3 ms·
Anecdotal, but I did some tests in my previous car (a 2014 Mercedes, automatic) and it coasted really, really, really well. In drive, downhill, on the freeway,
by henrikschroder 10y ago
Anecdotal, but I did some tests in my previous car (a 2014 Mercedes, automatic) and it coasted really, really, really well. In drive, downhill, on the freeway, feet off all pedals, it would accelerate as much as if I put it in neutral, so I think its software and transmission allowed it to perform as good as a manual in that situation.
Not calling you out specifically, but a lot of people arguing for manual transmissions in this thread seem to base their experiences on ~10 year old cars or older, and weirdly assuming that nothing has happened since, that software and technology in cars has been magically frozen in time, despite enormous incentives for car manufacturers to improve it.
- smileysteve 10y agoAutomatics don't engine brake the same way, the torque converter is only fully engaged when it has some pressure buildup, so it will slip (and not maintain fuel cut) when coasting whenever the wheel speed won't maintain the pressure. To test, watch your rpm when you left off the gas, if it drops to ~750-1000 rpm, your torque converter is slipping (as designed) and not maintaining fuel cut. To agree with you, I think the comments in this thread started from a manual transmission standpoint and then everybody thought it applied to automatics.
- fnj 10y agoIt's not that simple, since everybody has had lockup torque converters (based on a computer-controlled clutch) for a long time now. As long as the TC is locked up, you have full engine braking. As you slow, it eventually drops out of lockup, you see the rpm drop to idle or close to it, and you feel the engine braking diminish (though you do still have a small amount, as the the transmission does have pumping and drag losses).