What's the best automatic you've driven?

"Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs" (yowen) 04/07/2014 at 12:19 • Filed to: None

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Since we are always hating on the automatic here, let's put it in a positive light, at least to some extent. So what is the best automatic you've had the pleasure of not rowing your own gears in?

Personally I haven't driven a whole lot of interesting automatics, my favorite one is probably the 6 spd, 6F55 auto in my SHO. It can handle quite a lot of power (500hp+) and it's never too confused/hunting for gears. It does help that it's attached to powerful motor with an awesome torque curve. It knows when to downshift and it knows when to just make use of that torque and stay in the present gear.

On another note, I am also quite impressed with the 5spd manual that was in my cousins '06 Charger RT, that thing handled the abuse of daily burnouts very well! I know that this a Mercedes derived unit.

I have not yet had the pleasure to drive anything with more than 6 gears, or any of the fancier types of automatic transmissions. I have had the misfortune of owning both a CVT and a 90's VW Automatic.

(pictured, a ZF 8-speed)

Nibby > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:21

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2009 S550 4matic. Would DD if I had the monies.

505Turbeaux > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:21

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TH400 with QuadraTrac. Because that thing had no need for a stick. Get in it and go.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:23

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Not really an automagic.. but the Lexus GS450h F-Sport is very good. As for a proper Aotubox... I'd say any Mercedes from the 90's and newer... I've owned a BMW 316iA (E36) as wel, and it was not all that bad.

TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:23

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When I drove it a few years back, I was really impressed by the DSG in the VW CC. It was smooth.

Louros > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:23

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I haven't driven many recent automatics but the Aisin 6-speed auto in the Mini isn't too bad

jkm7680 > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma 04/07/2014 at 12:25

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2014 Mercedes C-Class rental car. It was only fun for hooning purposes.

The Cc was a good car, even with the autobox

 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:25

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Chrysler's A604 is very smooth when it works properly which is sadly not often.

I haven't really had much experience with autos. Ford 4R70W is what all of my cars have and it's decent...for a 4 speed so I guess that's the best one I've driven.

duurtlang > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:26

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I've only driven four automatics in my life. A 1985 Honda Prelude, a 1989 BMW 325i Touring, a 2000 Peugeot 206 and a 2013 VW Touareg. Obviously the VW has the best transmission of these cars, but the Touareg is a floaty boat. The Peugeot is a boring commuter car. The Honda doesn't measure up to the BMW, so I pick the BMW. That I happen to own it has not impacted my decision at all .

Barbarian772 > 505Turbeaux 04/07/2014 at 12:27

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I have only driven one car with an automatic, since they are pretty rare over here, it was a '89 Benz W124 Wagon or something... Shifts felt horrible and I didn't really like the "not being able to chose your gear" stuff—-

JayZAyEighty thinks C4+3=C7 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:27

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The 4G-Tronic is a damned old but damned fantastic slushbox. You also have some of the early GM 4 speeds that made their way into late RWD Cadillacs C4/C5 'Vettes, 3rd and 4th gen F-bodies, BMWs, Jaguars, Ferraris, and even Maseratis.

KirkyV > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:29

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Yeah... It was shite. Only automatic I've ever been in, let alone driven, though.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs >  04/07/2014 at 12:30

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Ah I've driven 4R70 equipped F-150's, they work! Haha.

Party-vi > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:30

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The Ford C4 in the Willys. It was a turd until my transmission man tore into it and installed some fancy race clutch plates and reinforced bands. It shifts like a mofo now and I love it!

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma 04/07/2014 at 12:31

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Interesting story, I was watching that auction tv show thing and one of the commentators said DSG stood for Digital Shift Control, he didn't even get the damn letters right...

Victorious Secret > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:31

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Best torquer? Goes to the ZF 8 speed that they shove into everything.

Best DCT? Well, recently, the RS5. That thing is incredible. Dare I say, I might not have had the same kind of fun if it had a manuel.

offroadkarter > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:31

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The 6spd in the 2011 mustang GT is a good unit

I also thought the 6spd in the SHO was good to

The 4hp22EH in my 745i shifts nice when it works

The 4R75W in the marauder is a stout trans, I have no issues with that.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Barbarian772 04/07/2014 at 12:32

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The shifts were horrible in my W-124 sedan until they got readjusted. The trans had been rebuilt, but then not set up correctly. Benz autos *do* shift hard, but I count that on the positive side for them.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Party-vi 04/07/2014 at 12:32

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Nice, I've been wanting to drive something with some of Ford's older transmissions. Haven't had the chance yet.

