ellcapitan

So, you're basically using the advantage of human foresight to get the job done better than waiting for the (essentially blind) electro/hydro/mechanical system make decisions for you in real time...translating to delayed action. Fair enough.

takahashi

I find it strange that no one has mentioned engine breaking. Its great for engine breaking on steep grades on the highway. I don't drive those roads every day but its really nice when I do.

kbahl21

i engine break sometimes

Kevwood

That's a part of it, but again as per my scenario post, it's more than that.

As a driver you know what rpm range you want to be in while on the track, the car doesn't so that combined with the elimination of selecting a gear automatically - this is the real time issue you mentioned. Further to that though, being in the desired gear allows you to work in that range without the car being floored to select the gear it feels is appropriate and transfer all the power in one straight shot - possibly at a loss of traction and not always where you want to be, ie, full power. As soon as you take your foot off the gas (for traction or gaining on another car) the trans will up shift, then upon flooring it again to get going it has to downshift. When in a manually selected gear the slightest movements of the pedal are enough to maintain safe following distance and then have the correct rpm range ready for the pending passing opportunity.

For the street it's probably not a big deal having the system rather than 'enhancing the driving experience', making the drive feel more in control. However, on the track, like I mentioned, it is a very usefull system.

What would be a fantastic addition to this (even though it would still not be the perfect system compared to what else is available out there) would be rev matched downshifting. I've been following a thread in the CLK BS section on it.

Rudeney

Holding the TouchShift to the left (minus) selects the lowest possible gear for the given road speed. So that would definitely help with engine braking on a downhill grade.