Looking for a Torque Convertor Auto - motability car

MouldyOldDough

Goudy said:

Ganga said:

Goudy said:

You are always going to get something like that as the electric motor and ICE can run independently.

The beauty of the lastet Direct Shift is very simple.
When it's likely to run in electric alone, like setting off and slower speed (which is more of the time as they have bigger batteries), it's not pushing power through the gearbox, which can be power sapping.
It's acting very much like a normal electric car, it's power is sent directly to it's final drive by one fixed gear.

When at speed and it's using the ICE or a combination of ICE and electric motor, that needs some sort of gearing to run efficiently, so it uses the gearbox, but it's a smaller, lighter and more efficient gearbox as it doesn't need the capacity to run at lower speed/gearing. All it needs it to run is the top end, higher speeds.

The older system always had to run whatever power, from whichever motor through the gears to make the wheels turn at any speed.
This is why you get that engine speed/road speed offset.
There is always a time when the engines rpm are high to drive a low gear, like pedaling a bicycle at 30 mph in it's lowest gear, your legs spin like billyo and you're red in the face!

The newer Direct system doesn't (not as much anyway) the lower gearing is handled by the fixed gear, it's only when you are up to speed does the gearbox kick in and by then the revs and road speed are better matched.

This type and i suppose all new gearboxes are going to stop the man in the street from doing their own repairs ,most mechanically minded people could change a clutch themselves but these are in a different stratosphere.

I think it's more the packaging that's the major stumbling block for jobs like these.
Front wheel drive, transverse layout cars have always been a bit fiddly to get the gearbox out.

Even before these fancy gearboxes some often required the engine and gearbox to be dropped out to get at the clutch.

I remember changing the clutch on a 1998 Rav4 4x4 and that was a nightmare even in a proper garage with a lift and all the tools. It was an engine out job.

One good thing about the Toyota CVT, they do seem to be almost indestructible.

There's plenty of the older system Toyota hybrids that hit 300,000+ miles with easy and I've read the newer direct system is perhaps even more reliable.

The OP should make a list of suitable cars with whatever auto gearboxes they have and give them a good test drive.
Take the mobility scooter with them as well, see if it fits in.

Will do and will report back on my findings....