Goggles Pizzano > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:34

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Chrysler 6RFE coupled to the 6.7 Cummins. Impressive.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:34

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Benz autos tend to shift hard, but not jolty unless set up wrong. I tend to like them for that, because a lot of modern autos slip during their shifts and don't shift predictably. Benzes tend to feel like a sharply-driven manual to a degree.

Agrajag > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:35

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The TH400 in my '75 Suburban was nice. The best is probably the DSG in my GTI.

Party-vi > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:35

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It also helps that I've got a Megashifter and it holds gears for me if I so desire :D

mr_gofast > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:36

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does a PDK count as manumatic?? ive driven one of the new ones and its frankly sublime...

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > offroadkarter 04/07/2014 at 12:36

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Ugh, I am a huge Mustang enthusiast, but have never driven one, haha.

Captain_Spadaro > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:36

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As far as luxury cars, the 2nd gen CTS-V, the IS-F, and the 2013 GS350. I will also cop to driving an FR-S auto (it was the designated test car at the dealer I was at) and I thought it was okay. I invariably end up comparing everything to my 2000 I30, and most cars win that comparison (except for the Versa).

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Goggles Pizzano 04/07/2014 at 12:37

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Definitely something I'd like to try out.

Jagvar > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:37

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I'm pretty keen on the new General Electric automatic dishwashers!

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 04/07/2014 at 12:38

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Interesting. I think when I get my car tuned part of what they do is firm up the shifts, I am excited to see how I like it.

It also seems quite a lot of us seem to like Benz auto's.

case-sensitive > TillTheWheelsFallOff: Brocoma 04/07/2014 at 12:39

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Same here, but in a GTI.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Captain_Spadaro 04/07/2014 at 12:40

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Haha everything about CTS-V's is awesome. Except for those peeling buttons in the 1st gen.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Jagvar 04/07/2014 at 12:40

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trolololol.

camaroboy68ss > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:42

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most of my families hot rods are autos,(that's changing fast though) and Id say my favorite was the high dollar th350 that was in my grandparents 55 Chevy bel air. It's got a great shift kit for solid shifts and it had a 2700 stall in it. It actually sounded like a stick when taking off due to the stall. That trannsmission is going into my pickup this summer as my grandpa is going back to a 4speed in his 55

offroadkarter > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:43

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My Uncles Fiancée has the mustang. I detailed it for her once so yeah

The 04 A4 GTO I once detailed had a well tuned 4L80E also. That was probably the best setup trans I've ever felt from a GM car.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > offroadkarter 04/07/2014 at 12:44

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Awesome. I am having my car tuned soon, which includes the shifts being firmed up and the car hold torque right up to a shift (rather than letting it taper off), should be interesting to feel how it drives after that.

Carl (@stuffcarlsays) > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:46

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

(said no one, ever.)

offroadkarter > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:46

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are you doing a livernois tune?

Joe_Limon > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:47

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The one in the new Volvo V60 is really nice, it has your standard slushiness. But in sport mode/coupled with paddles it is quite responsive.

Textured Soy Protein > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:48

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The 7-speed DCT in my BMW 135is.

Shifts are lightning fast.

In its default auto mode it gets 24 mpg out of a 300 hp turbo I6.

In auto mode with the sport button on, most of the time it's in the right gear for "spirited" driving.

If you're in auto mode and want to shift, no need to put the shifter in manual, just flick a paddle. It'll hold your gear for a while and then go back to auto mode.

All kinds of fun noises blipping the throttle on downshifts, crackles & pops on WOT upshifts.

Captain_Spadaro > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:50

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Never driven a 1st gen.

Firewrx234 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 12:54

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I work at a dealership (Chevy) and we get lots of different used cars. My absolute favorite automatic had to be the 2013 Dodge Charger. It was smooth and responsive. It didn't feel heavy or clunky and it was weird how I became aware of just how uninvolved the transmission was.

Mattbob > Party-vi 04/07/2014 at 12:55

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Megashifter sounds like a knockoff transformer toy. .... That is all.

deekster_caddy > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 13:00

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Chevy Volt (4ET50)

(start at 1 minute)

Party-vi > Mattbob 04/07/2014 at 13:01

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Trust me it's much more fun :)

spanfucker retire bitch > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 13:01

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I don't have a lot of experience to draw from, but the 6-speed SkyActiv AT in my Mazda is pretty god damn impressive. One of the smoothest and fastest shifting transmissions I've ever used.

deekster_caddy > 505Turbeaux 04/07/2014 at 13:09

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TH400. Bulletproof. End of discussion.

Saracen > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 13:09

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Torque converter: the 7-Speed SpeedShift in the C63 AMG.

Dual Clutch: 7-speed PDK in the 997.2 Carrera and Panamera.

