Four thousand miles and counting

Four thousand i-Shifted miles

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.

OK. You want to know about the i-Shift don't you? It's probably why you came to read this blog. Well, you'll know if you've been following this blog from the start that my expectation is that you will not like the i-Shift one little bit! Here's why:

• 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.

However, if:

• 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.

I was a serial Jazz CVT owner with nearly 200 000 CVT miles, so I had a long learning curve to go through but now, well, I'm not sure whether I'd go back to CVT. Learning the i-Shift way (if you want to) will give you better fuel economy from the CVT (for me so far its approximately 5-8 MPG better) but a more assertive driving experience. This fits the roads and traffic densities that I have to deal with on my commute. On holiday, I think I will long for the select D and forget about the transmission type of driving but on my holidays I am not generally in busy commuter traffic and keeping up with traffic flows.

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.