Powershift signals new era for automatics

Aug 21 2009 Ian Johnson

Powershift signals new era for automatics

ONE of the major pitfalls of an automatic transmission has been poor fuel economy when compared to a manual.

On older cars this was very marked because the traditional units used a lot of the power of the engine to work its mechanisms.

I have always been of the opinion that many more people would choose automatics if they were more fuel friendly and in recent times they have become a little more frugal.

But this week, Ford claims it has levelled the playing field for automatics with the launch of its new six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission which, the company claims, delivers the performance and fuel economy of a manual gearbox with the comfort and convenience of an automatic.

The secret behind PowerShift's performance is the use of two electronically-controlled clutch units, which ensure seamless delivery of power to the wheels.

The two clutches each control what are effectively separate three-speed gearboxes.

The six-speed Ford PowerShift transmission is available with the advanced 136PS 2.0 TDCi diesel engine, and in a Ford Focus the pairing achieves 48.6mpg and CO2 emissions of 154g/km.

When you think of the old three speed transmissions that needed a hefty engine to drive them, often returning around 22mpg, the above figure is quite amazing even for a diesel.