re improvements in automatic transmissions an excellent automatic can be found in the subaru legacy it switches to sport mode when the electronics figure it not when the driver sets the switch which is the proper way to do it imo so what does sport mode entail several things revving to red line or to the rev limiter in the case of the legacy delayed upshifts i e if you lift off briefly it will remain in the low gear this is handy if you are charging through corners and would like to do without the distraction of upshifts when there s another curve approaching part throttle downshifts based on the speed at which the pedal is depressed rather than the position of the pedal modern electronics can measure this very easily and switch to sport mode this is wonderful if you want to charge through a green light about to turn red my audi senses this very well and can downshift on as little as half throttle if my right foot is fast enough also i think that a smart automatic can deliver better gas mileage than a dumb driver with a stick all else being equal remember that the idea of a stick being more economical than an automatic makes a big assumption that the driver is smart enough to know what gear to use for each situation how many times have you ridden with an inattentive driver cruising on the highway at in th gear of a speed how many of people who drive manuals really know what the best gear to use is for every conceivable situation i m sure there will be some who know but i suspect that a chip controlled automatic with all possible scenario ratio combinations stored in rom is likely to do better i can also say that all my previous assumptions were proved wrong after i got a car with instantaneous mpg readout high gear low revs and wide open throttle is more economical than low gear high revs and small throttle opening the explanation is quite simple if one sits down to think about it but not that obvious at first sight eliot
