In 2008 I bought a fully automatic 1-4 Jazz. Later in 2008 my husband bought an iShift Civic as they were no longer making the fully automatic version.

We are long term users of Honda but the iShift gearbox was awful. When it was changing gear - it was jerky and you lurched forward as you would in a manual car if you were too long in a lower gear before changing up.

You had to treat it as you would a manual car and take your foot off the accelerator to allow it to change gear - they called it "feathering". Neither of us could see the point of having an automatic car that you drove almost like a manual one. It was particularly scary when reversing as it would suddenly jerk

The dealership put in a new module but agreed that they had received a lot of complaints. One of the salesmen even admitted that he hated reversing them for the same reason as us.

After 8months we paid another £3,000 and changed it for a fully automatic version which is great.

I have just been to my local dealer and heard the bad news that since the introduction of the 59 reg - all Jazz cars are now iShift so I will NOT be buying Honda again until they come to their senses and re-introduce the full auto version

The i-shift Jazz is a big mistake. Just because other manufacturers make c*** auto boxes doesn't make it right.

Honda should be ashamed of themselves allowing this poor excuse for an automatic into the showrooms.

On the upside, anyone with a late registered CVT Jazz is onto a good thing, they fetch big money.

My dealer called me last weekend, he'd got a 3 year old, 07 reg, 27,000mile, base colour, no toys, basic CVT Jazz. I admit it was in good order but at £9000 it was too much but someone has paid up and bought it!

I started this thread - thanks for the messages indeed as I had initially wondered if it was me rather than the car!

Just ordered a Hyundai i30 CRDi (ie diesel) automatic - drives very nicely - seems quite spritely - reasonably agile (but no Focus) - not as good accomodation as a Jazz (in my opinion - I like estate style cars). Honda's loss ehh?

I am on my 2nd ishift Jazz. I do 18,000 miles a year and it took me less than 2 months to adapt my driving style. Someone said that it "learns" your driving style - not so. You have to learn to drive again. I have never had problems reversing. The ride is better than the CVT Jazz but the CVT auto was very easy. I got an excellent trade-in price and I think that the garage had a buyer lined up.

However I do believe that Honda made a mistake in not using a proper autobox. Probably to do with "green" issues. Having said that, apparantly automated manual boxes are cheaper to make, therefore they will probably be the benchmark for super mini's.

I see that the new Polo 1.2 turbo has a automated manual box albeit a DSG type.I wonder if that's as "jerky". When I was looking around the 1.2 turbo was not for sale in the UK.

On balance I am pleased with the ishift.

Mebo

Nevermind. The All New Jazz CVT will be here December !

You are spot on there.

As a dealer we are extremely dissapointed that the I-Shift was introduced ! A CVT and I-Shift together would have been more realistic.

Having said that there are thousands of satisfied I-Shift customers out there ! Mostly people who have moved to Honda from Toyota , Citroen etc

> I put my car in the garage, and I reverse out and stop up a 7 in 1 incline, close the garge door then reverse again onto the road. The motion is jerky and worrying, I spoke to Honda Bexhill and they said it would be ok, should I believe them? <

Just so I'm clear on this...

Are you saying you reverse out of the garage, then leave the car unattended on a 1 in 7 slope while in 'drive' with the engine running while you shut the garage door?

Maybe - although I've had (mostly Honda) automatics for more than 25 years - I don't understand how i-drive works?

Or maybe this is a wind-up?

The honda jazz is a nice car we had the fully auto cvt,why they changed the system i dont understand must have been cost.And charging £180 pounds for a space saver what should have been free with the car they must think most people are made of money.I was talking to a mechanic at honda and he struggled to drive the car with this es shift system.I have a full spare in the ford we drive now its always sods law if you dont have it it happens.:)

Sussex

Surely you should reverse into your garage.?

As for complaints about Ishift, anyone who buys a new car without test driving it in comparable conditions to its future use deserves what they get - I am afraid.

Or maybe "caveat emptor" is unknown?

Edited by madf on 19/08/2010 at 10:24

"I would welcome some sensible advice.".....Sensible advice :- Test drive a brand new car before you buy it. It doesn't take long, when driving an i-shift Jazz, to ascertain whether you like the gearbox or not. You must have driven it before purchase and seen that it was jerky.

"I am saving up £180 for the spacesaver wheel"...... Are you seriously saying you bought a new car for, what must have been, about £15,000 but have to 'save up' £180 for the spare wheel?

Edited by KB. on 19/08/2010 at 14:58