Saracen > mr_gofast 04/07/2014 at 13:11

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If it doesn't have a clutch pedal, and it can shift on its own, it's not a manual gearbox. So yes.

505Turbeaux > deekster_caddy 04/07/2014 at 13:12

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unless you have the infamous mud dauber nesting in the vent pipe problem. Which is why I bought that thing so dead cheap. .5 hours with a pipe cleaner

anotherdayanotherburner1 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 13:13

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I appreciate the automatic in a regular S-10 Blazer because I don't have it, and recognize that my truck-thing would be a better truck-thing with it.

NaturallyAspirated > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 13:21

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I think the Aisen-Warner AW4 in the XJ Cherokees is probably the best I've driven. Firm shifts, solid engagement, and rock-solid long term reliability.

Second would be the AX4N in my '99 Taurus SHO, after I had it reflashed. With the stock flash, it worked OK, nothing to complain about really, but after the reflash, that thing would bark the tires at the 1-2 shift at WOT.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 13:24

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Believe it or not, the best auto I've ever driven was the three-speed in this old Firebird. It was absolutely butter smooth, you could not, I repeat could not , feel it shifting at all. It changed the feel of the car from a pavement pounding drag machine to a relaxed cruiser, which is what you want from a drop-top. It did suck quite a bit of power, more so than a modern transmission, but there was still plenty to spare.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > offroadkarter 04/07/2014 at 13:27

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Yep, that's the plan.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Saracen 04/07/2014 at 13:35

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(Almost) all torque-converters are automatics, but not all automatics use torque-converters.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Saracen 04/07/2014 at 13:36

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What if it has a clutch pedal, but pushes it on its own?

#BecauseFrance

deekster_caddy > 505Turbeaux 04/07/2014 at 13:52

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Hmm. Never heard of that issue. I guess mine were all to oil-covered to get it!

highmodulus > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 14:25

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ZF Sport 8 speed.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 15:21

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My favorite all time auto was a Ford C6 custom built by my mechanic friend and I back in the 80's.

It had all of the internals beefed up, HD racing clutches with 2 extra clutches added to the clutch pack and fully built manual/auto valve body. It would go into any gear at any speed and could be shifted manually or as a regular auto trans. Behind a built 429 in 69 F150 pickup it would shift from second gear into third hard enough at 90 mph to leave about 15-20 feet of rubber on the highway. The truck was a blast to drive until a broken pin in the rear end locked up the differential and sent it off road, into and through a telephone pole.

Dusty Ventures > Saracen 04/07/2014 at 15:23

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What if it doesn't have a clutch pedal, does have a torque-converter, but can't shift on it's own?

Saracen > Dusty Ventures 04/07/2014 at 15:27

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Then it's a very odd manual gearbox...but still a manual gearbox.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Philbert/Phartnagle 04/07/2014 at 15:28

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Darn, that does sound like an awesome truck! Sorry to hear of its demise :(

Dusty Ventures > Saracen 04/07/2014 at 15:29

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What if it doesn't have a clutch pedal, does have a torque-converter, can't shift on it's own, and is a Ford C4 ?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > NaturallyAspirated 04/07/2014 at 15:29

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Yeah I am definitely excited to have my SHO tuned, firmer shifts and torque held all the way to the shift points.

Blind Willy > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 15:47

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I drove manual pretty much all my life. 3 months ago I bought this puppy. No manuals were in stock in Northern Texas and I couldn't wait, I had to have an FJ. This thing drives on and off the road like a dream!

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Blind Willy 04/07/2014 at 15:50

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Hmm, that's a good color for the FJ!

Philbert/Phartnagle > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 15:51

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Thanks, it was a fun old truck to be sure and I actually started rebuilding it, but life happens and it had to go.

Sidenote: I had some 33x10.50x15 mud tires on the rear for a while and they made the most awesome "hound dog" howl when they were spinning that it just cracked me up to hear it. Because of that they didn't last very long to say the least. ;)

Blind Willy > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 15:52

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Thank you. I thought so too.
It hides the mud a little better.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Philbert/Phartnagle 04/07/2014 at 15:53

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I've poked around on craigslist for Ford Trucks of this vintage, maybe one of these days I'll come across one I will buy.

Philbert/Phartnagle > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 16:00

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Cool, Good luck!

George McNally > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 16:06

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I borrowed a 65 El Camino with a turbocharged small block and a Powerglide last summer for a couple days.

