Auto selecting too high gear driving me mad

[ClosetHairdresser]

I've noticed the same thing as cj10jeeper pointed out: manufacturers are forced to setup the gearbox to change up as early as possible for economy and emissions reasons. This can make a car feel extremely lethargic if you don't use the additional gearbox and drive modes.

I empathise with how johnsoncp feels, I went through this same grieving process when I first bought my previous car, a 1.8 TFSI Audi A5, it felt awful in normal mode when I wanted to press on, but when I discovered sport mode two weeks in, it felt like a completely different engine.

In my 2.0 F-Type I have been caught out waiting for the car to drop a couple of gears when wanting to pull into a gap for overtaking on the motorway. It embarrasses me if I cause another driver to slow down after pulling in front.

The solution I use is to preselect a lower gear before I need it. In manual cars a human driver's gearshift pattern is predictive, an auto gearbox is reactive. This makes the default automatic driving experience less than ideal for all sorts of reasons: you benefit less from engine braking due to down changes occurring only at idle speed, you may experience a down change as you accelerate out of a corner, you may experience a down change when overtaking.

Ironically, I find the sport gearbox mode has the opposite problem, at times it leaves the engine droning away in a low gear for too long.

If I'm driving normally I put the car in rain/snow mode as standard, because it downshifts less, it isn't fast but it responds adequately without the downshift delay and you can drive it on the torque a bit more. If I need a swift change I use the paddles and then return the gearbox to automatic mode by holding down the right paddle for a couple of seconds. BTW I have noticed that if you change down to get engine braking on a steep hill the gearbox will not return to D until the road levels out.

When I want to drive more assertively I first shift to the gear I want with the paddles then knock it into sport mode to make sure it doesn't exit manual mode automatically. I can then drive it as I would a manual with all the benefits that brings.

I have 9000 miles on my car and I general get 36 to 42 mpg on my motorway commute, so you can definitely better that 26-30mpg. If you don't drop below 40mph you can actually do entire journeys in 8th gear (when I'm on the M25 fuel economy is the only thrill I can get).

[scm]

... an auto gearbox is reactive. This makes the default automatic driving experience less than ideal for all sorts of reasons: you benefit less from engine braking due to down changes occurring only at idle speed, you may experience a down change as you accelerate out of a corner, you may experience a down change when overtaking.

While it is reactive, it's also predictive in remembering how you've been driving and adjusts accordingly - if you've been pootling along, it expects you to continue that way, so if you suddenly accelerate you'll surprise it. If you've been driving "spiritedly" it'll hold the gears longer and not shift up so readily.

As to downshifting while cornering, AIUI the yaw sensors will prevent that from happening if it will unbalance the car. When overtaking, it should only downshift it the throttle input demands more instant power, implying that you have accelerated while you're already overtaking. If you floor it at the start of the overtake it'll already have dropped a couple of gears before you get alongside (and will offer lovely sounds to the overtaken driver!).

I find the 8-speed ZF pretty intuitive as guessing how I'm driving and makes the shifts pretty much when I would if driving manually.

[ClosetHairdresser]

>While it is reactive, it's also predictive in remembering how you've been driving and adjusts accordingly

That's not predictive, it's "leaving it in a lower gear just in case you need it", which is a rather crude workaround to the problem.

>As to downshifting while cornering, AIUI the yaw sensors will prevent that from happening if it will unbalance the car

Accelerating with sufficient vigour out of a corner will cause a downshift, whether that be after the car has straightened and the yaw sensors on your car have given it the OK or not.

>implying that you have accelerated while you're already overtaking

That is sometimes a necessity lest I hit the car in front of me before I reach the required speed.

>If you floor it at the start of the overtake it'll already have dropped a couple of gears before you get alongside

The car drops a couple of gears before responding, introducing a delay when you want prompt acceleration.

[scm]

>While it is reactive, it's also predictive in remembering how you've been driving and adjusts accordingly

That's not predictive, it's "leaving it in a lower gear just in case you need it", which is a rather crude workaround to the problem.

"In case you need it" in this case would actually be "based on your driving it's likely you'll need it" which I'd call predictive.

[simpleR]

My answer to the issue is dynamic mode, nudge gear selector to the left for sport and I use paddles all of the time. I never use it in auto. Although this might explain my poor fuel consumption!

Of course a manual would be the other alternative and then it would only do what you want.

[johnsoncp]

Following all the comments and advice, I just went for a drive using Sport mode and using the paddles and stick to manually control the gears. Fantastic! I kept the revs at a minimum of 2000 and it transformed the car. All the time the display was suggesting that instead of 4th gear I should be in 8th. (I know as I tried changing up until it was happy at 1000rpm). I have concluded that crusing on fast roads I'm happy with fully auto but in all other situations I will control the gears myself. Such a shame as I really wanted an auto.

[dbv6s]

Did you try dynamic and sport but auto?
That should be what you are looking for...

[johnsoncp]

Did you try dynamic and sport but auto?
That should be what you are looking for...

I did thanks. All I really want is for the gearbox to stop changing up and dropping my revs below 2000. In Sport it revs like crazy, slightly less so in Dynamic, but even in these modes when I'm not putting any load on the engine, for example just cruising at a steady 30mph, the gearbox still changes up. Yes it responds better when I press the throttle though. I was just driving around near my house, at low speeds and again it's changing up too soon. In 'manual' it works fine.

[johnsoncp]

As a matter of interest, driving at 1000 rpm the car is getting up to about 29mpg. The drive today gave me 28mpg. I'm quite happy to drop from 29 to 28 to get the instant response that I want. I find it so much easier at roundabouts where I'm slowing to give way but suddenly see a gap and decide to go. It might only be 1/2 second delay but it makes a huge difference in my driving.

[mickjaguar]

This is a characteristic common to all of the 2 litre petrol autos. Our XE behaves the same. Stamp on the accelerator pedal and it hesitates briefly whilst it works out the selection of the lowest gear and then takes off like a scalded cat. After a while you adjust to it and anticipate the reaction. I think we've both adopted a progressive throttle action where you gradually increase pushing the pedal down, so that when it launches and doesn't get the kick down, after which the throttle is increased to full. It's sort of become second nature now. Lots posted on this topic over on the XE forum.