Our mechanical engineer talks about Opel’s Easytronic, which is a computer-controlled manual transmission that changes gears automatically and operates the clutch for the driver.
When I went to view the new 1-litre Opel Astra, the salesman told me it has an Easytronic transmission that is actually a manual gearbox without a clutch pedal. How does it work?
Opel’s Easytronic is a manual gearbox that changes gears automatically. It is called a robotised manual transmission because the clutch operation is fully controlled by the on-board computer.
There are two operating modes available to the driver – fully automatic in D (drive), whereby the system changes gears with no input from the driver, and semi-automatic in M (manual), whereby the driver controls the gearchanges by flicking the gearlever forward (to upshift) or backward (to downshift). In either operating mode, the clutch is operated by the car’s gearbox controller.
The robotised system can perform smoothly if you bear in mind that there is a clutch controlled by a “robot” and ease off the accelerator pedal during every gearchange.
Another key difference between a robotised manual gearbox and a conventional automatic gearbox is the lack of a P (park) position for the gearshifter. You need to put the robotised manual gearbox into N (neutral) and engage the parking brake.
Our mechanical engineer talks about Opel’s Easytronic, which is a computer-controlled manual transmission that changes gears automatically and operates the clutch for the driver.
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