I am pretty sure I read in the manual that is you are in 7th gear the rpms may drop even lower while cruising. I have not found this to be the case. If driving in S mode with the paddle shifters in 7th, the RPMs remain higher than if I was in D mode by about 300. If you go out of paddle mode by holding the right paddle for several seconds do go into straight S mode the rpms jump another 500 or so. Can't get into the lowest rpm mode unless shifting back to D.

Is this everyone's experience also despite what the manual says?

Thanks
Ray

 

it's a cvt... keep it in D

 

Well sure, I could do that. But when I want to have a little fun.....

 

I don't know but pretty funny you are even talking about gears here. Also I would think the higher rpm's are due to the fact that it is in "sport" mode. I do not know but I am guessing that mode (since it's sporty) would hold the rpm's a little higher to keep the motor in the meat of the hp/torque curve instead of where the motor is most efficient for greater mileage.(drive mode)

But I'm only guessing. I have the MT.

 

Just substitute 'drive ratio' for 'gear' in the original post.

 

here is the txt in the manual I am referring to:

 

That's normal, the 7th ratio is not set at the longest ratio the CVT can achieve but a little shorter.
What you can avoid in 7th is the CVT revving up if you press the gas or reach an incline, but you'll allways be a litle more revved up than in D.

An educated guess would be that the longest ratio stresses the CVT quite a bit (it's a friction system, you don't want it to slip), so forcing it manually fixed might not be recomended.
While in D, at the slightest request of increased, torque the CVT reduces the ratio so it's safe.