After struggling for about a year, life on the planet is getting back to normal. This eventually means the traffic of the roads is on the rise. What to do? The best possible option to tackle the traffic especially in metro cities in India is driving a vehicle with an automatic transmission. That said, in the market, there are various types of transmission, from DCT to torque converter and from AMT to iMT. With many options, it is normal to get confused. So, to help you out, we have a series of articles explaining the pros and cons of driving a specific automatic transmission. And for today, we’ll be looking at 6 hassles of driving a car with an AMT (Automated Manual Transmission).
What’s an AMT?
Before starting with the cons, let’s talk about AMT. As the name suggests this is an Automated Manual Transmission. Breaking it down, this is essentially a manual transmission that has an automatic shifting mechanism and clutch operation. Talking about the gearbox, this is similar to what a typical manual transmission would look like. But moving on the inside, the clutch is gone and so is the H-pattern gear selector. In comes a lever for gear selection. So, to know about the AMT or Automated Manual Transmission CLICK HERE.
Now, let’s dive into the important bit.
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AMT hesitates on a slope
Up Slope | Representational Image Unlike a car with an automatic gearbox, a car with an AMT struggles climbing uphill. And this struggle is exaggerated when the car is on a slope and you want to start moving uphill. This is where the clutch takes time to fully engage and as a result the car rolls back by quite a margin. Moving on, most of the modern cars with AMT now get a hill hold control to stop the car from rolling back.
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AMT and jerky gear shifts
10 Things You Should Not Do In An AMT Cars Another con an AMT possess are the slow gear shifts. Be it any transmission, they do take time to shift up or down, but an AMT takes a lot longer to shift. Because of the slow gearshifts, the driver has to be extra cautious when driving on the streets. Slow shifts mean the cars have a slower acceleration time and also jerky drive. This happens even if you are driving at a very sedate pace.
Also, read iMT vs AMT | Which is a better Transmission?
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AMT has a sluggish response
Easy R-AMT | hassels of amt Gear Shifts are just the starting, the automated manual transmission is also slow to respond to inputs. But what are these inputs we are talking about? To understand these we’d first like to tell you that be it an automatic transmission or AMT all use the inputs from the accelerator pedal and wheel speed to slot the right gear. Now, when the accelerator pedal is depressed it takes time for the transmission to shift up or down depending upon the situation.
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CNG is difficult to install (Aftermarket)
CNG Powered Maruti Suzuki WagonR | hassles of amt Well, there are two situations in this situation. First, if the car with an AMT comes with factory fitted CNG. Next, if the owner of the vehicle, decides to install an aftermarket CNG into the vehicle. Talking about the first scenario, in daily city driving the vehicle will surely be let down the even further slower response from the vehicle. Also, the vehicle may also become a little more lethargic. Jumping onto the next one, as part of the ECU controls the gearshifts, if not tuned properly, the car might have problems running on CNG.
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Difficult to adjust & acclimatize
Difficult to adjust | hassles of amt Now, all these factors translate for an extra effort while driving. Talking about which, the driver has to have a good judgment of the vehicle’s power powerband. This will allow him/her to pre-plan the manoeuvres like overtaking. Having a car with an automated manual gearbox pushes the driving skills of the driver a little further. Moreover, if a person is shifting from a car with a manual transmission will have to put in some real extra effort.
Recommended: 10 Things About AMT Cars (Automated Manual Transmissions)
I feel this is an unnecessary negative article on AMT. I’ve a first generation AMT vehicle and though it might be a bit slower to respond, it rides well, returns good efficiency and can be even driven sporty when put in the Manual mode. And I’ve driven later versions of AMT vehicles and would say the newer version of AMT transmissions are better in response also.
Hi Zaheer,
Well, the article was targeted to highlight all the cons of driving a car with an AMT. And be it a manual transmission, automatic gearbox or an AMT all of them have their fair shares of pros and cons. Next, we’ll be coming up with all the positives of each gearbox as well so stay pinned! 🙂
Guess this is biased…..see if you don’t want to be a Speedster amt is so convenient.i am using amt in hills_so dam convenient….in city super convenient.much better than manual and for the price it’s amazing.for senior citizens it’s the cheapest and best option._my 75 year old dad adjusted in 3 days.he was apprehensive..but when I bought wagon r 1.2 amt…. everyone in house is in love with it.everyone wants to drive this car over bigger luxury cars which are triple the cost and manual.no slow gearshift s and not slow to respond.if you are a relaxed driver…want an easy ride…..comfy then amt is the car for you esp cities….even though it’s Pretty good in highway too.sudden acceleration it gives a jerk….yes…but other than that no problem.the indian mentality …compares our roads to be like Autobahn.
