Hyundai Venue Turbo Gets New iMT Manual Gearbox Shifts Gears Without A Clutch

• The iMT will be offered with the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine.
• The 6-speed MT and DCT will continue to be offered with this engine.
• Kia's upcoming sub-4 metre SUV, the Sonet, will also utilise this technology.

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So how does the Venue's new iMT gearbox work? Well, for starters, you still get a manual stick shifter to row through the gears. However, like cars with conventional automatic gearboxes, there's no clutch pedal in the footwell. Instead, the task of shifting gears lies with an intention sensor, a hydraulic actuator and a transmission control unit. Let us explain about its operation in five easy points:

• As you drive and intend to change a gear, the lever intention sensor sends a signal to the TCU (transmission control unit), indicating you need to change gear.

• The TCU then sends signals to the hydraulic actuator to form hydraulic pressure.

• That pressure is then transferred to the concentric slave cylinder through the clutch tube.

• With this pressure, the concentric slave cylinder controls the clutch and pressure plate, thereby engaging and disengaging the clutch plate.

• And voila You're able to shift to gears without the need to depress a clutch pedal.

In layman's terms, this system uses a host of sensors and will automatically engage the clutch to shift and change gears. While this tech does offer convenience, a handful of you will definitely want a conventional clutch and gearbox. And there's good news. The Venue Turbo with the standard 6-speed MT will be retained and the iMT will be sold alongside it. The Kia Sonet, which will use the same powertrain as the Venue, will also be offered with this technology.

The Venue iMT is expected to reach showrooms soon and go on sale later this month. It will most likely be offered as a cheaper alternative to the Venue Turbo DCT variant and will take on AMT-equipped variants of the and the Mahindra XUV300 and even the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport that feature conventional torque convertor automatic gearboxes. Expect it to be priced between the Turbo manual (Rs 8.46 lakh to Rs 10.95 lakh) and Turbo DCT variants (Rs 9.60 lakh to Rs 11.51 lakh). Here's a quick look at the current variants and their prices:

Variant	Hyundai Venue Turbo MT	Hyundai Venue Turbo DCT
S	Rs 8.46 lakh	Rs 9.60 lakh
SX	Rs 9.79 lakh	-----
SX Dual Tone	Rs 9.94 lakh	-----
SX (O)	Rs 10.85 lakh	-----
SX (O) Dual Tone	Rs 10.95 lakh	-----
SX +	-----	Rs 11.36 lakh
SX+ Dual Tone	-----	Rs 11.51 lakh

All prices, ex-showroom