Auto Transmission Discussion.

[EngineerDave]

First off, this isn't an Auto vs. Manual discussion, there's another thread for that. Those of us who are in an Auto have our reasons. (my poor knee hurts just thinking about it.)

I just wanted to discuss about how surprised/disappointed you've been with your A/T in your 2015.

Personally I've been extremely satisfied, and pleasantly surprised with the transmission in this car. (I have a 2015 GT Prem. 401A Auto with 3.15's)

I went with the 3.15 because it seems that the 3.55 would shift sooner and seemed to have a smaller sweet spot for cruising in drive, but that could have just been the cars at the lot.

This transmission really gives the car Three distinct personalities (possibly four, haven't had it in track mode yet.) and the distinction be between the three are fantastic in my opinion. In Normal/Drive the car is quiet, comfortable, easily to putt around town in, and handles highway driving with ease, without feeling like the car is upset with me for not going Balls to the Wall the whole time. It provides decent gas mileage on longer cruises (26mpg last 100+ mile trek.) and again is very reserved. Sure if you put your foot down you'll get a taste of the V8 under the hood, and just enough audible grunt when it goes over 2k, but other than that it's a very nice reserved car.

However once you shift it down in to "S" and use either sport or Sport+ on the toggles, the car comes alive like some sort of snarling monster. The car growls at you as you take the corners, or cruise through different speeds on back country roads. It "barks" at you when you slow down from 60 - 0 at a red light as the engine braking engages, almost as if the car is upset with you for stopping :lol: always trying to keep the revs right near the sweet spot for optimum throttle response. The paddles are fun occasionally, but I think a tune to sharpen them up would make them stellar.

Snow/Wet mode really calms things down to an extreme compared to Sport. It treats the road as if you are driving over eggshells. (of course some of that is the virtual pillow they seem to stick behind the throttle.)

The closest AT I test drove would probably have been the one in the Lexus RC. Though it wasn't as crisp, it did offer the different modes and the paddles. I just feel that the S550 is more "sporty." I've driven the Challey in V6 for awhile as a rental, and it just drives like a normal car rather than giving you the options that ford has.


Those of you with Autos, what's been your experience with them in the 2015(positive and negative if any!) Did anyone test drive an auto with 3.55 and 3.15? Was there a noticeable difference for you? How did it compare to other Auto's you test drove?

Sponsored

 

[FATHERFORD]

I really couldn't tell much of a difference by seat of the pants between 3.15 and 3.55... I had to watch the Gauges to see the difference.

Throw a Circle D converter on your car and really be impressed with the auto. With today's technology, higher stall converters really don't reduce gas mileage and drive-ability by much, if at all.

 

[SVTFreak]

I love mine with 3.55's. Hate how soft it shifts in any mode. Vmp tune helped a lot but still working on it.

 

[Alloye]

I used to prefer manuals but not any more. Now I simply love my 6R80 + 3.55 rear. My favorite driving mode is Sport+. The gear holding and rev-matched downshifting puts a smile on my face and often conjures a gasp from my passengers.

 

[EngineerDave]

I used to prefer manuals but not any more. Now I simply love my 6R80 + 3.55 rear. My favorite driving mode is Sport+. The gear holding and rev-matched downshifting puts a smile on my face and often conjures a gasp from my passengers.

Haha yeah that last bit has happened to me now three different times. This weekend I had promised to take a friend out in the car, and she gets in and starts commenting on how it drives "just like a normal car!" while sitting at a light, I said "yeah, but if I put it in this mode, and flip this toggle switch..." After a few minutes she's calling it the "insanity mode" haha.

 

[opensesame]

My Original reason.

To hold my wifes hand while I'm driving.

 

[thehunterooo]

The auto is great, I use the paddles 99% of the time. Does what it is supposed to do so no complaints. The gear upgrade is not as big of a deal as it was last gen when the base gears were 2.73, a 3.55 car will be faster than a 3.15 car but it really is not a big deal. Nice to get the gears from the factory though, the price is decent and there is no warranty issues if there for some reason or other.