Not too many gears, but it didn't really need them.

wkiernan > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/07/2014 at 20:20

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Well you guys are going to hate me and I don't know if this is what you mean by "best" but I really dug driving my wife's Camry Hybrid. It doesn't feel like a car, it feels like a spaceship or some kind of lightly-caffeinated virtual-reality experience. I get in the car at actual physical point "A," get experienced,

exit the car, slightly disoriented, far-away at point "B," and strangely enough burn only two-thirds as much gasoline in the process as I usually do.

drunkenup4 > Textured Soy Protein 04/07/2014 at 20:30

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yeee I wish my 335i had the DCT. My steptronic won't hold gears on redline and spreads the ratios out a little too much.

Textured Soy Protein > drunkenup4 04/07/2014 at 20:45

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I test drove a 335i with the steptronic, and chose the 135is because the transmission was so much better.

drunkenup4 > Textured Soy Protein 04/07/2014 at 20:59

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Will the DCT hold a gear and bounce off redline?

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > wkiernan 04/08/2014 at 08:14

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Hah, if that's the best automatic transmission you've driven that's all I'm after with this post. I drove a Mercury Milan hybrid a year ago and thought it wasn't a bad car at all either, does the Camry Hybrid have a CVT as well?

AAsearles > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/08/2014 at 21:36

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Not sure if this one counts, but GM's 4T65E-HD is a tough 4-speed auto with high efficiency. It was used in the larger supercharged Buicks and Pontiacs from the late '90s and the front drive V8s (GXP, Impala SS). From the factory it feels sluggish and is optimized for staying in overdrive (TCC lock-up) as much of the time as possible, but it can be custom programmed with 3rd party ware for some rather exciting performance. Shift points can be modified for increased revs in each gear, fluid pressures can be in increased for firmer, faster shifts - I see on average from 50ms-150ms shift times when heavy on the accelerator. Downshifts come earlier, and torque converter clutch lock-up can be saved for economy driving only, permitting use of true 4th gear. Torque management can be disabled for chirps between shifts if that's what you're after. All in all a lot of fun can be had tinkering, and the results are very noticeable (and measurable) in daily driving and track use.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > AAsearles 04/09/2014 at 08:20

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It's quite amazing how some programming tweaks to a transmission can totally transform a car. I am excited to get torque management taken off of mine :D

Textured Soy Protein > drunkenup4 04/10/2014 at 11:38

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I haven't actually tried to run it up past redline when in manual mode. The closest I've come is playing with launch control, where even though you're in manual mode it does the shifting for you.

Generally it'll hold on to a gear as long as you would reasonably want it to. Even in auto mode, it'll kick down when you give it some gas, and if you're WOT it'll hold the gear right up to the redline before upshifting.

With the sport button turned off, it goes for a more economy-oriented shift pattern. Which is good if you're not going to be driving fast anyway, and if you do start trying to accelerate then it's very quick to take note and kick down 2-3 gears.

Turning on the sport button makes it shift more like what someone driving a manual transmission in a sorta-spirited way would be in. But when you're cruising it'll still go up to a high gear and let the engine loaf at low RPMs to save gas.

cabarne4 > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/13/2014 at 00:38

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Best auto? Mercedes 190e, hands down.

It was very "no-fuss". It knew what gear to be in, it shifted very directly, and predictably. Only automatic that didn't scare me off*.

*Laugh all you want, for years I didn't know how to drive automatic. I tried driving my mom's... it'd shift when I didn't want it to, it'd stay in gear when I wanted it to change up or down, sometimes it'd start in first, sometimes in second. For years, I honestly freaked out a little when an auto would change gears on me without me expecting it. The 190e worked perfectly, however. You felt each gear change, and they happened exactly when I wanted them to happen. Throttle input had a direct relation on how it shifted. Only auto I don't mind.

Deputy Kovacs > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/15/2014 at 15:49

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6-Speed in E60 BMW 535xi wagon, I think it was a Steptronic unit, but could have been ZF, who knows.

6-Speed in my current ride, 2012 RRSport. I have no idea who makes it, but it works quite well at being smooth and equally sporty when necessary. You'd be surprised how well you can hoon a 5500lb suv.

gmctavish needs more space > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/17/2014 at 14:53

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I've gotta say the 4 speed ZF in my old E34 525i Touring, it was lovely. Actually, you didn't even know it was there. (Not my touring)

bob and john > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/17/2014 at 16:47

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Audis DSG. have it in my dads a3 tdi. take up off the line is a little weird, but once u get used to it and let it do it thing, it is sublime

Dunnik > Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs 04/17/2014 at 18:12

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Easily the 8-speed ZF 8HP .

You often wonder just what the hell gear you're actually in, until you realize that it doesn't matter and let the auto work its magic.

Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs > Dunnik 04/17/2014 at 21:28

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Awesome, I really want to drive a vehicle with one of these in it.