NAVi5


The "New Advanced Vehicle with Intelligence 5-speed" was a semi-automatic transmission developed by Isuzu Motors Ltd. of Japan. It was initially developed for use in trucks, but was first made available in Isuzu's Aska sedan and subsequently the Gemini and their other Japanese domestic market vehicles.
It was also an early example of an automated manual transmission, preceding the likes of Alfa Romeo’s Selespeed and Opel’s Easytronic by more than a decade.

Models

The NAVi5 was used in the following Isuzu vehicles:
ModelYears
AskaAugust 1984-1989
GeminiApril 1986-?
Elf 1986-?
Cubic 1989-?

Isuzu added the NAVi6, a six-speed version, to the following trucks:
ModelYears
Forward ?-?
810 September 1986-?

Features

Unlike "traditional" automatic gearboxes with a torque converter and planetary gears, the mechanical aspects of the NAVi5 are identical to those of a conventional five-speed manual transmission with a dry clutch. The shifting and clutch operations though, are done automatically by two hydraulic actuators connected to an electronic computer.
The early version of the NAVi5 only had an automatic mode with an ability to lock out certain gears, thus operating in a manner similar to a traditional automatic. The later version added a manual mode, enabling the driver to select specific gears. The NAVi5 also came with autocruise and Hill Start Aid as standard features.
A Japanese television commercial for the Aska heralded NAVi5 as “Not a manual, not a torque converter.”

Reception

The customer reactions toward the NAVi5 were mixed. Some liked the more “direct” feel and better fuel economy it offered compared to those of typical automatic gearboxes. Others, however, were turned off by what they felt as awkward shifting program and the acceleration gap during shifting. The NAVi5 also required gentle throttle operations when accelerating from standstill since it didn't offer creep function.
It was outsold by the conventional manual and automatic gearboxes in both the Aska and Gemini and subsequently dropped in the next generation Gemini.