Sportronic is a term with a few meanings. It refers to transmissions of Alfa Romeo and Mitsubishi vehicles. In Alfa Romeo cars, Sportronic is an automatic transmission with a manual shifting mode. It has been used since the late 90s. It combines the advantages of a manual and an automatic gearbox. It is characterised by fuel efficiency and perfect dynamics; ensures comfortable driving, allows the driver to perform complex maneuvers, and improves the vehicle’s off-road capability in severe conditions. Moreover, this transmission adapts to your driving style.
For Mitsubishi cars, the Sportronic name means a manual shifting mode available in stepless CVTs, which also allows the driver to take manual control over the transmission in order to utilize the engine torque with maximum efficiency.
Operating principle of Sportronic
The Alfa Romeo Sportronic transmission is based on a classic automatic gearbox with a hydraulic torque converter and planetary gear sets. Manual control is performed indirectly via an electronic control unit with a special firmware. Information about the gear selected by the driver is transmitted as electric signals from various sensors to the control unit, after which the ECU sends command signals to actuators which engage the required gear. To select the gear in the manual mode, the driver uses the gear lever.
On Mitsubishi cars, manual control can be performed using the gear lever or paddle shifters.
Popular Sportronic transmissions
| Transmission code | Manufacturer | Number of speeds | Transmission type | Max torque, N⋅m | Max engine capacity, l | Drive type | Production start | Car models equipped with this type of transmission |
| 4HP20 | ZF | 4 | Automatic, with a torque converter | 330 | 3.5 | FWD | 1995 | Alfa Romeo 166 |
| AW55-50SN | Aisin | 5 | Automatic, with a torque converter | 330 | 3.5 | FWD | 2000 | Alfa Romeo 166 |
| F1CJA/W1CJA (JF011 E) | Jatco | – | Continuously variable transmission | 250 | 2.5 | FWD, 4WD | 2005 | Mitsubishi ASX GA; Mitsubishi Outlander GF; Mitsubishi Lancer CY; Mitsubishi Outlander CW |
Common malfunctions of Sportronic transmissions
| Malfunctions | Transmissions |
| Channels of the valve body get clogged due to wear of the clutch pack friction plates. | AW55-50SN |
| Mechanical assemblies can wear quickly due to oil starvation. | AW55-50SN |
| The hydraulic valve body and bushes of planetary gears wear out in the course of time. | AW55-50SN |
| Due to wear of the torque converter friction plate, the shaft starts vibrating and leaks occur. | ZF 4HP20 |
| The transmission pump parts such as the bush, the bearings of the stator and of the drive gear break down. | ZF 4HP20 |
| Solenoids and the gear position sensor fail. | ZF 4HP20 |
| The bearings of the input and output shafts wear out prematurely. | F1CJA/W1CJA (JF011E) |
| The belt of the V-belt CVT gets stretched. | F1CJA/W1CJA (JF011E) |
| The flow control valve of the transmission pump gets clogged due to non-observance of fluid change intervals, which comes with jerks. | F1CJA/W1CJA (JF011E) |
| The stepper motor often breaks down. | F1CJA/W1CJA (JF011E) |
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