who has a 2.3 Fiat Automatic ? (1 Viewer)

[Paul J]

Hi, I'm looking at a 2018 6m motorhome which is using the Fiat 2.3td and has the option of Automatic. Who has a relatively recent 2.3td Auto and can tell me how the gearbox performs, both for smoothness of shifting and for gear selection choice on a various gradients etc ?

The reason I'm asking is because I 'think' or based on what the salesman said, it's technically a 'Robotised Manual' and some of those in recent years have had particularly uncomfortable (read lurching) shifting action

any help, as ever, most appreciated

Paul

 

[mikebeaches]

We have a 2016 (Euro 5+) Fiat Ducato 2.3 litre 130 hp engine with comfortmatic semi-automatic gearbox on our 6.4 metre 3,500kg panel van conversion.

Very happy with the set up, with no complaints. We'd previously had 2 earlier Ducatos Euro 3 and Euro 4, with similar 2.3 litre 130 hp engines, but with manual gearboxes.

The comfortmatic generally works very well. It changes up from first to second gear quite early when pulling away from a standstill - but it's just a case of getting used to it.

Last summer we went fully loaded over Austria's highest mountain pass, the renowned Grossglockner High Alpine Road - 8,250 ft above sea level - without any problem, and test enough for any engine and gearbox.

You have the option to select the gears manually if preferred, but we climbed over the pass just in auto mode.

When we first got the van, I thought it very occasionally got confused which gear to be in on very steep slopes, but I suspect with hindsight, it might just have been that I hadn't quite perfected the right technique.

Otherwise, gear changes are perfectly smooth. For both myself and my wife, the comfortmatic gearbox is a revelation, and we much prefer it to the previous manual gearboxes, even though there was nothing wrong with those as such. It's just much more relaxing to drive with the auto.

Mike

 

[joka250]

We have a 2015 2.3 150 bhp Comfortmatic on a coachbuilt Autotrail running close to max 3800kgs. Have now covered close to 19,000 miles and generally achieve around 31 mpg over a huge variety of roads from major motorways to mountain roads that might have been best avoided. I honestly wouldn't want different. On another thread someone said they thought a lot of the issues with this form of gearbox arise from people not encouraging the gearbox to up or downshift e.g. when moving up don't over rev, ease off on throttle to allow prompt upchange.
They are different to torque converter autos but a little time, practice and empathy and you will love it I'm sure.
We have 3 vehicles all auto, 1 Comfortmatic, 1 torque converter and 1 C V T. All different but you soon get used to each, Comfortmatic just as usable as all others, follow Fiat maintenance and service recommendation . Get to know things like hill descent and the Up feature. My one gripe, I like to left foot brake, the pedal is too small for comfort. You'll get lots of differing comments about reliability but all vehicles attract good and bad, we tend to remember and report the bad. Try to find an owner he will take you out and demonstrate or a good test drive at a dealers.

 

[Vic]

Most, not all, modern automatics are robo-manuals. I have a 2017 Fiat 2.3lt 150bhp Euro 6 with this gearbox. I like it now I am used to it. I find I keep it in manual mode for difficult stuff, auto for the rest of the time.

 

[joka250]

I think @mikebeaches comment regarding perfecting technique is right on the ball, a little practice you're soon their.

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[Paul J]

thank you for your detailed replies, sounds good..... I think a test drive is in order

I guess it's to be expected that any gearbox will have some amount of trouble on the vary steep mountain grades. I'm sure many drivers will admit to fluffing the odd change with a normal manual gearbox when things get a bit steep and tricky.

looking at the Rollerteam T-line 590 (obviously a 5.99m) and wondering if the 150bhp option will be even more relaxed in the auto, I know it's the same maximum power, but perhaps the torque will be a little stronger through the range. I could well be splitting hairs, which is usually the case with me

Currently, choice options are :

Rollerteam T-line 590 (blows the budget, hey ho)
Chausson Welcome 530 (very similar layout to the above, same group manufacturer ?)
Elddis Accordo 125 (the safe bet fall-back option if all fails)

 

[Clarky]

We have a 2.3ltr, 150Bhp Comfortmatic in a 4.5 tonne A class van, 2015 with 36k miles on the clock.
Never been a big fan of autos throughout my 50+ years of driving but wouldn't go back to a manual now.
The Comfortmatic can be used in Manual mode if you wish or you can shift up or down just by giving the short stubby stick a nudge either up or down.
I never bother with Manual as I don't need to. Just let the gearbox do its own thing.

