© Illustration: Jason Torchinsky

In America, as we all know and lament, manual transmissions are an endangered species, like the Carolina Bottleneck Squid, the last one of which I accidentally slammed in my car door this morning. In the rest of the world, they’re still thriving, but that doesn’t mean the manuals are safe. Automatics are always looming, though, in some places, that path is a bit stranger. Like in India, where Hyundai has introduced a manual transmission that you shift, but with no clutch. Sort of like the Volkswagen Automatic Stickshift from 1968.

Earlier this month, Hyundai of India announced their new “Intelligent Manual Transmission” technology for the Indian-market Hyundai Venue, a small crossover based on the Accent platform.

Hyundai Transmission

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Here in the U.S., you can get a Venue with a six-speed manual or a CVT, but in India there’s now an option for a six-speed manual, but with no clutch.

Yes, it’s a two-pedal setup, but you still shift.

I’ve shifted without the clutch before on several cars I’ve owned, but that’s only been because either a clutch cable broke or a clutch hydraulic cylinder failed, and it was never really ideal. Especially trying to get into first.

Hyundai’s system, of course, is actually intentional and as such has mechanisms in place to replace the usual foot-actuated clutch. Here’s how Hyundai describes it:

Hyundai’s iMT technology features a Transmission Gear Shift (TGS) Lever with Intention Sensor, Hydraulic Actuator and Transmission Control Unit (TCU). The system has been designed to offer a seamless drive experience by incorporating a cohesive logic between the various components on manual transmissions:

1. Transmission Control Unit receives signal from TGS Lever Intention Sensor, indicating drivers desire to change gears.

2. TCU sends signal to engage Hydraulic Actuator forming Hydraulic Pressure.

3. Hydraulic Pressure is then sent to Concentric Slave Cylinder (CSC) through Clutch Tube.

4. Concentric Slave Cylinder uses this pressure to control the clutch and pressure plate, thereby engaging and disengaging the clutch.

5. Driver is able to seamlessly shift gears without the need to mechanically operate clutch pedal.

Okay, so there is a clutch in the system, but it’s hydraulically actuated. How it’s actuated is the interesting part. Hyundai says an “Intention Sensor” mounted on or in the Transmission Gear Shift (TGS) lever (that’s just the shifter, people, don’t call it a “TGS”) somehow sends a signal to the control unit, which then actuates the clutch.

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This all sounds a hell of a lot like the old Volkswagen Autostick setup, which was, essentially, a regular four-speed manual transmission with first gear lopped off and a torque converter and vacuum-operated clutch added.

On the old VW system, there was a simple little electrical contact in the shifter that, when you put your hand on the shifter, sent a signal to engage the clutch, and then when you let off, let the clutch out.

When mine broke I briefly replaced it with a simple toggle switch.

Hyundai’s system seems similar—the motion of shift lever still seems to trigger the clutch to engage, and it’s essentially just a manual transmission with an automatic clutch.

Strangely, the VW system is actually a bit more advanced, if that’s even the right word, since the old Autostick had a torque converter, allowing the car to be driven from a dead stop in any of the gear ratios, even the highest (fourth) gear, though if you did that you’d be envying glaciers for their acceleration.

The Hyundai system seems fun, I suppose, at least more fun than a normal automatic, or, worse, a CVT. I still think it’s worthwhile and rewarding to learn how to use a clutch, but this setup, which is cheaper than a fully automatic and still saves your left leg in long stretches of stop-and-go traffic, seems like a pretty novel solution.

Bring it to America, Hyundai! Why the hell not? This would significantly reduce the learning curve of a manual and could be a good gateway drug to full three-pedal driving. Plus, it’d just be a fun option no one else would have! What do you have to lose, right?

Right.

In its review of the 2020 Hyundai Tucson, Car and Driver says, “The Tucson is proof that Hyundai knows exactly what small SUV buyers want.” The Hyundai Tucson arrived for the 2005 model year, providing a compact SUV option with two rows of seating for five people.

The design was then updated for model years 2010 and 2016. Not every model year of the Tucson has provided exactly what buyers want, though. Here’s a look at the Hyundai Tucson and its three worst problems.

Complaints about the Hyundai Tucson

CarComplaints.com is one online source for owner-submitted problems that people have had with their vehicles. Of Hyundai’s models, the Tucson has the fourth-most submitted complaints, with 586 to date, sitting behind the Sonata, Elantra, and Santa Fe.

Car Complaints found that 2016 is the worst model year for the Hyundai Tucson. This first year of the third generation currently has 214 submitted complaints. The most common problem for the 2016 Tucson is that it has no acceleration from a stopped position. The biggest problem category overall for the Hyundai Tucson is transmission problems.

No acceleration from a complete stop (2016)

The worst issue with the Hyundai Tucson, submitted by 49 owners of the 2016 model year, is that some drivers weren’t able to accelerate after coming to a stop. The SUV has a dual-clutch seven-speed transmission, but the problem is with the application logic of the transmission clutch.

Hyundai Transmission Reliability

When drivers press the gas pedal more than once, the SUV stops moving. After first issuing a technical service bulletin, in September 2016, Hyundai did issue a recall to have the transmission control module software reprogrammed.

Owners gave this problem an 8.9 severity rating, or “pretty bad.” It typically cost about $1,200 to fix the problem, which appeared on average around 9,550 miles. Car Complaints thought so poorly of this model year that it was given the “Beware of the Clunker” seal.

Engine failure (2012)

There were 17 owners of the 2012 Tucson who experienced engine failure, and 16 of the failures were severe enough to require that the engine be replaced. Several suggested it was the bearings that had failed, and they heard a knocking sound before the engine failure happened.

Owners gave this issue a 9.5 severity rating, or “really awful.” On average, it occurred at around 98,000 miles and cost them $4,500 to have the engine replaced.

Engine failure (2013)

The engine failure problems continued for the 2013 Hyundai Tucson. Owners described the engine seizing and then shutting down. Submitted by nine owners, the engine failure was serious enough that seven of the engines were replaced. One owner solved the problem by selling the car.

The engine problems were rated at a 9.3 in severity, or “really awful.” The average cost to repair the engine issue was $4,150, and problems appeared around 87,900 miles.

Other Hyundai Tucson model years

Hyundai Transmission Service

The engine concerns continued for model years 2014 and 2015 before being replaced by the transmission problems found in the 2016 Tucson. Those transmission problems continued into 2017 and, to a lesser degree, in 2018. Data from Consumer Reports confirms the problems with these model years.

While 2008 and 2009 weren’t rated, the Tucson received a one out of five for owner satisfaction from 2005 to 2007 and from 2010 to 2017. The 2016 and 2017 model years were given a one out of five for their reliability verdict as well. The good news is that, so far, the 2019 and 2020 model years have very few submitted complaints as well as higher ratings from Consumer Reports.

Hyundai Accent Automatic Transmission