It's just turned April 2010 and our i-Shift Jazz 1.4 iVTEC ES has passed its 4000 miles mark. Time for an update.
Oil and Maintenance
The variable service indicator tells me that the service is due in 8000 miles meaning that the Shifty thinks it's following the standard service schedule for European Jazz cars - services every 12500 miles. I am not sure whether I'm going to ask for an "extra" oil change in 2000 miles time. In the last of our previous, old shape, Jazz CVT cars we changed the oil every 6000 miles (out of choice) and I'm certain that that helped the engine get to 110 000 miles without issues. However from an environmental standpoint it isn't friendly. On the upside used motor oil is collected in the UK and cleaned in a recyling process but changing it just because it starting to look less sunflower oil and more golden syrup like might mean I'm throwing away oil that had more life to give.
OK. I've decided whilst I type that this time I'm going to wait until the suggested service mileage and have it changed then. Will be using the fully synthetic "fuel saving" 0W30 Castrol oils recommended by Honda at the change time. Only the best for Shifty.
So far my twice weekly under-bonnet checks have revealed that just like our two previous i-DSi engined Jazz cars, the i-VTEC engined 1.4 litre engine doesn't use any oil. I never needed to top up engine oil on either of the previous cars in their combined 200 000 mile lifetime. I'm going to assume that Shifty will be the same.
One thing less to check in the i-Shift over the CVT Jazz is the transmission oil level. There is no dipstick/filler to check that level. This has the obvious advantage that there is no chance of dirt or contamination entering the transmission. I do keep my engine bays very clean so the chance of dirt falling in was very unlikely. However, for less cleaning obsessed car owners, I can imagine the low position of the top of the CVT transmission dipstick/filler tube and its wide opening might mean dirt could fall in causing problems or just a reduced working lifetime for the transmission.
So I don't have to worry about CVT oil levels now but I do have to check the clutch hydraulic fluid level. Clutch? Yes. The i-Shift is an automated manual transmission car. The single dry plate clutch is operated by a hydraulic pump controlled by the i-Shift system. In addition, two small electric motors do the job of selecting gears. This complicated sounding arangement is simpler than it sounds and is implemented in way that I, as an ex-practical DIY mechanic, can see is straightforward to work on and easy to maintain. I assume (based on previous Honda experience of intelligent fluid-electro-mechanic assemblies such as the CVT transmission) that i-Shift will work perfectly for many tens of thousands of miles.
Driving
I do have a majority share when it comes to driving Shifty with three thousand of the four thousand miles being with me driving. So how's it been?
- Enjoyable - despite horrible wintry weather - snow, ice, floods - Shifty makes my daily commute bearable and my quality time very happy indeed. Honda helped by providing heated door mirror glass, the wonderful vehicle stability assist (VSA) system, powerful demisting fan and a well designed demisting vent arrangement. Sounds like a common list but the way these things are implemented makes all the difference.
- Economical - 62 (imperial) MPG, 51 (US) MPG, 22km/liter, 4.55 litre/100km for a 1.4 petrol engine. This is based on a daily 100 mile roundtrip commute with average speed 35 MPH/ 56 KPH, driving suburban and rural.
- Quiet - although not quite as quiet as a 1.4 iDSi CVT Jazz at 60 MPH using Yokohama C-Drive tyres (185/55R15) on the flat. Note: the sixth gear on the i-Shift (6-speed) 1.4 i-VTEC means that automatic Jazz has a lower engine speed at 60MPH than the five speed manual transmission Jazz and is thus quieter. Also note that the manual i-VTEC Jazz is slightly quieter the i-DSi older model Jazz.
- Reliable - OK it's only a few months old and only at the 4000 mark but it's worth mentioning that nothing has needed replaced or adjusted under warranty - Shifty has yet to see the workshop at our local garage.
- You're an old model Jazz CVT driver wondering about the new Jazz and i-Shift. Well if you go for a test drive - essential - then you will not immediately like the i-Shift. It will change gear apparently randomly and will be noiser and jerky. In fact you may be very pleased to get back to the dealer in one piece without being rammed from behind. You'll not really have noticed that you will have used less fuel than you would have in the CVT. In fact you are probably slightly scared.
