhome. The first, a PVC.with 3ltr engine, not only gave a very relaxed drive (albeit with some of the same idiosyncrasies identified earlier) and once pulled off a campsite with 9" of snow in manual 2nd gear effortlessly. The present one is only the 2.3 150 engine and I believe it does make some difference along with the fact it is also a coachbuilt. These probably make a significant difference to the way the gearbox behaves in certain situations but, we picked up the van in December with just 800 miles on it and promptly went to Spain. Returned in March and now with 4000 miles on it but returning 27 mpg and so much more relaxing than our last manual version on that same drive.

 

The only other thing I can add is that when trying to accelerate fast (e.g. To overtake) I have found the same holding back feeling but slightly easing off the accelerator seems to do the trick.

 

All in all we are very pleased with the comfortmatic.

 

David

[Rayjsj]

Rayjsj - 2016-04-22 9:39 PM

 

How is the Comfortmatic for a TRULY disabled driver, with no left leg assistance possible,and no handbrake use, apart from actual parking ? ie Hillstarts. how does the Comfortmatic manage them ?

Wondering if my Disabled Wife might be able to use one ?

Seems the hillstart might be a problem, not able to hold on a hill without the handbrake ? I thought hillhold , would do this ? Seems not ? Best thing is to try one myself, with my left leg and right arm tied back.Any other disabled users out there ?

[Brock]

Ray, I'm abled bodied. It's reached the stage for me where I use hill hold subconsciously. However, for what it is worth ...

 

The Comfort-matic manual says, "to safeguard clutch efficiency, do not use the accelerator to keep the vehicle at a standstill (e.g.: parking on a hill); the clutch could be damaged by over-heating." According to the Fiat Ducato manual, the hill hold doesn't work unless the gradient is more than 5% and only holds the van for two seconds after releasing the brake - you have to be fleet of foot moving from brake to accelerator.

 

When I drive up to say traffic lights on a steep hill, if I expect the red light to be about to change through to green I will stop and keep my foot on brake. When the lights change and the traffic starts to move I move my foot from brake to accelerator within two seconds and off we go - forward.

 

I still use the handbrake if I expect to be at the lights for a while, or fear a rear shunt, or on flat on low gradient inclines. In some modern cars I've driven, there is an electric handbrake in the centre console and hill hold [or similar] which I find work's better.

 

 

 

[Tall_Mike]

It,s good to read the comments of others which are similar.

 

Our vehicles genes are not from the car world but rather from the truck / light commercial vehicle, 25 years ago I worked for a company that had the then current Renault Master, Renault Traffic and Fiat Ducato, these were manual and absolutely dire, loud, slow, cold with gear changes on the end of a bungee cord, Fiat has done a good job trying to make the Ducato more civilised over the years.the previous vehicles where horrors, I wouldn't have bought one although I understand there is a strong classic camping scene, poor people.

 

The history of non torque converter autos or semi auto,s hasn't been glorious, think of the Rover Steptronic or some of early CVT Volvo,s, not wonderful.

 

Because of our situation, we need an automatic, our comfortmatic is probably the only real choice at the moment, euroserve had 2 vans that did well over 100 k and I understand that North West Ambulance are using them to good effect, reliability shouldn't be an issue although given their complexity I guess the odd complex issues will occur, as long at holds together for us, it,s a "good enough" solution to get us out motorhoming which we as in my wife couldn't otherwise do.

 

 

 

[ron.]

Anyone buying a used motorhome with the Comfortmatic should remember that on earlier Comfortmatics 'hill start' was an optional extra. I don't know when it became standard but our 2009 Frankia at the time didn't have it. Both I and the dealer were under the wrong impression that it was a standard fit when we looked into why I kept running backwards on hills. :-D

 

Ron

[lennyhb]

With the Comformatic box the hill hold has I believe always been a no cost option so the purchaser has to request it.

[Tall_Mike]

Our van is Sun living which are essentially Adria vans built in their factory but to a budget, ours is a 2015 model X290 2.3 and it doesn't have Hill Start or Traction Control, didn't have a radio or even speakers fitted although it is comfortmatic equipped. They cut down on weird things, no spare wheel, but we got the upgraded Truma that works off gas or electricity, the base model only runs on gas, classic control panel rather than the digital .. But it all works for us.

[Elkmalc]

We are considering changing from a VW camper to a Fiat c/b, both automatic. From the years of postings re. Comfortmatics, confidence is not inspired. The VW 4MOTION is superb and highly intelligent. Why on Earth don't Fiat put a proper auto box in the Ducato?