Automatic Manual Transmission | AMT | Everything You Need to Know

If you go out shopping for a new car, what are the things that come on the checklist? It may include the engine specifications, fuel economy, interior comforts, high-tech infotainment, and more.

However, the engine specifications aren’t enough to come across the performance, the convenience while driving, and also the fuel efficiency. While considering the engine, transmission is also an important aspect that can affect a lot. From fuel economy to future maintenance and repair costs, yes these can be variable depending on the type of transmission you choose.

Currently, in the Indian market, acronyms like AT, MT, and AMT are quite popular, which stand for automatic transmission, manual transmission, and automatic manual transmission respectively.

While the first two are quite easy to decipher, people often bang their heads to the wall while understanding the working of an automatic manual transmission. But to save you from blood-pool, this article will cover almost everything you need to know about an AMT.

Automatic Manual Transmission(AMT): the sweet spot to manual and automatic transmission type

Besides the AMT acronym holding the combination of automatic and manual, it actually combines the positives of both types of transmission. The AMT has a clutch pedal like a manual transmission, but it can be controlled by the ECU under certain modes, which reduces the hassle of shifting your legs from clutch to brake and back frequently.

Also, the manual modes let the driver have the best engagement which is lost while opting for the automatic. While the automatic transmission is expensive, the AMT is more affordable. Let’s summaries the pros and cons of an AMT over the other types of transmission.

Pros:

• The best advantage of an AMT over automatic and manual transmissions is that it combines the best of both worlds. While it offers the convenience and hassle-free automatic shifts in traffic, changing over to manual mode returns the same amount of thrill as in a traditional manual transmission.
• The AMT is overall more efficient to both manual and automatic types of transmission.
• The AMT is more economical to maintain than automatic transmission.
• In terms of cost, the AMT sits slightly above the manual and lower to the automatic transmission, hence the sweet spot to the two.

Cons:

• AMT relies on preset rpm levels, which makes unplanned shifts during overtaking maneuvers which can be unnerving. 
• They are tricky to control especially on an incline hilly terrain.
• The gear shift quality of an AMT is not-consistent and sometimes it’s more of jerks and awkward.

Recommended - Central Locking System

Now that we have covered the pros and cons of the automatic manual transmission, let’s consider some unknown facts about the same. 

The automatic manual transmissions are no less of a boon in heavy traffic. They come equipped with a “creep” function which helps the car creep in traffic at slow speeds of 5-6 kph.

This reduces the fatigue of the driver who’ll have to manage both clutch and brake in a manual transmission, while both acceleration and brakes in an automatic car.

The AMT transmission combines the best of both worlds, the positive of both the manual and automatic type of transmission. While they have more efficiency and better economy, they are cheaper than the high-price automatic cars.

Though the disadvantage of lacking control over the clutch translates to difficult overtaking scenarios and running on inclined hilly terrains.