Smart decisions

"Cé hé sin" (michael-m-mouse) 05/11/2018 at 12:46 • Filed to: Smart Roadster

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To paddle

Or to leave it to an electronic brain?

Despite all the negativity you read about relying on your Smart’s ECU to do the job for you, that’s just what I do. Nearly always. When you start from cold though it’ll hang on to first for dear life (or about 4,000 rpm) and if you go up a steep hill relatively slowly it’ll tend to chop and change between gears. So, a bit of DIY at those times.

Chariotoflove > Cé hé sin 05/11/2018 at 12:59

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I don’t know about other cars, but I had paddles in my auto RX-8. I used them twice for a total of 2 minutes in 13 years.

Matt Nichelson > Chariotoflove 05/11/2018 at 13:03

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That’s how it is with mine. I’ve used them a handful of times and that’s about it.

duurtlang > Chariotoflove 05/11/2018 at 13:06

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I drove a Subaru BRZ with paddles. Left it in auto most of the time as well. The paddles gave me a Playstation feel, not even remotely as satisfying as a manual gearbox. No contest. The auto function was fine anyway, so there was no NEED for the paddles either.

IMHO a manufacturer should just make a clear decision: real manual or just a (fast) automatically shifting slushbox. Those paddle things are a gimmick that are only useful if the transmission software is shitty.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 05/11/2018 at 13:07

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I think that’s pretty typical. They’re a gimmick to play with when the car is new.

I love driving stick, yet I use the paddles on my DD about 2x/year.

Chariotoflove > duurtlang 05/11/2018 at 13:12

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I feel the same. Since I can’t actually use a stick, I’m not interested. There are other things to be dong with my attention that are still part of driving.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 05/11/2018 at 13:12

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Yeah, it’s doing something for its own sake that isn’t actually needed.

E90M3 > Chariotoflove 05/11/2018 at 13:14

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My dad’s 135is has paddles, I actually use them almost every time I drive the car. It’s got a titanium M exhaust on it, so downshifts sound wonderful.

Chariotoflove > E90M3 05/11/2018 at 13:16

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Well, if it actually does something that makes a difference, then it would make more sense.

WilliamsSW > Chariotoflove 05/11/2018 at 13:16

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Yep - unlike a true manual, it’s not necessary at all. And Sport mode does a good enough job of holding gears that there’s no point.

Plus, it’s not satisfying like a manual shift is.

I think manufacturers put them in knowing all that, but it’s a marketing ploy - “Much sporty” “Very race car”.

Shamoononon drives like a farmer > Cé hé sin 05/11/2018 at 13:21

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The paddles are like the cheap imitation marble tiles I had somebody try to talk me into buying.... it’s just not the same. I went with ceramic instead (the marble doesn’t come how it used to).

veryloud435iwouldn'thaveitanyotherway > Cé hé sin 05/11/2018 at 13:22

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I have those paddle shifts too. Never use them. I’ve tried but it doesn’t feel as natural as shifting manually from the shifter next to me. It’s just so much more fun to hold the steering wheel, reach down and bump it up or down through gears that way, then grab a hold the steering wheel again. Feels so much more like a quick shifting manual and therefore more fun. IMO.

Best of post worlds. Full on Automatic or Full on Manual shifting, just no clutch so keep your foot on the gas :) The only disadvantage I see with these modern transmission is no dumping the clutch :)

E90M3 > Chariotoflove 05/11/2018 at 13:27

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It’s a DCT, so it does actually feel meaningful using the paddles.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > duurtlang 05/11/2018 at 13:39

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“Stop hanging out in 5th gear I need you to drop to 3rd so I can actually climb this hill”

duurtlang > winterlegacy, here 'till the end 05/11/2018 at 13:47

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You don’t want to know how much I cussed when I drove a rented Chevy Impala up and down mount Washington. Despite having it in the mountain setting, whatever it’s called (I’m not used to automatics). But in the BRZ, the automatic was fine. It being an automatic killed the whole point of the car and I’d never even consider a car in that segment with an automatic. But objectively speaking it was absolutely fine.

Chariotoflove > WilliamsSW 05/11/2018 at 13:47

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It’s for the race car aesthetic.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > duurtlang 05/11/2018 at 13:51

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See, the problem with most automatics is that most manufacturers don’t understand that they need to be reasonably aggressive with down/upshifting, but not excessively so.

They need to avoid common speeds for shift points, like 45 and 50mph, because many hills in rural country are signed for 45 - and that is the Achilles heel of most autoboxes, because that 45mph area causes them to either hang out in a high gear for way too long going up the hill, or hang out in a lower gear way too long after cresting the hill.

The autobox in the ‘12 Escape and its many variants seems to have that covered, though then again the engine may simply just have enough torque to handle lugging itself a bit on a steep hill.