The RWTH Aachen Institut für Kraftfahrwesen (ika) and the Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen mbH (fka) have been running a transient driveline test bench since 1987 that is utilized for the testing of vehicle components and complete vehicles. Supported by ABB Process Industries and Kratzer Automation the control equipment was completely modernized and an automation system newly implemented. This resulted in a boost of operator comfort and flexibility as well as performance improvement concerning stability, simulation dynamics and measurement precision.