diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ExpressionAwareParameterBinder.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ExpressionAwareParameterBinder.java
index 24bd60a44..b370666c0 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ExpressionAwareParameterBinder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ExpressionAwareParameterBinder.java
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ class ExpressionAwareParameterBinder extends ParameterBinder {
 	 * @return
 	 */
 	protected Object evaluateExpression(Expression expr) {
-		return expr.getValue(getEvaluationContext(), String.class);
+		return expr.getValue(getEvaluationContext(), Object.class);
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -131,9 +131,20 @@ class ExpressionAwareParameterBinder extends ParameterBinder {
 		EvaluationContext delegatee = evaluationContextProvider.getEvaluationContext();
 		StandardEvaluationContext evalContext = new DelegatingStandardEvaluationContext(getValues(), delegatee);
 
+		populateParameterVariables(evalContext);
+
 		return evalContext;
 	}
 
+	private void populateParameterVariables(StandardEvaluationContext evalContext) {
+
+		for (JpaParameter param : getParameters()) {
+			if (param.isNamedParameter()) {
+				evalContext.setVariable(param.getName(), getValues()[param.getIndex()]);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * A {@link StandardEvaluationContext} that delegates to the given {@link EvaluationContext}. Variables are first
 	 * looked-up locally and if not the lookup is performed against the delegatee.
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ParameterBinder.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ParameterBinder.java
index f63b7a895..29f56b867 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ParameterBinder.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/ParameterBinder.java
@@ -192,4 +192,13 @@ public class ParameterBinder {
 	Object[] getValues() {
 		return values;
 	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the parameters.
+	 * 
+	 * @return
+	 */
+	JpaParameters getParameters() {
+		return parameters;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/StringQuery.java b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/StringQuery.java
index 8a9a4815d..c897cac68 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/StringQuery.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/query/StringQuery.java
@@ -189,10 +189,18 @@ class StringQuery {
 			String result = query;
 			Matcher matcher = PARAMETER_BINDING_PATTERN.matcher(query);
 
-			int greatestParameterIndex = determineGreatestParameterIndexIfPresent(query);
+			int greatestParameterIndex = tryFindGreatestParameterIndexIn(query);
 
 			boolean parametersShouldBeAccessedByIndex = greatestParameterIndex != -1;
 
+			/*
+			 * Prefer indexed access over named parameters if only SpEL Expression parameters are present.
+			 */
+			if (!parametersShouldBeAccessedByIndex && query.contains("?#{")) {
+				parametersShouldBeAccessedByIndex = true;
+				greatestParameterIndex = 0;
+			}
+
 			/*
 			 * If parameters need to be bound by index, we bind the synthetic expression parameters starting from position of the greatest discovered index parameter in order to
 			 * not mix-up with the actual parameter indices.  
@@ -266,7 +274,7 @@ class StringQuery {
 			return result;
 		}
 
-		private int determineGreatestParameterIndexIfPresent(String query) {
+		private int tryFindGreatestParameterIndexIn(String query) {
 
 			Matcher parameterIndexMatcher = PARAMETER_BINDING_BY_INDEX.matcher(query);
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java
index 9e7f8e1f3..03cd91848 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/UserRepositoryTests.java
@@ -1617,6 +1617,58 @@ public class UserRepositoryTests {
 		assertThat(users.get(0), is(firstUser));
 	}
 
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void shouldFindBySpELExpressionWithoutArgumentsWithQuestionmark() {
+
+		flushTestUsers();
+		List<User> users = repository.findOliverBySpELExpressionWithoutArgumentsWithQuestionmark();
+
+		assertThat(users, hasSize(1));
+		assertThat(users.get(0), is(firstUser));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void shouldFindBySpELExpressionWithoutArgumentsWithColon() {
+
+		flushTestUsers();
+		List<User> users = repository.findOliverBySpELExpressionWithoutArgumentsWithColon();
+
+		assertThat(users, hasSize(1));
+		assertThat(users.get(0), is(firstUser));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void shouldFindUsersByAgeForSpELExpression() {
+
+		flushTestUsers();
+		List<User> users = repository.findUsersByAgeForSpELExpressionByIndexedParameter(35);
+
+		assertThat(users, hasSize(1));
+		assertThat(users.get(0), is(secondUser));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Test
+	public void shouldfindUsersByFirstnameForSpELExpressionWithParameterNameVariableReference() {
+
+		flushTestUsers();
+		List<User> users = repository.findUsersByFirstnameForSpELExpression("Joachim");
+
+		assertThat(users, hasSize(1));
+		assertThat(users.get(0), is(secondUser));
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
 	 */
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/sample/UserRepository.java b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/sample/UserRepository.java
index a6b19a50b..eb7909090 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/sample/UserRepository.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/jpa/repository/sample/UserRepository.java
@@ -477,4 +477,28 @@ public interface UserRepository extends JpaRepository<User, Integer>, JpaSpecifi
 	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
 	 */
 	List<User> queryByLastname(Expression lastname);
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Query("select u from User u where u.firstname = ?#{'Oliver'}")
+	List<User> findOliverBySpELExpressionWithoutArgumentsWithQuestionmark();
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Query("select u from User u where u.firstname = :#{'Oliver'}")
+	List<User> findOliverBySpELExpressionWithoutArgumentsWithColon();
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Query("select u from User u where u.age = ?#{[0]}")
+	List<User> findUsersByAgeForSpELExpressionByIndexedParameter(int age);
+
+	/**
+	 * @see DATAJPA-XXX
+	 */
+	@Query("select u from User u where u.firstname = :firstname and u.firstname = :#{#firstname}")
+	List<User> findUsersByFirstnameForSpELExpression(@Param("firstname") String firstname);
 }