Ever tried Automatic Manual Transmission? Here's how it works!

Maruti Suzuki finally landed the much awaited Celerio hatchback into our market at a price tag of 3.90 lakh for the base manual petrol (LXI) and 4.29 lakh for the base AMT petrol (LXI). The vehicle is the least expensive automatic available on sale in our country. Let's dive into the technicalities of this Automatic Manual Transmission.

Automatic manual transmission, as the phrase depicts, has two modes - manual and automatic. The automatic mode of this gearbox is similar to and behaves like the conventional automatics. The manual mode (imprinted as 'M' in the gearshift lever) gives you a feeling of driving a manual car but without a clutch pedal in the foot well. In the 'M' mode, you can enjoy the best of the engine, revving it hard till the red-line, extracting the best possibilities from each gear.

Automatic Mode

In the AMT setup, torque converter is absent, whereas, it is present in conventional automatics. The torque converter in an automatic vehicle replaces the mechanical clutch, allowing the transmission to separate from the powertrain. In the AMT, the car is equipped with a dedicated ECU (Electronic Control Unit) for precise shifting. The electronic-hydraulic actuators help in changing gears, indeed removing the need of a clutch in the foot well! It has three modes namely 'D'- Driving mode, 'N'- Neutral mode and 'R' - Reverse mode.

'M' Mode
'M' mode, or the manual mode, is rather more fun to drive as compared to the automatic mode in this vehicle. In this mode, you can rev the rpm count to red-line in each gear! To engage the vehicle in 'M' mode, you need to flick the gear lever to the extreme left. 'M' mode sports sequential gear shifts, just like paddle shifters behind the steering wheels in high-end cars. For an up-shift, you just need to nudge the lever down a little where '+' sign is indicated, similarly, for a down-shift, you require a little nudge upside where '-' is indicated.

As the power swapping torque converter is replaced by electronic hydraulic actuators, the car delivers a mileage similar to that of its manual counterpart. The ARAI certified mileage figure for the car stands at 23.1kmpl. The only disadvantage of automatic manual transmission is that it offers little jerky shift in comparison with the conventional automatics. Just to add to your knowledge, the production of AMT gearbox is done by Marelli Powertrains, at the manufacturing facility based in Manesar. This company is a subsidiary of the Italian component manufacturer - Magneti Marelli. 

We'll keep bringing you more guides...meanwhile, you enjoy your rides with AMT!! 

Source : CarDekho - Ever tried Automatic Manual Transmission? Here's how it works!