- You're a classic torque convertor based automatic transmission driver. What's the i-Shift like? Well you'll find that its gear changes aren't smooth, seem to cause abrupt changes in engine speed, suddenly removing your foot from the throttle causes the car to slow down, dramatically if i-Shift was in a low gear. You will also be pleased to return to the dealer, happy to return to using the footbrake to slow down and the more predictable behaviour of your car. You will have had the feeling that you are going to be rammed from behind at any moment. You'll not really have noticed that you will have used less fuel than you would have in your auto car.
- You're a manual transmission car driver. You're used to switching the gears manually back and forth, slipping the clutch on hills and moving off in second on the flat, but you've decided that the since you do a long commute some of which is in town and the rest on the motorway that having a higher ratio, additional gear, to the manual Jazz and having a car to switch gears for you in town, sounds great. On your test drive you'll be shocked. The car changes gear seemingly randomly, takes so long to change, revs like crazy, but then changes to a ridiculously high gear when you least expect it. You'll have had the feeling that you are going to be rammed from behind at any moment, feel who cares how much fuel you saved, and that you'd rather change gear yourself.
- You're an automated manual transmission driver who's never driven i-Shift. You appreciate that the change points are slightly different. You'll notice that there is an element of driver learning that is done by the transmission - are you doing town, country, sporty, economical. You'll appreciate that you can gain access to i-VTEC quick acceleration and lower gears instantly and predicably by using quicker than normal throttle movements. You'll notice the hill awareness, changing down to lower gears to provide engine braking, holding on to lower gears longer when climbing. You'll quickly realise that holding on to the current gear for continued normal acceleration, upward gear change points and immediate engine braking can be requested by progressive and subtle throttle foot moments, or by removing your foot from the throttle. You'll quickly learn the subtle difference of the i-Shift over your current automated manual car and hopefully (for Honda) put your order in for a nice new i-Shift.
If I could have a CVT for holidays and the i-Shift for work then I would be in a perfect world.
Please do try out an i-Shift. I know you might be shocked at its behaviour but bear in mind what I've said so far in this blog, give it a sporting chance and it might well grow on you.
Thank you for an intelligent and factual report. Sitting here wondering whether to go for the iShift Honda or the CVT A Class diesel and being a manual diesel driver has caused me to seriously get worried over the many negative comments.
ReplyDeleteTeeKay
There is truth to the negative comments. I do try to be balanced but I have to admit I do do a lot of I-shift in manual mode driving.
ReplyDeleteI'll try and put up a post soon that fills people in.
One thing that is really, really important, is that you absolutely must drive the car in an extended test run over a familar route then through an urban one. Try I-Shift in auto mode but also spend a good deal of time in manual mode too.
I-Shift auto is great for "laid back driving" over familiar uncomplicate roads but for other road types i-shift in manual mode is almost essential.
Another car for you to consider is the CVT transmission on the new Nissan Juke. www.nissan.co.uk/juke
Let me know what you decide!
Thanks! You've written some really sound articles.
ReplyDeleteDon't you find unbeareable the noise it randomly emits when it automaticaly downshifts to first gear -sometimes even when one has just been slow and gently braking to a complete stop ?
I bought the car because my wife and I had rented the new Fit during a stay in Japan in 2009 and we didn't expect such a difference when it comes to the jerkness of the i-shift. Still, we like the car a lot and have learned to use it but are really worried about this clunk noise it makes when going down to first gear.
The dealer in Barcelona says it's normal... but I am mostly worried because it's a random behaviour.
Does you car make something like that ?
My unit is made in Swindon by the way :)
Daniel
Hi Daniel,
ReplyDeleteYes it is "normal" if the noise is a surprisingly loud clunk on selection of first gear. This is based on a sample of two iShifts - yours and mine. Not very good statistical evidence I know but there it is.
I don't use automatic mode when driving anymore. I find that surrounding traffic on my commute doesn't allow for a relaxed driving style.
I've become accustomed to driving it as an automated clutch car. I avoid the clunk by selecting neutral when slowing to a near halt. This avoids the safety mechanism in iShift of changing from second to first that occurs irrespective of auto or manual mode when slowing to a stop.
I've learnt to drive the car in a way that has become second nature but it is neither a manual style nor an automatic one.
An update on the odometer: I'm just about to pass 40000 miles driven. In that time there have been no mechanical faults requiring warranty work. Just regular servicing as per the variable service indicator. Typically AB services are required every 9500 miles. The 'B' current trip computer for the last 9000 miles driven is indicating 61.5 miles to imperial gallon. So fuel efficiency is fine.
iShift is now not available on new Jazz cars in the UK. Honda have brought back CVT but using a torque convertor instead of the pulsing start clutch previously used.
