New Automatic Fiat Ducato

It's an eternal dilemma among campers: do we go for an automatic gearbox or do we prefer to shift gears ourselves? Enthusiasts of the gear stick often think they can shift better than an automatic can. Or there's the fear of getting stuck on wet grass. Yet, a modern automatic offers more advantages than you might expect. The new automatic in the Fiat Ducato is living proof of this.

Fiat Automatic for more comfort and lower consumption

You couldn't really call the old automatic gearbox in the Fiat Ducato comfortable. Convenient, yes, because you don't have to shift or clutch yourself. However, with the new Euro 6 D-temp engines, Fiat has introduced a modern automatic gearbox. In the past, an old-fashioned automatic used to consume more fuel, but nowadays they are so efficient that they actually save fuel. By shifting gears at precisely the right RPMs, and thus always getting the most out of the engine's torque, consumption is significantly reduced. The no less than nine gears also contribute to this. This way, the correct gear is chosen more often at the right RPM.

ZF automatic gearboxes

For the new automatic, Fiat has shopped in ZF's warehouse. This German manufacturer of gearboxes supplies, among others, Iveco, Rolls Royce, and BMW. That this brand can be called skilled, therefore speaks for itself. The strongest 177 hp Euro 6 engine with the new automatic delivers 50Nm more torque than the 400Nm of the manual version.

New engines impressive

The new Euro 6d-temp engines for which the new gearbox is available come in four versions. The 120, 140, 160, and 180hp Multijet engines deliver their highest torque from as low as 1500 RPM. This ensures that you have all the power you need to move the camper smoothly at low RPMs. The ECO mode, available on the 160 and 180hp engines, ensures that the RPM drops further to squeeze the maximum out of every liter of diesel. For example, the fuel pump switches to half power for this. It can be tempting to choose the 120 or 140 hp version, but that won't get you anywhere in current traffic. A good option then is the 160hp Multijet when you buy a new camper. It will then have that eco mode when you choose the automatic. More economical when possible or more powerful when you need it.

More information: www.fiatprofessional.com