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VOLVO F1112
Page 51
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How it works 1-Shift's electronic brain bosses the solenoid valves controlling the pneumatic cylinders and shift forks on the box, as well as the actuation of the single-plate clutch and synchronisation of the gears.
Using sensors it chooses the optimum starting-off gear based on vehicle weight and gradient (on our 44-tonne FH12.460 it was 2nd). It also controls engine braking at low speeds and, via a steering column-mounted control lever, provides maximum back pressure for the optional Volvo Engine Brake (V EB) which operates like a Jake Brake.
The fold-down control lever mounted directly to the left of the seat is moved back and forth by the driver to select reverse, neutral, auto, manual and I' basically a preselect mode that chooses 4th gear and holds it. However, this function will be deleted on forthcoming Euro-4 D13-engined models.
In manual mode, up and downshifts are made by thumbing a small rocker switch on the side of the lever.% power mode you can hold onto a gear longer as the engine gives you 250 more revs; likewise using the kickdown you can force a downshift or hold the engine revs longer.But there's no 'tortoise' mode for reversing or slow manoeuvring.
The Eco Roll function effectively slips the box into neutral on overrun when I-Shift detects there's no engine load— touching the brake or throttle immediately restores full drive in top gear.
On the road I-Shift is a world away from the original Geartronic we tried in our last auto group test. It's a strong contender for the smoothest and quietest of all the autos in this group, but also took its time to get into top gear and was reluctant to pull it below 45mph. On overrun we were left waiting for it to take the final cog and would have done it ourselves had we been driving in manual mode.
In the past we've been less than impressed by Eco Roll on 1-Shift. Not this time around. On level terrain on overrun at around 50raph it came in promptly and frequently, showing us an E-tsymbol on the display panel in the dash.
Of all the auto boxes on test, I-Shift showed the greatest tendency to block shift while remaining within a relatively tight (1,2001,6(1Orpm) rev band. On downshifts it was generally happy hopping from 9 to 6 when running into busy roundabouts.
About the only time it needed more thinking time was when pulling away on a tight left-hander at traffic lights followed by a steep little hill.lbere it held onto the revs longer than necessary but soon sorted itself out.
Overall its clutch take-up was extremely smooth; with a bit of judicious feathering of the throttle you can prompt fuel-saving upshifts, except for that final cog when it demanded the right road speed from us.
Back at the Exel RDC we had no problem reversing with I-Shift, though we'd appreciate a 'tortoise' mode. There are also too many I-Shift program options (like choosing between power/ economy modes and reverting to a two-pedal manual). Some customers are telling Volvo they only want a full-auto configuration in order to stop their drivers compromising fuel economy.