Designed to offer the best of both manual and automatic worlds, the Selespeed robotized manual transmission by Alfa Romeo wasn’t as perfect as it could have been. The Magneti Marelli developed gearbox, which made its debut in the Alfa 156 back in 1999, is clunky when left in D and requires some footwork for seamless progress in manual, although it can be quite fun in the right mood. VW’s introduction of the double-clutch DSG left Selespeed with nowhere to hide.
Well, Alfa Romeo has finally pensioned off the Selespeed, replacing it with a 6-speed dry twin clutch gearbox called the TCT. The compact MiTo will be the first to get TCT, which will be partnered with the 1.4 TB MultiAir 135 bhp petrol engine with Start&Stop. Now available in RHD in the UK, the TCT MiTo does 13.7 km/l over an urban cycle, 128 g/km of CO2 and 8.2 seconds from 0-100 km/h, compared to the manual’s 13.5 km/l, 129 g/km and 8.4 seconds.
Developed by Fiat Powertrain Technologies, TCT can modify the speed of gear shift, manage torque delivery (on low grip roads for instance), operate completely automatically or as a manual sequential gearbox, and adopt a usage profile which focuses on reducing fuel consumption.
The TCT is also a compact unit, and more efficient because it’s of the dry type, which means that the clutches aren’t bathed in oil, which introduce viscous friction. The 7-speed DSG on the VW Polo and Golf TSI are also dry clutch ‘boxes, and they’re typically suited to lower torque applications.
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Finally they decided to change…… I had so many problems with my 159 last time. But the dual clutch izzit like DSG or Ford Power shift type?
wat problems u encountered bro?
159 owner here…
If the importer sells it at the same price as the manual, Volkswagen will start to worry. Price your products right, volume WILL follow, especially with the Alfa Romeo brand name. With Guiletta and hopefully the 159 replacement with TCT twin clutch gearboxes, Alfa will start to relive their glory days of the 60s to early 80s. These were the times Alfa was much sought after, new or secondhand.
this is long overdue. the selespeed is the major reason i don’t buy alfas. they are pretty nice cars.
our NAP is actually killing all conti cars in malaysia like skoda, opel, fiat,renault..
to say its nap alone is pretty naive.
there are many reasons why many of this conti brands have problems in malaysia.
to be able to reintroduce these brands here requried a lot of work and time, not to mention a substantial budget to rebuild the brand. Naza has shown that its possible with Peugeot and i think they’ve made a lot of headway.
Yea thats because, partly … Naza is well connected, giving them an unfair advantage in business (or whatever they seem to do) … not complaining but not all companies are able to do.
I had nearly 7 years of fun, not to mention occasional nightmares with my 156’s selespeed…. And of course they were also confusing moments for the jokey parking and car wash staffs figuring out how to engage with the gears desired….It was not perfect, far from it actually, but I am sure many Alfa Romeo 2.0 selespeed owners feel proud that their rides were one of the pioneers with steering mounted paddle shift gear change!
Hopefully the new AR’s TCT is better in fuel saving and performance, and of curse with lesser mechanical problems.
RIP to a fun but problematic system. Will miss it.
Alfa Romeo or any small volume manufacturers deserve a QUOTA in order Conti or any small volume car brands to survive. For instance MITI give 1200 units annum less tax/excise duty than high volume brand like Camry, Accord, City, Civic, Vios etc.
Otherwise, smaller volume can’t survive. Starting this year and gradually to 2015, tax/excise duty must gradually reduce especially during this strong RM over major currencies.Having high tax make Malaysia closer to Burma than Taiwan.
My suggestion, don’t give exemption to Korean’s as Korean government imposes higher tax to foreign cars and we should reciprocate.
If idiot distributors reluctant to pass the saving to their customers BOYCOTT them. In fact, abstaining from buying new cars will make the car prices cheaper.
I have tried the selespeed and the VW DSG before and I must say that the latter is so much better and easier to use… Good bye to OLD technology!
its a great car. i have an alfa 159 too but it’s alrite. nothings wrong with it. guess people perception bout the salespeed is quite bad. but its a reliable system, all it depends on is the driver whether he knows how to drive it properly or not.
selespeed is a flawed but fun technology/..like the previous post said..its fun if u know how to get the most outta it..its faster than u think people..and there’s almost minimal to no power lost from the engine….traded up my 156 for a mazda 6. witha conventional auto a few years back..miss alfa..might come back one day….
My Alfa 156 is 81/2 years old and I have never had a single problem with the Selespeed. I can never understand the complaints people raise about it. Sure it took me a couple of months before I finally understood its rather unpredictable quirkiness but it’s been a fun 8 plus years.
In fact 9 months ago when I bought myself a new Golf GTI, I thought I would retire the 156, quite sure that the GTI would thrash the Alfa in all departments. This is certainly not the case. I alternate between the two cars each day driving to work and each time I hit Jalan Damansara after leaving my residential area, the 156’s fun-filled character will never fail to make me postpone my decision to sell it. It’s rather like Scheherazade telling the sultan another bit of her enticing tale to postpone her execution!
I am in no way putting down the GTI. I consider it the perfect do-it-all car. Its flawless blend of practicality, explosive power and breathtaking sure-footed handling makes it an unbeatable car overall.
But still, only the Alfa can make sedate driving in heavy traffic fun. Quirkiness equals character equals fun.
I wonder in the automobile industry, how do their patent rights work… since the dual clutch was first come out by VW .. it is the best gearbox and beats all the competitors
but how come other company can copy ??
or they have mutual thoughts that they share technology with each other??
the box was developed by borg warner,getrag,fiat… etc…this all gearbox powertrain experts…there’s no point in patenting to one manufacturer…less income…forces of the free market economy dictates this…
good news indeed!
recently test drove the v6 159 and was utterly disappointed with the gear shifts. it was one of those where you see your passenger’s head oscillates back n forth due to the selespseed slooow shifts.
well, hoping alfa can nail it this time. i must say their pricing is very competitive and a lot more attractive than those over-priced (for malaysia that is) german boxes.
looking fwd to it..
Its about time, alfa ….
Danny , how about 6 speed DSGs , do u mean to say its wet rather than dry ?
Copy from Satria Neo???