Emira i4 - gearbox - is latency ok left in auto mode?
Discussion
Most of the recent reviews I see talk about the gearbox in a negative way especially about latency when used manually! But what about if you just leave it in auto let AMG handle it all in auto mode surely its not laggy then is it?
For me Auto is my only choice as I live in West London so to get anywhere takes a lot of gearchanges I could not live with the manual box which means Auto or no Emira for me (not many V6 autos about not seen any reviews of them either!).
Just curious about the auto box left in auto mode letting the AMG + Lotus combo handle changes cannot believe its that bad is it?
For me Auto is my only choice as I live in West London so to get anywhere takes a lot of gearchanges I could not live with the manual box which means Auto or no Emira for me (not many V6 autos about not seen any reviews of them either!).
Just curious about the auto box left in auto mode letting the AMG + Lotus combo handle changes cannot believe its that bad is it?
MarkHP said:
I've tested the i4 and thought it was excellent in auto - didn't really try the manual change much in the test tbh as I'd be looking at it as a daily and could live with a slightly slow manual change as I expect you just have to get used to it / anticipate it a bit... it will certainly be a quicker change than my S1 manual Evora, which I have to be 'thoughtful' with.
I felt that, though not the same presence as the V6, the noise of the i4 was good enough, especially with the valves open and the auto blip on down-change was great.
Certainly quick enough on the road, really shifts up through the gears and I thought that the balance of steering feedback to grip / handling was very impressive on a bumpy B road, probably a bit easier (touring suspension) than my early Evora to drive quickly due to the reduced feedback, which I felt paradoxically provided a bit more confidence.
Give one a go, it's the only real way to know if it will work for you.
Thanks very much for the detailed feedback Mark. Not so bothered about the slight power difference vs the V6 as both hit NSL in sub 6 secs like my current car (which I am keeping anyway!). I felt that, though not the same presence as the V6, the noise of the i4 was good enough, especially with the valves open and the auto blip on down-change was great.
Certainly quick enough on the road, really shifts up through the gears and I thought that the balance of steering feedback to grip / handling was very impressive on a bumpy B road, probably a bit easier (touring suspension) than my early Evora to drive quickly due to the reduced feedback, which I felt paradoxically provided a bit more confidence.
Give one a go, it's the only real way to know if it will work for you.
Many years ago my 1st car was a rather beautiful Lotus Esprit S4s which obviously had a manual box & required extreme effort to drive around London due to how often you had to change gears to preserve the clutch life (several thousand to replace if you can even get the parts! - therefore easier to look after than abuse it! especially as it once burnt out damaging the flywheel causing a massive repair bill!!).
So for me an Auto is essential as takes me ages to escape from London onto some decent roads. Just seems to be so much negativity around it though guess I just need to get an extended test drive take it from there.
cayman-black said:
RS you should check out Harrys Garage video, he compares the two .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKQCYnoEUAM
I did thanks but he talked about the latency being an issue! hence me asking those who might know is it an issue or just Harry talking about it for webclicks!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKQCYnoEUAM
Edited by cayman-black on Thursday 3rd October 10:16
M Daddy said:
I got one of the first UK i4's back in April and after the reviews, the gear change was my biggest worry. I can honestly say that in auto I have zero concerns. It's actually better at predicting gears than my RS3 and previous M3. There is a small lag with the manual shifts but it's nothing like what seemed to be there in the early review cars like the one Harry and son drove. I would say it's an equivalent lag to the RS3 but not as snappy as the M3 was.
Some owners have been told there's a gearbox software update due. I will be contacting my dealer to check this out. It could make a difference or it might be just to address the longer delay when shifting from reverse to neutral to drive (that is ponderous by anyone's standards!)
Thanks mate sounds like I need to get an extended test drive before deciding I can live with latency as long as in auto mode its good enough...its not like you can even legally use the 100mph of performance after NSL is it anyway............!Some owners have been told there's a gearbox software update due. I will be contacting my dealer to check this out. It could make a difference or it might be just to address the longer delay when shifting from reverse to neutral to drive (that is ponderous by anyone's standards!)
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