If there is a competition that grants first prize to the person who says the word 'great' more than 10 times in one sentence, the hands-down winner would be Gert Grobler, product manager of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter from DaimlerChrysler. But then, he has every reason to be enthusiastic.

Talking at the recent introduction of a new six-speed automated manual transmission as an option on all models of Sprinter vans, Grobler enthused gloriously on this new feature. "It's great. This is really exciting. This is great - great."

OK, so what's so great about this new feature called the Sprintshift? Firstly, in it's source country Germany, it has caught on fast. After going into volume production just on a year ago, the Sprintshift - the only one of its kind in the van sector - has been fitted to almost a quarter of the commercial Sprinter models and latest news is that the German post-office has just ordered 8 900 Sprinter vans with the Sprintshift fitted. And now it's available in South Africa.

In a nutshell, what it does is it allows freedom of choice between driving in automatic or manual mode with little effort required from the driver in either mode. Without going into all the technical details of the transmission, for the driver this is achieved via a simple gear-knob which allows him to select which mode - manual or automatic - he wants before driving off. And if he changes his mind while driving, he can switch modes.

There is no clutch pedal and gear changes in manual mode are effected merely by a slight nudge on the lever. Obviously, in automatic mode, gear changes are just that - automatic. Because up or down shifting is intelligently controlled (before any gear is engaged) you get perfectly administered r/min control. This means that Sprintshift ensures optimum revving up at just the right time.

As mentioned, Sprintshift can also be switched to manual mode at any time. To "manual shift", the driver merely has to nudge the selector lever and the transmission will automatically change gear. When the selector lever is nudged rearwards in the "+" direction, the hydraulic system opens the clutch by means of the central release bearing and engages a higher gear. Nudging the lever forward engages the next gear down.

And here's another 'great' benefit. Even when manually changing gears, the driver does not have to take the r/min into account as Sprintshift can still do this. If, for example, the driver forgets to downshift on time when pulling up at traffic lights, the system automatically shifts down and, as the vehicle draws to a halt, opens the clutch so that the engine cannot be stalled.

Furthermore, the driver is always aware of what the transmission is doing thanks to a display in the instrument cluster which indicates the engaged gear and whether the transmission is in automatic or manual mode.

Engaging reverse gear is just as simple as changing gear while driving: nudging the selector lever rearwards from "N" to "R" is all that is required. The system only accepts the "R" shift command if the vehicle is stationary or rolling slowly.

Another 'great' new development is anti-stall assist (AAS), a system designed to take the roll-back out of hill starts. You know the scene. You're waiting on an incline with a line of cars behind you. The robot turns green, you release the hand-brake from your sweaty palm and hit it. Drop the clutch, push the accelerator and there you go. The car leapfrogs and - stalls. Well, OK, it doesn't happen to you. You've seen others do it though, hey?

Well, you can now kiss that goodbye. With the Sprintshift, each time the brake pedal is pressed and then released while the vehicle is stationary, the brake pressure is retained for approximately two seconds. This prevents the vehicle from rolling backwards.

We tried this 'great' feature out at Kyalami and it works exceptionally well. Take your foot off the brake and the brakes hold firm giving you time to shift your foot to the accelerator and get a smooth take-off.

What FleetWatch likes about the Sprintshift is that it allows the driver to concentrate on his surrounding environment while the machine does the work for him. This is particularly pertinent in South Africa where on-the-roads hazards are many.

So while it has 'great' driver and cost benefits (such as prolonged life of clutch friction linings), we see the main advantage lying in safety. It is in this area that we predict the Sprintshift will have a dramatic and positive influence. Patrick O'Leary

GERT GROBLER Product manager of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. "It's great. It's really great. This is great!".  You know what Gert? We agree with you. It is great.	LOOK MA!  NO CLUTCH PEDAL!

IN CONTRAST to the traditional automatic transmission with torque converter, all six gears in the Sprintshift are shifted using the clutch. However, with the Sprintshift, the work usually done by the hand and the foot is done by an electric motor and an hydraulic pump. In automatic mode, a van drives like a conventional automatic vehicle.

THE GEAR KNOB of the Sprintshift (right) in comparison to the traditional manual shift (left). You've got to work on the traditional gear lever whereas on the Sprintshift, you just select the mode you want and away you go. In manual mode, a simple nudge up or down changes gears for you. And you can change modes while driving