When we drove the new Smart Fortwo and Forfour back in November, Daimler was still working out the kinks in its dual-clutch transmission. But a few months later, the German automaker has apparently finished tinkering with the automatic, and now Smart is introducing it as an option on the new Fortwo in its home market.
The six-speed DCT - dubbed "Twinamic" - is being rolled out initially on the 71-horsepower version of the 1.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-three, netting a 0-62 time of 15.1 seconds. That's slow, but it's a solid 0.8 seconds quicker off the line than the same engine with the six-speed manual. Top speed (not exactly a city car's forte) remains pegged at 94 miles per hour. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures remain virtually unchanged, quoted at the same 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers (57 mpg converted from the more lenient European cycle) and a slightly worse 94 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (instead of 93 with the manual).
The first Fortwos with the DCT are slated to be delivered in March, available on the base model for an extra 1275 euros, tax-in (equivalent to $1,500 at today's rates) or 1000 euros ($1160) on the Passion, Prime and Proxy trim levels. Shifting is actuated automatically or can be controlled by the gear selector, but opt for the Sport package and you'll get shift paddles as well. Either way, it promises to deliver a much smoother experience than the widely lambasted robotized gearbox on the outgoing model.
We suspect North American buyers will get this transmission at some point, but thus far, it remains unconfirmed. We've reached out to Daimler officials and will update this story if we hear more.
The six-speed DCT - dubbed "Twinamic" - is being rolled out initially on the 71-horsepower version of the 1.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-three, netting a 0-62 time of 15.1 seconds. That's slow, but it's a solid 0.8 seconds quicker off the line than the same engine with the six-speed manual. Top speed (not exactly a city car's forte) remains pegged at 94 miles per hour. Fuel consumption and CO2 figures remain virtually unchanged, quoted at the same 4.1 liters per 100 kilometers (57 mpg converted from the more lenient European cycle) and a slightly worse 94 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer (instead of 93 with the manual).
The first Fortwos with the DCT are slated to be delivered in March, available on the base model for an extra 1275 euros, tax-in (equivalent to $1,500 at today's rates) or 1000 euros ($1160) on the Passion, Prime and Proxy trim levels. Shifting is actuated automatically or can be controlled by the gear selector, but opt for the Sport package and you'll get shift paddles as well. Either way, it promises to deliver a much smoother experience than the widely lambasted robotized gearbox on the outgoing model.
We suspect North American buyers will get this transmission at some point, but thus far, it remains unconfirmed. We've reached out to Daimler officials and will update this story if we hear more.
smart fortwo now available for ordering with twinamic dual clutch transmission: Hands-on or automatic gear shifting
As the first model of the new smart generation, the smart fortwo rated at 52 kW/71 hp is now available for ordering with the twinamic dual clutch transmission. This enables gear shifting to be carried out either fully automatically or manually. Manual shifting is possible using the selector lever in a separate gate or by means of the shift paddles included in the Sports package. The additional charge for the twinamic in Germany in the standard version is 1275 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT); in combination with the passion, prime and proxy lines 1000 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT). The dual clutch transmission is available in combination with the passion, prime and proxy equipment lines. The first smart fortwos with twinamic will be delivered in March 2015.
The twinamic offers the advantage of particularly smooth gear changing without any interruption in tractive power. The smart fortwo rated at 52 kW/71 hp will be available with this state-of-the-art dual clutch transmission as of March 2015. With twinamic, the fortwo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 15.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 151 km/h. The combined fuel consumption stands at 4.1 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres, corresponding to a CO2 figure of 94 grams per kilometre.
The twinamic dual clutch transmission is unique in the small car and microcar segments and meets the wishes of all drivers who appreciate the convenience of an automatic transmission in urban traffic.
The data for the version at a glance:
Recommended retail price for Germany, incl. 19% VAT
twinamic: Convenience coupled with efficiency
The twinamic automatic transmission is designed as a 3-shaft dual clutch manual transmission and has six forward gears and one reverse gear. Both clutch actuation and gear changing are fully automatic and enable particularly smooth shifting without any interruption in tractive power. The transmission operates fully automatically. Manual shifting is possible using the selector lever in a separate gate or by means of the shift paddles included in the Sports package.
Thanks to the two sub-transmissions, changing to the next highest or lowest gear is immediate and without any loss of tractive power. If required, the electronic controller skips individual gears instead of changing down through each individual gear. It therefore offers the comfort of an automatic transmission combined with the efficiency of a manual transmission.
As the first model of the new smart generation, the smart fortwo rated at 52 kW/71 hp is now available for ordering with the twinamic dual clutch transmission. This enables gear shifting to be carried out either fully automatically or manually. Manual shifting is possible using the selector lever in a separate gate or by means of the shift paddles included in the Sports package. The additional charge for the twinamic in Germany in the standard version is 1275 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT); in combination with the passion, prime and proxy lines 1000 euros (RRP, incl. 19% VAT). The dual clutch transmission is available in combination with the passion, prime and proxy equipment lines. The first smart fortwos with twinamic will be delivered in March 2015.
The twinamic offers the advantage of particularly smooth gear changing without any interruption in tractive power. The smart fortwo rated at 52 kW/71 hp will be available with this state-of-the-art dual clutch transmission as of March 2015. With twinamic, the fortwo accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 15.1 seconds and reaches a top speed of 151 km/h. The combined fuel consumption stands at 4.1 litres of petrol per 100 kilometres, corresponding to a CO2 figure of 94 grams per kilometre.
The twinamic dual clutch transmission is unique in the small car and microcar segments and meets the wishes of all drivers who appreciate the convenience of an automatic transmission in urban traffic.
The data for the version at a glance:
|
smart fortwo twinamic 52 kW
|
|
|
Number of cylinders/arrangement
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3 in-line
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|
Displacement (cc)
|
999
|
|
Rated output (kW/hp)
|
52/71
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|
at rpm
|
6000
|
|
Rated torque (Nm)
|
91
|
|
at rpm
|
2850
|
|
Combined fuel consumption (l/100 km)
|
4.1
|
|
Combined CO2 emissions (g/km)
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94
|
|
Efficiency class
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B
|
|
Acceleration 0-100 km/h (s)
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15.1
|
|
Top speed (km/h)
|
151
|
|
Price (euros) starting at
|
12,170
|
twinamic: Convenience coupled with efficiency
The twinamic automatic transmission is designed as a 3-shaft dual clutch manual transmission and has six forward gears and one reverse gear. Both clutch actuation and gear changing are fully automatic and enable particularly smooth shifting without any interruption in tractive power. The transmission operates fully automatically. Manual shifting is possible using the selector lever in a separate gate or by means of the shift paddles included in the Sports package.
Thanks to the two sub-transmissions, changing to the next highest or lowest gear is immediate and without any loss of tractive power. If required, the electronic controller skips individual gears instead of changing down through each individual gear. It therefore offers the comfort of an automatic transmission combined with the efficiency of a manual transmission.
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