webguy330i said:I believe the car "starts" in 2nd because you've put it in manual mode, and it kind of acts as a safeguard from going from S -> M mode accidentally while moving... if you start to drive away in 2nd like that and then stop again, I believe it goes to 1st (IIRC, it's been a bit since I drove a step).
At least you can downshift to 1st, unlike the IS300 eshift. =/
ff said:
Ehhhhh, that's why on the 8th day, God made manual transmissions. So you can choose which gear you're in at all times. No stinkin' car' is going to do the thinking for me.![]()
alee said:D starts in 2nd unless your car senses you've been doing some aggressive driving, in which case it starts out in first. D prefers the higher gear, so it will upshift early and tend not to downshift to 1st unless you really urge the pedal.
S starts out in 1st all the time. It prefers a lower gear whenever possible, shifting to 5th in highway conditions, but will downshift faster into 4th or 3rd.
M starts out in 2nd if you don't manually nudge it into 1st at a complete stop.
Gs330Ci said:Vexed,
Try doing as I said in my post and start your car in "D" in auto mode and simply count the number of shifts the car makes. Make sure you are on an open road so you can accelerate smoothly without having to stop. I think you will detect 4 shifts which means the car is starting in 1st gear, not 2nd.
A few years ago, BMW had a S/W switch on their automatic transmissions that signified either summer or winter shifting mode. When in the "W' mode for winter, the transmission did start in 2nd gear, to assist in starts in snow or ice. That switch is not on the Step transmission in the 330Ci. The last two Mercedes I had, a 99 CLK and a 2001 SLK both had the S/W switch and the function was the same as when on the BMW's.
Gs330Ci said:One poster said that the transmission only starts in first if the car has been driven aggressivily. I really don't drive mine hard, so I suspect that they all start in 1st. I have found nothing in the owner's manual stating that the transmission starts in second in Drive.
Gs330Ci said:Alee,
As I said, just try simply starting you car in "D" and count the number of shifts. I am pretty sure you will count 4.
alee said:D starts in 2nd unless your car senses you've been doing some aggressive driving, in which case it starts out in first. D prefers the higher gear, so it will upshift early and tend not to downshift to 1st unless you really urge the pedal.
S starts out in 1st all the time. It prefers a lower gear whenever possible, shifting to 5th in highway conditions, but will downshift faster into 4th or 3rd.
M starts out in 2nd if you don't manually nudge it into 1st at a complete stop.
DKJBama330ci said:
One of those "shifts" you are feeling is probably the torque converter locking up at its preset speed. The revs drop when it lock up, so it could easily be mistaken for a shift.
asura0s9 said:
so....if u floor the car.....S mode SHOULD have a faster acceleration right ?..... for some reason...the D feels faster with a lil more pull..... anyone notice this ?
Gs330Ci said:Alee,
I drive my car easy practically all the time. Very few shifts above 3,000-3,500 rps, and many below that. Mine always starts in 1st.