So I was on the freeway driving in D mode at 70mph. I decided to go into S mode and noticed something strange: The car would automatically go from 5th gear in D to 3rd gear in S mode. Why the heck would it do that??? I don't recall the manual saying to not go from D to S while driving so I could be doing something naughty here Anyone else notice this or better yet, can explain this? Thanks

 

Yeah i noticed this the first week i bought the car.
Im very aware of it now, so i dont put in into S at the wrong time and get tugged foward as the car downshifts.
I figure its because 3rd gear puts you in the sweet spot of the engine at that speed. It wont shift from 3rd to 4th untill you hit redline, yet it will shift 1st-2nd, and 2nd-3rd before redline. That i dont get.

 

Don't know I have never had this problem. I have accidentally bumped my gear selector out of d into s and out of s and into d several times and I have noticed anything.

Will have to try it on my way to work today

 

I've put it from D to S and vise-versa several times and never noticed anything either. I've done it in 5th gear several times but never going 70. I'll have to check it out too.

 

so the thing automatically shifts up at redline? man, that's not a fun design.

one of the s-matics i had at one time would just bounce off the rev limiter
like a manual would in all the gears.... infact my legacywgn does.

i think the reason for the downshift is so that you can pass a car on the
expressway. most folks would just keep it in D. just shift to S and then blip
the throttle to rev match. you got like a split second to do that on AT's.

 

why is this so strange? isn't the point of s mode to hold a lower gear longer for passing? or to use the paddles?

i don't see why its causing any bewilderment.

 

The s mode seems to be designed to run in 1st through 3rd. It will eventually shift to 4th. If you put in s and pull a paddle, it will not shift up for anything. Hold it on that rev limiter all day and night long.
Andrew

 

as a driver that uses D & S mode everyday, i do expierence this as well. i dont think it goes from 5 to 3 tho... maybe. but at 5th gear, the RPM is pretty low, maybe around 2.8K at 70 MPH? 3 gear is prolly to keep it in a sport status, meaning, accelerate like a lead-foot when need be. that is why its "sport" ya know? why would they design two modes if it would keep the same gear?

 

when mines in d and i shift to s mode it goes into 3rd gear

 

I thought they all go into 3rd.
I think they all do, some people may not notice. Its hard not too though?

 

i dont notice, since the indicator stays off until the paddles are pressed. but yea i guess its 3rd since when i downshift, it goes to 2nd, so yea i guess its 3rd, in the first place.

 

that's one of my biggest small complaints about this car. i wish in "D" mode the gears would be displayed, perhaps in a different color (green?) in case you can't tell off the top of your head which gear you're in.

 

Just pay attention and listen to the motor. You should be able to tell what gear you are in

 

i just look at the tacometer, whats so hard about that

 

I agree. There are many times that I would like to know this info. I should have gotten an MT.

 

WTH that has not happened to me.. and i can redline the car as long as i am flooring it.. if your holding the pedal down about midway it will still auto shift for you