[BBT]

I've had my 2010 for about a week and half now. I'm still breaking it in but have been trying out driving in either Sport mode or in CommandShift mode. I came from a manual in my last car so it's tempting to want to use the right hand while driving. D mode is ok but a little slushy. I noticed that when using CommandShift you can come to a complete stop in 2nd gear and it stays in 2nd gear when starting off again. I found that odd as a few years ago I had an Audi S4 with tiptronic and it always went down to 1st at a stop. It actually seems like a good thing as you can get to 4th gear that much faster. Just wondered if anyone knows why the gearing is that way. Is 1st meant mostly for off road conditions with this vehicle?

Also, Just wondered how most people drive their Sports -- in D mode mostly, Sport or CommandShift? I think I'm getting the smoothest ride using CommandShift, and doing a lot less braking from the downshifting on deceleration.

 

[umbertob]

In Drive and CommandShift modes, the tranny downshifts and stays in 2nd gear to save you gas. If you leave it in Sport mode though, it will downshift to 1st to give you more pickup when you accelerate from a standstill. I almost never use first gear when off-roading either, second is just about perfect for most low-speed situations. In first and low you can almost climb walls, but you barely move. The CommandShift novelty wore off for me after a couple of months of ownership... I usually leave her in Drive, unless I need to quickly pass someone or get out of the way on the freeway (the silly adaptive feature can make it sleepy when you don't want it to...), in which case I will usually throw in in Sport mode and punch it or, if I really want to show off, throw it in Sport and downshift one or two gears manually, punch it and flip it back to D when the lemmings behind me are small dots in the rear view mirror. I use CommandShift more often when wheeling, but even then leaving it in Low + Drive works great on 90% of terrains you are on. Overall I think the ZF transmission in these cars is velvety smooth and very refined, and I imagine the revised one on the 2010s, coupled with the more powerful engines, must be even better. I just wish it didn't try to "adapt" to my driving style so much.

 

[BBT]

Thanks for your comments. I had an 05 audi S4 with paddle shifters and after a few months I barely ever used them and mostly used Sport and D mode. It was also a ZF transmission and very good. And it would adapt to driving conditions and sometimes feel slow -- until I floored it a few times and the computer would adjust back to being more aggressive. This version might be the same it sounds like. I do like the Sport mode in the RR even though it comes at the cost of even worse mileage.

 

[ET7]

by sport mode do you guys mean putting it so you manually "shift" the gears like a triptronic car?

 

[fixthedoor]

In first and low you can almost climb walls, but you barely move.

Isn't that the truth.

I also use the command shift for passing. Drop the tranny down a couple gears and that 4.4 really sings.

 

[BBT]

by sport mode do you guys mean putting it so you manually "shift" the gears like a triptronic car?

With the Range Rover Sport the transmission is in Sport mode if the gear selector is in the left position ( the +/-). Once the selector is moved over it is in Sport mode by default even though there is no "S" on the gate, like in a tiptronic on other cars. Once you nudge the shifter up or down it enters CommandShift mode and doesn't exit that mode until you physically move the shifter over to the right again and go back into "D".

 

[Drevs]

I just wish it didn't try to "adapt" to my driving style so much.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense. There are going to be times when typically mild mannered drivers need to punch it for whatever reason, and unfortunately the tranny thinks it knows what you need better than you do.

 

[ET7]

I just wish it didn't try to "adapt" to my driving style so much.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense. There are going to be times when typically mild mannered drivers need to punch it for whatever reason, and unfortunately the tranny thinks it knows what you need better than you do.

what happens with the tranny when you punch it?

 

[PJPR01]

I noticed that when using CommandShift you can come to a complete stop in 2nd gear and it stays in 2nd gear when starting off again.

This is interesting, I wonder if LR has changed the settings on the MY10 models. On my 2006, when driving in Commandshift mode, mine will come all the way down to 1st, but you must come to a COMPLETE stop, or else it will stay in second. If you're doing the "California stop", then it stays in 2nd.

Odd that Umberto's is showing his staying in 2nd, even on a complete stop, I'm wondering if there is a different software transmission flash version...

 

[Drevs]

what happens with the tranny when you punch it?

Nothing - that's the problem. It oughta downshift...
I also don't like the perpetual 2nd gear thing; the truck is a dog when you're turning onto a street and stuck in 2nd, instead of 1st. The tranny is a bit conservative for my tastes.

 

[TripleE]

Command shift for off-road; Sport for on-road here.

I noticed that when using CommandShift you can come to a complete stop in 2nd gear and it stays in 2nd gear when starting off again.

This is interesting, I wonder if LR has changed the settings on the MY10 models. On my 2006, when driving in Commandshift mode, mine will come all the way down to 1st, but you must come to a COMPLETE stop, or else it will stay in second. If you're doing the "California stop", then it stays in 2nd.

Odd that Umberto's is showing his staying in 2nd, even on a complete stop, I'm wondering if there is a different software transmission flash version...

Odd indeed. Fairly certain mine stays in 2nd...but will check unless someone else does first.
The 325i stays in 2nd also.