Hi Anuj,
The article is not to defame or downgrade the technology of AMT as it is a cheaper and effective alternative to an automatic transmission. It’s just the AMT is nothing like a conventional automatic transmission. Meaning, if you drive a car with manual transmission or a car with a proper auto box, one would definitely face such hassles in AMT until they get used to it. And in the end, it does take quite some time for a person to get familiar with AMT. Stay Pinned! 🙂
I have a wagon r amt..full of problems..its 2019 model new shape…please don’t waste ur money..never buy this vehicle
I have been driving WagonR AMT purchased in 2017. Nothong written above relates to me and I feel that this article is putting a negative light on AMT unnecessarily. But then again Maruti has been dealing in AMT for quite some time now so probably I got lucky with a good car.
Hi Abhijeet,
The article was to tell all the problems that a driver faces when driving a car with AMT. Well, it surely takes time to adjust to this gearbox, as it is not like a conventional automatic transmission.
Even after reading the article I really don’t agree with the writer. I have latest Aura AMT. It is a skill driven method. One has to understand the mode. Shifting to manual mode do help in uphill. No negative experiences.
Hi Ashim,
The article is just to indicate the problems when driving a car with AMT. And yes, one of the prime drawbacks, of an AMT is its driving style. Meaning you have to get used to the gearbox, as it is not like a typical automatic and definitely not like a manual transmission. Which is what the article wants to convey.Hope it helps!:)
I personally feel that you are living in a stone age.
I agree with all points, having driven all sorts of cars, AMT are the least responsive … Still, it’s not bad and people would get used to it. It’s not that you cannot drive up hill (still always look for hill asist for all automatic cars) or overtake, but you soon get adjusted to the potential of your AMT and don’t realise it in daily commute.
It seems that you’ve written much about AMT without knowing it much. Perhaps your experience with AMT has been bad. AMT experience varies with the manufacturer. I must give credit to Maruti Suzuki. I found their AMT much better than that of Renault. All factors that you’ve enumerated from 1 to 5 donot hold good. You could have titled the article as “My hassles with AMT”.
Personally I am convinced that if you drive in amature way AMT is very convenient and does not show any lag or slow response. Going uphill or up the slope from rest is convenient. Yes you need to adjust in the beginning, but that’s true for all new things. It won’t allow you a jackrabbit start, but I guess that’s good.
Maybe you should experience more vehicles with AMT. You’ll realise your premature write-up.
Hi,
It’s great to hear that you have acclimatized yourself according to your vehicle. But it seems not everyone has the same driving pattern. The blog was curated after getting feedback from numerous AMT owners who expressed facing these common hassles. Stay Pinned! 🙂
I am driving AMT Dzire since 2017. It’s a blessing when you are driving in the city. It responds so well to the traffic and indiscipline peers that I will recommend to all city drivers, especially female drivers.
About driving uphill, I agree that it responds slow and you need time to get accustomed.
However it’s well-known that for hilly regions the choice will always be manual transmission.
So the bottom line is Suzuki AMT is a great choice for city drivers. Go for it.
Hi Abhijit,
It’s great to hear that you have acclimatized yourself with your vehicle. But it seems not everyone has the same driving pattern. The blog was curated after getting feedback from many AMT owners who expressed facing these common hassles. Stay Pinned! 🙂
6th year driving an AMT…. driven to hills, steep ghats, city traffic, full loads never faced one bit of any of the challenges … Auto transmission is the way to go.
Hi Ram,
It’s great to hear that you have acclimatized yourself to suit your vehicle. But it seems not everyone has the same driving pattern. The blog was curated after getting feedback from many AMT owners who expressed facing these common hassles.
Dear Go Mechanic,
Who has given you feedbacks on AMT performance. I own a Datsun Redigo 2018. I regularly drive my car in city and highways. The AMT functions of the gears work fine except some funny feedback on gear transmission. But does not have any effect on net acceleration. On free roads I cruise the car easily at 90 Kmph with top speed around 105. I have already driven my car in excess of 30000 kms with no problems.
So what is all the fuss about AMT.
Being a good car service company it is your bounden responsibility to refrain from frivolous & in researched comments, reviews about a product.
Thanks,
Pramod Bhure
Hi Pramod,
We do understand and appreciate your concern. But it seems everyone does not have the same driving pattern or the same vehicle as yours. The blog was curated after getting feedback from many AMT owners who expressed facing these common hassles.
This Article is absolutely rubbish. Looks like written by someone who has never driven Amt. Or this is paid article to curb sales of Amt