 

[moto111]

I test drove my first auto today gt normal gearing. I loved the rev matching when it first did it I was like holy crap no mustangs done that before. I can only imagine with a proper exhuast how it would sound also when in first using paddle shifters car felt really jumpy or maybe it was me. I am impressed the paddles actually shift pretty well for a stock tune. Overall I drove the manual after and I like them and all but I found traffic on purpose as that's my commute and the manual just made me a little ticked. The auto I can play when I want and then put it in drive and relax which I like .

Also wonder how paddles would compare to running in drive at strip.

 

[DB23]

OP hit the nail on the head. I love the way you can pick your cars personality: normal/D for highway cruising, sport+/S with full time paddle shifting for spirited driving, and snow/wet for when you want to slip the muzzle on.

As my wife said on the way home from the dealer "automatic transmissions have come a LONG way", 6R80 not a penalty box, it's an excellent alternative.

 

[Slade]

Another satisfied customer here as well. I'm learning the timing of the paddles and having a great time in the twisty bits. I use my car a lot for work and today was stuck in some real nasty stop and go. Thrilled to put her in D and poke along.

 

[Mellow]

I've got an auto, 20" wheels with the 3.55 and it is really direct responding in Sport+ or Track. In snow/wet I was able drive around in Atlanta's recent crummy weather without much hassle despite the summer rubber. I think the various modes are great and provide the right tool for the job whether that is traffic, weather, mountain/canyon runs or the track.

I find the paddles OK, they work as advertised, but would have preferred a +/- gate on the shifter as it feels more normal to me but that is obviously just a preference.

 

[unintelligible]

The 6R80 is decent. If you've driven a dual clutch or ZF 8-speed transmission you'd realize how far behind the 6R80 is in terms of responsiveness, but it's absolutely bulletproof and can take anything you throw at it (unlike the MT82).

I find the paddles OK, they work as advertised, but would have preferred a +/- gate on the shifter as it feels more normal to me but that is obviously just a preference.

Completely agreed... shifting when the wheel is turned is a huge pain in the ass. If the wheel is upside down you have to do mental gymnastics to figure out which paddle is up and which is down... that blows. Wish either the paddles were column mounted (so left is left and vice versa regardless of steering angle) or they gave you a tiptronic gate on the shifter. Weird oversight by Ford... hell the S197 had the little +/- rocker switch on the shifter, they could have kept that!

Edit: one thing to add that I didn't like from my EcoBoost rental that I had. In sport/track mode it seems very eager to downshift when in D or S but the 6R80 is just not quick enough with the shift execution. The result is that I dig into the throttle pedal for more power but it decides to downshift which takes some time, now I'm down a gear and getting more power than I wanted. Result is I tended to stay in non-sport/track mode to prevent that. Maybe a tune could fix that behavior?

 

[opensesame]

The auto is great, I use the paddles 99% of the time. Does what it is supposed to do so no complaints. The gear upgrade is not as big of a deal as it was last gen when the base gears were 2.73, a 3.55 car will be faster than a 3.15 car but it really is not a big deal. Nice to get the gears from the factory though, the price is decent and there is no warranty issues if there for some reason or other.

I haven't had a real chance to try out +Sport due to having Summer tires. So have not had a chance to use the paddle shifters as its something new and will take some time for me to learn. Spring is here, snow is melting and I am excited I can finally drive it.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

First car I've ever had with paddle shifters... It seems like a gimmick to me, and pretty useless. Especially since they don't actually let you put it in the gear you want. Here in NYC, the speed limit citywide is 25 mph, so I want to upshift into sixth gear for fuel economy when I'm cruising at 25 mph everywhere... Car won't let me do that. What's the point in having paddle shifters if it won't let you pick the gear?

 

[moto111]

FOR FUN lol not meant for gas economy

Sponsored