The iMT Analysis
Hyundai India had just introduced a new ‘intelligent Manual Transmission’ gearbox, or iMT for short, sometime back for the Venue. For all the non-automotive enthusiasts, I want to point out that this new transmission was first introduced to us at the Auto-Expo for the upcoming Kia Sonet, yet Hyundai beat them at this by introducing the same first. Taking lead from Kia, Hyundai had launched the Venue equipped with the iMT in July 2020, with Kia launching the Sonet with the iMT gearbox on 18 September 2020. Launching the iMT with the Venue first instead of the Sonet was significantly beneficial for Hyundai as IMT was widely being considered to be one of the USPs of the Sonet. So for all those who are scratching their heads in wonder regarding all of this, don’t worry, we will take a deeper look into this revolutionary technology and see how it works.
Simply and quite accurately put, the iMT is a ‘clutchless manual’. Yes, at its heart it’s just a regular manual gearbox but without a clutch pedal. But before we progress any further, to bring you all on the same page, let’s discuss some basics about transmissions in cars in general. In a manual transmission, the power from the engine must be discontinued before changing the gears to ensure smooth gear change, and since turning off the engine is not suitable for this purpose, a clutch is used for the same. A clutch is essentially a disk coated with high friction material which is pressed against the flywheel and due to friction, rotates with it, providing power to a running car. When the user engages the clutch pedal, the clutch disk is temporarily pushed away from the engine flywheel, momentarily discontinuing power, during which, the gears can be changed smoothly.
However, newbie drivers and those seeking comfortable driving find it difficult to drive a manual car due to constant clutch pressing and gear shifting at the same time in a split-second. So to overcome this problem, the iMT gearbox has been introduced.
So, how does it work? At its heart, the engine has a clutch, but it is electronically controlled by a Transmission Control Unit (TCU), which is an electronic chip controller, along with an “Intention Sensor” embedded on the gear stick. When the driver touches the gear stick, the Transmission Control Unit receives a signal that the driver wishes to change gears. The gear stick movement further informs the TCU regarding the gear to which the driver wants to switch. This engages the hydraulic actuator to actuate the clutch (an actuator is a component needed to move a component, in this case, the clutch). This is managed by a Concentric Slave Cylinder (CSC) through a Clutch Tube. The CSC uses the pressure generated by the actuator to control the clutch and pressure plate which engages and disengages the clutch. With this new IMT system, the driver can shift gears without the need to mechanically operate the clutch pedal.
The benefit of this transmission is that you have complete control over what gear your car is in and you don’t have to rely on the software getting it right. Thus, in situations like coming down a slope or overtaking, you have full control over the gearbox and you know the car will not second guess you. And this is of course without the headache of operating the clutch. Another advantage is that by using fewer parts than an AMT (as there are no actuators for the gears required), the cost of an iMT is also closer to that of a regular manual. Also, it's fuel efficiency is also higher than an AMT and closer to the range of manual ones.
Fun fact - This technology is not exactly "brand new", and was first used in the Ferrari Mondial during the '80s.
Final Verdict - If you are a new driver who wants to learn driving without it all being overbearing, or if you are someone who prefers the control of a manual car while driving with the ease of an automatic one, go for it. While this technology is currently available only in Hyundai Venue and Kia Sonet in India, this technology will pretty soon catch up with all the car manufacturers soon.
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