Autos, are they all like this ?
Discussion
Am in the states and have a Dodge Caravan rental, it has a ph worthy 286 bhp, these horses are hiding behind an auto gearbox and I guess a fair chunk of bulk, our diesel Galaxy doesn't seem much slower, when provoked it gathers speed reasonably well from a standstill, but most of the time it is either losing speed in the same gear or if you put your foot down it will kick down a couple gears and do the wounded cow noise it makes. It is a six speeder.
It is great around town, so easy, San Francisco in a manual would be a bit fraught by comparison.
So, are all autos like this, have driven a few but not for extended periods, what is a modern German auto like in comparison ?
I quite fancy a barge but this would drive me bad, good for brain out driving, very easy but ultimately frustrating.
It is great around town, so easy, San Francisco in a manual would be a bit fraught by comparison.
So, are all autos like this, have driven a few but not for extended periods, what is a modern German auto like in comparison ?
I quite fancy a barge but this would drive me bad, good for brain out driving, very easy but ultimately frustrating.
Nah, they aren't all undiscerning, don't think they are much different to us Brits really, well, perhaps more polite.
They do service, comfort and convenience very well, the rental does it's job, hauling five of us over Death Valley and Yosemite, it's just the auto box seems a bit random.
Even managed 35 mpg being gentle with it.
Lots of interesting cars amongst the dross as well.
They do service, comfort and convenience very well, the rental does it's job, hauling five of us over Death Valley and Yosemite, it's just the auto box seems a bit random.
Even managed 35 mpg being gentle with it.
Lots of interesting cars amongst the dross as well.
We have a BMW E90 with the sports auto gearbox (ZF model) and its an utterly fantastic gearbox. It makes a fantastic demonstration of why you dont really need dual clutches to work well! Its smooth (no missed gears or bang into gear), its slick and its VERY fast to react when you want. In fact, its a do-it-all gearbox and covers pretty much all of the bases it needs extremely well.
Its no manual and lacks the ultimate involvement of changing gears by hand when you are driving spiritedly, but other than that its brilliant. Its the same model that gets fitted to a whole string of cars from Rolls Royces to Range Rovers and a string of BMW's. I understand that Mercedes also have a similar gearbox that can be "tuned" on its responses and works fantastically.
I know an auto isnt for everyone, but there are some fantastic ones out there. Its just a shame that crap ones really are crap!
Its no manual and lacks the ultimate involvement of changing gears by hand when you are driving spiritedly, but other than that its brilliant. Its the same model that gets fitted to a whole string of cars from Rolls Royces to Range Rovers and a string of BMW's. I understand that Mercedes also have a similar gearbox that can be "tuned" on its responses and works fantastically.
I know an auto isnt for everyone, but there are some fantastic ones out there. Its just a shame that crap ones really are crap!
The 'lazy slushbox' does seem to be an American thing, especially mated to their typically large displacement engines that usually feel so underwhelming.
Newer German autos can be a very sharp indeed, but there are still plenty of lazy slushmatics on the go. My girlfriend's grandma has a nearly new Renault Espace with an automatic transmission so slow and clunky you'd think the past 20 years of development had never happened. The stick is stiff to move, the shifts take ages and it always seems to be in the wrong gear. My friend's Mercedes R230 500SL feels extremely progressive by comparison. 7 gears and a box that knows how to use them!
Newer German autos can be a very sharp indeed, but there are still plenty of lazy slushmatics on the go. My girlfriend's grandma has a nearly new Renault Espace with an automatic transmission so slow and clunky you'd think the past 20 years of development had never happened. The stick is stiff to move, the shifts take ages and it always seems to be in the wrong gear. My friend's Mercedes R230 500SL feels extremely progressive by comparison. 7 gears and a box that knows how to use them!
Roo said:
They're a woeful 2.4 4pot based on the old Neon engine and running gear.
Right! Here is the piece of s
t from 2008! I have nothing closer so cant be sure of it being a V6.It might have had a 2.4T badge on it though? I am getting old....
If it really was a 4 pot then the 19mpg average is even worse!!!
MTR
J4CKO said:
Am in the states and have a Dodge Caravan rental, it has a ph worthy 286 bhp, these horses are hiding behind an auto gearbox and I guess a fair chunk of bulk, our diesel Galaxy doesn't seem much slower, when provoked it gathers speed reasonably well from a standstill, but most of the time it is either losing speed in the same gear or if you put your foot down it will kick down a couple gears and do the wounded cow noise it makes. It is a six speeder.
It is great around town, so easy, San Francisco in a manual would be a bit fraught by comparison.
So, are all autos like this, have driven a few but not for extended periods, what is a modern German auto like in comparison ?
I quite fancy a barge but this would drive me bad, good for brain out driving, very easy but ultimately frustrating.
Its 0-60 time is 8.3 secs so it should go OK - I usually get an SUV in the US and they do seem dopey unless you floor the thottle. I only did that once in the Escalade we had last year as it scared the sIt is great around town, so easy, San Francisco in a manual would be a bit fraught by comparison.
So, are all autos like this, have driven a few but not for extended periods, what is a modern German auto like in comparison ?
I quite fancy a barge but this would drive me bad, good for brain out driving, very easy but ultimately frustrating.
t out of me!Bear in mind it's V6 petrol and its max power will be at something like 6500RPM so it's going to sound different to the 4cyl diesel that you normally drive. The lack of torque vs a diesel can make petrol's feel slow, even if they actually aren't.
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