I wrote to you in May about the Honda Jazz I-shift, which I'd had for a month. I have now had mine since early April and done over 3,000 miles. A lot of pootling about in north London plus some journeys into the country and some motor way stretches. Not high mileage as my partner and I share our cars - hers being an old Jazz, 04 registration. And what a lovely car that is to drive. There is no doubt that the I-shift is a dud. As instructed by Honda I have tried very hard to improve my driving with the car. I caress the damn brakes and do all I can to make the drive smooth for passengers. And a lot of hard work it is, especially about town. Nothing has changed. The gear box is still unpredictable, and even the slightest gradients or departure from smooth, flat, even roads can result in the box refusing to change up when it clearly should, despite the mounting revs and the beginnings of a scream in the engine. So there remains a lot of fiddling from manual to auto and back.

Recently I wanted to overtake at quite slow speed and put my foot down in automatic. Nothing, but nothing, happened - like driving an old diesel. The engine went dead as the gearbox gathered itself at its own leisurely pace to make a gear change: my foot went down and we were in a trough. No power. We were obviously in neutral for a long second. Frightening. I had suddenly to switch to manual to regain some control of the gearbox. My partner was horrified - she could feel the lull, during which for a very short while there was no power. Dangerous too.

In everyday driving I have to be careful to avoid the car's sporadic failure to change up or down - so I am pretty well always on the lookout in case the gear change just doesn't happen and I have to go into manual. Not what you'd expect in a sedate non-sports car.

I am amazed at the latest Which report on the new Jazz: "The
automated-manual i-SHIFT is more efficient than the CVT it replaces, but can be a bit jerky until you learn to drive it sympathetically." What a load of guff. I drive very, very carefully. I don't know what 'driving
sympathetically' means (in English as opposed to advertiser's car-ese
jargon). I don't do burn-ups and I don't thrash the car - anything but.
Nor do I travel at 23 m.p.h. in the middle of the road.

The car seems to have no choke (or whatever the modern equivalent
is). Consequently, first thing in the morning or after being parked for
some hours the automatic gear change is appalling - often just about
non-existent. The gears won't change from 1st to 2nd or from 2nd to 3rd. In the morning I always have to remember to drive in manual until the car has warmed up - not exactly brilliant for a 2009 car.

Petrol consumption, mostly around town but with some outer runs is 41.7 over the 3,000 miles plus that I have driven.

Bring back the CVT in England.

I think Honda has lost its way with this gear box. Big time. But no one
apart from you seems prepared to face up to it or say so - king's new
clothes.