I'll keep running the iShift until it's paid for then consider what models and transmissions are out then. Might even consider a different manufacturer; I do feel a little cheated with Honda's drop of then re-use of CVT.
Dunky - I enjoyed your comments about your life with shifty. Like you I had a CVT and then moved to the i-shift and then another. I was never able to analyse the workings of i-shift like yourself but I did enjoy driving it. My mpg was never as good as yours - around 47. The trip computer was always about 10% optimistic. My commute is 25 miles each way - 20 of them quiet motorway. After my last 25k service the car was much more responsive - but 1st to 2nd was always a bit tricky to come to terms with especially when cold. After 29k I traded in for a new CVT. I got a good price but it was about £500 less because it was the i-shift. After 2 weeks with the CVT it is like learning old ways again BUT the mpg is not going to be as good.
ReplyDeleteYour last comment sounds like you have become dis-allusioned with Honda. Don't be. They made a commercial mis-judgement which didn't work out. I looked at buying a VW DSG Polo but was but off after reading about the alleged problems with that gearbox and Honest John is right - VW is trading on it's history of reliability and is just average. The thing about Honda is that its not just average. I have had 4 Jazzies and not one needed any work other than servicing. Jim (Mebo on HJ's site).
Interesting blogs!
ReplyDeleteMy wife's had an i-shift for about 18 months and covered about 10000 miles. I've driven it a lot recently due to her having health problems.
I'm disappointed in the fuel economy - reported averages of 35-38mpg (imperial) depending on how hard it's driven.
I find the true consumption figure is typically 2mpg lower than its reported value.
It's used mainly for 5 mile school runs that include 30, 40 and 60mph roads, with a number of hills.
Our previous car, a 1.8 petrol Focus did around 26mpg on the same runs.
The best I've seen from the Jazz on a motorway run was 40mpg.
Looking at the fuel consumption bar graph seems to indicate that the inclines really hit the consumption hard.
The front wheels get dirty quicker than any other car we've had - despite gentle braking. I find the brakes too "grabby" for my taste.
The slight jerk when it changes gear sometimes makes me think it's actually applying the brakes during shifts - which would explain a lot :)
I too am interested in the Toyota options and hybrids.
Thinking of changing sooner rather than later - it's a bit of a love-hate thing. It's great for gentle driving, but when you go a bit quicker to avoid getting in people's way, things are not as smooth.
Eddy
Hi Eddy, thanks for your comments. Always love to hear from fellow iShifters.
DeleteI think I have the perfect combination of road types on my commute. I drive a roundtrip of 60 miles per day. I pass through two towns and one village. Most of the journey is on reasonably open roads. Typical average speed on each journey is 40 mph. Over a week's driving I typically get an indicated mpg of 55 winter and 65 summer. I always full the car to the pump's auto cutoff and pretty much every week it takes about 30 -32 litres with a commuting plus the weekly supermarket trip of about 380 miles on the trip. In my case the in car average mpg readout seems to match actual fuel used over distance travelled. My previous CCTV Jazz were slightly less efficient but not by much.
I do try to drive gently but do keep pace with commuter traffic. I mostly use Shell V power with occasional use of BP ultimate ( no more than 5 tank fills per year. I try to avoid using supermarket or fuels without additives.
I also use low rolling resistance tyres (currently Yokohama BluEarth AE01) and keep them at the text book pressure with a weekly check.
Car is serviced by my local Honda dealer as per the variable service indicator - typically a 9000 mile service interval.
Eddy, if you can wait, a new generation of Honda CVT and automated manual transmissions is coming to the new Jazz models in 2014.
DeleteAs part of the Earth Dreams engine and transmission programme, petrol engines get direct injection and follow the Atkinson cycle, a new CVT with G-Design Shift, and the i-DCD dual clutch automated manual. The i-DCD has an electric motor option and that is going to be used in Hybrid models in place of the IMA.
The great thing is that the new hybrid model will finally do what the Toyota hybrids can do - drive extended periods only on electric motor.
No figures have been published yet about mpg but hopefully it will be at least as good as the really efficient Yaris hybrid.
Those figures have been published and for Japan's JC08 fuel consumption test, the Jazz Hybrid 1.5l petrol 7 speed dual clutch automatic model gets 102 miles to the imperial gallon. Excellent!
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