Richard.

 

[TheDogMan]

I have a Iveco 3litre 180bhp 7ton with a comformatic box, I do use the manual option on a regular basis especially if fully loaded, the main advice I would would give is that you need to to get used it, I was a lot happier after a few trips out in it

 

[MillieMoocher]

We have a 2017 A class with the Fiat 2.3 Euro 6 engine, 180 bhp and the comfortmatic gearbox.

Prior to that we had a Merc unit with the traditional torque converter auto. I was very worried about changing from the torque converter to comfortmatic as you do read a number of problems they have. However they are widely used so it’s hard to know whether the reported issues are relatively rare given the number in use.

I need not have worried though, the gearbox works perfectly well as long as you remember it is not a true automatic but a robotised manual. As others have reported, backing off slightly before the change can smooth things out.

There is a “dead” spot on the 1-2 change as it seems to change earlier than I would from 1st to 2nd and seems to take an age to do so. This is a bit heart stopping at first when in busy traffic (roundabouts) where you might need to go for it. But using the “up” button before you pull away makes it hold onto 1st a tad longer, then changes to 2nd without the dead spot, then switch “up” off.

I also found that the speed would drop on long motorway drags and then someone on this forum mentioned using the “up” button and that definitely improved the experience.

So overall I don’t think it’s as good as a torque converter auto but I have no regrets about having opted for it and I’d much rather have comfortmatic than manual.

Can’t really bring any experience to the choice of Roller Team vs Chausson, but my personal preference is the Chausson. We hired one before we got our own and so I just have a soft spot for them. Given that it was a hire vehicle it had stood up to a hard life very well.

 

[Paul J]

yeah, I have to give these a try, I have a motorbike, a Honda NC750X DCT, one of the first actual Automatic bikes (rather than CVT's) it does work, and has rather snappy gear changes due to the dual clutch, but somehow it's in the wrong gear, changes at the wrong time, and doesn't react to hills, requiring me stabbing at the manual up/down buttons to make progress. Having to play with buttons so much makes me think I would have been better off with the manual... in the case of the bike at least.

My last motorhome was a Swift/Bessacarr 1.9td with 90bhp, it was a 6.1m van, it was no slouch.... so I'm hoping that a 130bhp (or maybe 150bhp) won't feel sluggish

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[soreeyes]

I have a 150 hp automatic 2017 on a 3500 kg and find it a relaxed drive but it takes a little getting used to on selection on the gearstick . Leaving it in drive when switching it off if you drive a conventional automatic seems alien .

Best to test drive one if your not sure ?

 

[Lazyboy]

I have a 2.3 with comfortmatic. 180 bhp running at 5,000 kgs gvw. 3rd one I have had and would not go back to manual.
As others have said give it time to get used to it. Use the "up" button when required. Worth reading the manual on that section so that you understand the functionality of the system.

 

[SpeedyDux]

I also have a 150 hp automatic 2017 on a 3500 kg PVC. I bought it without a test drive in something similar, which was a leap in the dark!

I am still getting used to the Comfortmatic robot brain. It isn't as relaxing a drive as the torque converter automatics I was used to where you just stick it in D and forget about it. I usually keep it in Auto mode but still need to "supervise" the robot brain and occasionally intervene, usually by overriding it with a downshift, more often than I feel I should have to. Smoother to downshift manually for acceleration than use kickdown which can be jerky and noisy. I try to avoid parking manoevers that require more than one reverse and forwards adjustment. A true automatic is much better suited to that situation.

At traffic lights with long periods on Red, or stationary in stop/start queues, I have to remember to stick it in neutral to be kinder to the clutch and its actuators.

Having said that, the 150 hp engine is very torquey for what is a light van and the MH romps up big hills in 6th or sometimes 5th. It holds 6th on motorway inclines without fuss. It is quiet in the cruise. I haven't checked the fuel consumption. The PVC is also my daily drive and is used for short local journeys in heavy traffic so my overall mpg figure wouldn't be typical.

