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TWO PEDAL PUSHERS
Page 44
Page 45
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Is it really five years since CM last ran an auto-gearbox test for top-weight artics? A hell of a lot of technology has happened since then, as our group test of six two-pedal tractors shows.
Forget everything we've said about auto gearboxes being the truck transmissions of the future-they're here now. Once upon a time no-one would have dreamed of giving us a top-weight artic with an auto box for roadtest; nowadays we struggle to find one that isn't an auto.
So where have all the clutch pedals gone? The answer is that microchip-managed motors and electronically controlled twopedal transmissions are now 'talking' to each other like never before. Consequently they're delivering the kind of fuel economy that was previously unheard ofand, more importantly, only ever achieved by the very best drivers.
The pace of change in auto-box technology has also been astonishing.The product cycle for new vehicles is generally measured in years but it isn't unusual for truck makers to introduce two or three new software updates on their auto boxes in an 18-month period. As a result of that accelerated evolution the latest auto boxes are quicker. smoother and smarter than ever before. But the real killer is that out of the auto sextet tested by CM, two of them-the MAN TG A and the Iveco Stralis -already have auto transmissions as standard. It's only a matter of time before the others follow suit.
In fact, the only question in the mind of our group testers wasn't -are autos better than manuals?but -who's got the best auto?".