 

[Paul J]

Thanks for your reply, why does a parking manoeuvre with more than one forward/reverse cause a problem ?

 

[Steve N Tracy]

We have a 2917 150 bhp Dethleffs and to begin with the box was horrible, but the is some self learning built in and after a 425 mile run at French motorway speeds it seems to have settled in and drives much better.

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[SpeedyDux]

Thanks for your reply, why does a parking manoeuvre with more than one forward/reverse cause a problem ?

On one occasion after some backwards and forwards manoevers on full lock-to-lock to get out of a tight spot, it went a bit temperamental at the next roundabout. In Auto it was reluctant to change up from 1st to 2nd although the "up" switch was off, then got stuck in 3rd and I had to revert to manual mode and drive slowly in case something had overheated. I think there were some beeps but no error messages on the dash display to say what was wrong. Next trip it was changing gear slowly at first, but eventually it was back to normal in Auto. It is fine now. There is some built-in self learning (or self-protection) as @Steve N Tracy said, but it seems to forget normal gearchange settings after some abnormal use and needs to re-learn. I might be wrong but that 's how it seemed.

 

[Pekepal]

We have the Comformatic Fiat 150 hp on our Burstner 7 metre van and get 31 mpg. It does "lurch" when starting off from a standing position which take a little getting used to but we are very very pleased with it and never have to put it into manual for any reason. It drives beautifully and would buy another. Not as smooth as our car auto but we are talking "van" here and love it.

 

[Puddleduck]

We have a 2016 (Euro 5+) Fiat Ducato 2.3 litre 130 hp engine with comfortmatic semi-automatic gearbox on our 6.4 metre 3,500kg panel van conversion.

We have the same on a 7m 3650kg coachbuilt. We also have an electronic automatic gearbox on the car - quite a different drive.

I wouldn't go back to a manual gearbox now I am used to the auto....... but you do need to get used to how it works and how to get the best out of it. Also if you have the hill assist feature you need to know how and when to use that - and when not to!

Modern (robo-autos) are a very different beast to the older auto boxes

 

[Speve]

Could you enlighten us a bit more about this please,
I am about to buy a van with this on it and it would be very useful

 

[mikebeaches]

The hill assist button can be pressed if you want the automatic (comfortmatic) gearbox to hold on to a lower gear for a bit longer, when going uphill. In some respects it's a bit like a 'sport' mode on an ordinary automatic gearbox in a car, I reckon.

Some folk keep it switched on all the time, because they routinely prefer to hold the lower gears longer - but sadly, it won't quite transform your van to sports car performance...

Useful feature though in my opinion.

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[BobtheBass]

We have the 150 hp engine and comfortmatic box and much prefer it to a manual. It has its foibles but we liken it to having an elderly gent in the cab with us who presses the clutch pedal and moves the gear lever when required. Like all elderly folk he does get a little confused at times and is sometimes a little slow but we forgive him his faults because we like him and appreciate what he does for us. We call him Alan.

 

[ABZSteve]

Recently had a 2015, 6.5m Moho with 150BHP and comfortmatic and loved it. Yes there are lag issues but it is not a racing car so if you don't drive it like you stole it, you probably wont notice any of the gear change issues. Take you time at roundabouts and junctions and you will be fine. Learn how to use the box and once you have "played" with it for a while you will be good to go. About to pick up 7.5m, 2018 150BHP with comfortmatic so obviously, it works for me. Good luck

 

[Lenny HB]

Last van was a 2.3 150 Comformatic Euro 5+, I was running around 3650 - 3700 kg, basically agree with everyone else, the box did get better at around 12,000 miles, to be expected as I believe the software is set up for a fully run in engine which Fiat consider to be 15,000 miles.
Current van is a 2.3 150 Comformatic Euro 6 running at 3900kg, appears more sluggish than the last one and holds high gears too long on long inclines, last week coming across Spain on so twisty mountian roads I just used it in manual. Hopefully, engine and gearbox with work better when I've got 12-15,000 miles on it.