Discussion
drove the quattroporte yesterday while I was a maserati in modena.
very nice car -- very much a drivers car, hopeless as a limo. box in auto mode is a dog, much better in manual although can still easily be caught out so it clunks and shoves and messes things up.
very nice detailing inside. reminded me a lot of the lagonda of 25 years ago -- a drivers car trying to be a 4 door limo.
would give it consideration if i was in the market for one.
very nice car -- very much a drivers car, hopeless as a limo. box in auto mode is a dog, much better in manual although can still easily be caught out so it clunks and shoves and messes things up.
very nice detailing inside. reminded me a lot of the lagonda of 25 years ago -- a drivers car trying to be a 4 door limo.
would give it consideration if i was in the market for one.
jhoneyball said:
very nice car -- very much a drivers car, hopeless as a limo. box in auto mode is a dog, much better in manual although can still easily be caught out so it clunks and shoves and messes things up.
Same box as the GranSport? After 500 miles I'm just beginning to manage seamless changes. Another two or three weeks to achieve absolute finesse every time!
Surprising how little throttle you need for downchanges - just the meerest momentary squeeze on the accelerator under braking or on the flat. The pedal spacing on the G'Sport is ideal for the "heel 'n toe" caper under braking. How is it on the Q'porte?
Upchanges easier, but the timing of the slight lift-off is vital. Intriguing stuff, but very rewarding when you get it right.
Autocar are doing a Q'porte road test next week, and I bet they crucify the cambiocorsa system. If only they could understand that it has to be thoroughly learned...
Throttle on down changes?? you don't need any throttle. In fact if you are really lazy it down changes itself.
McNab said:
very nice car -- very much a drivers car, hopeless as a limo. box in auto mode is a dog, much better in manual although can still easily be caught out so it clunks and shoves and messes things up.
Same box as the GranSport? After 500 miles I'm just beginning to manage seamless changes. Another two or three weeks to achieve absolute finesse every time!
Surprising how little throttle you need for downchanges - just the meerest momentary squeeze on the accelerator under braking or on the flat. The pedal spacing on the G'Sport is ideal for the "heel 'n toe" caper under braking. How is it on the Q'porte?
Upchanges easier, but the timing of the slight lift-off is vital. Intriguing stuff, but very rewarding when you get it right.
Autocar are doing a Q'porte road test next week, and I bet they crucify the cambiocorsa system. If only they could understand that it has to be thoroughly learned...
Thanks Marki,
Have to admit I'm enjoying it very much indeed. Nice to have some new tricks to learn!
G'Sport must be quite different from the Q'porte because you have the choice of Normal, Sport or Automatic settings. Haven't tried Auto, but the other two work very well.
I expected a slower car than the Porsche Turbo, and it probably is slower on paper, but it certainly doesn't feel it!!
Cheers,
Ian.
Have to admit I'm enjoying it very much indeed. Nice to have some new tricks to learn!
G'Sport must be quite different from the Q'porte because you have the choice of Normal, Sport or Automatic settings. Haven't tried Auto, but the other two work very well.
I expected a slower car than the Porsche Turbo, and it probably is slower on paper, but it certainly doesn't feel it!!
Cheers,
Ian.
A touch of the throttle "helps" the downchange - despite the gearboxes electronic trickery it is still at heart an old fashioned gearbox - lower gear = higher revs, time it right and provide the revs for the lower gear and the downchange will be smoother and hopefully slightly quicker.
sjp63,
Forget the braking just for the moment. Assume you're approaching a corner. You want to change down. You take your foot off the accelerator. You flick the downchange paddle. What happens?
You feel a very slight lurch. This is the momentary engine "drag" as the revs are forced to increase to match the change to a lower ratio.
By giving the accelerator a split-second "touch" when you flick the downchange paddle you bring the revs up to match the new ratio. Result: no lurch at all.
In Sport Mode the electronics do this for you. You can hear the "blip" the moment you operate the paddle, and the change usually goes through seamlessly.
But, even in Sport Mode, it's not programmed perfectly, and a "touch" on the accelerator can improve the downshift, particularly at high rpm.
Obviously if the pressure on the (very sensitive) accelerator pedal is overdone you will provoke an accelerative lurch, as the car reacts to excessive engine speed.
I think this "excessive" reaction is the basis of your question.
All the above applies under braking too, using the RH side of the foot to momentarily dab the accelerator. Not easy to explain, but I've done my best!
>> Edited by McNab on Thursday 31st March 14:59
Forget the braking just for the moment. Assume you're approaching a corner. You want to change down. You take your foot off the accelerator. You flick the downchange paddle. What happens?
You feel a very slight lurch. This is the momentary engine "drag" as the revs are forced to increase to match the change to a lower ratio.
By giving the accelerator a split-second "touch" when you flick the downchange paddle you bring the revs up to match the new ratio. Result: no lurch at all.
In Sport Mode the electronics do this for you. You can hear the "blip" the moment you operate the paddle, and the change usually goes through seamlessly.
But, even in Sport Mode, it's not programmed perfectly, and a "touch" on the accelerator can improve the downshift, particularly at high rpm.
Obviously if the pressure on the (very sensitive) accelerator pedal is overdone you will provoke an accelerative lurch, as the car reacts to excessive engine speed.
I think this "excessive" reaction is the basis of your question.
All the above applies under braking too, using the RH side of the foot to momentarily dab the accelerator. Not easy to explain, but I've done my best!
>> Edited by McNab on Thursday 31st March 14:59
,,, im glad you are happy after the seemngly disapointing 996TT experience Well thanks, I'll give it a go!
Apologies for "excessive"
Apologies for "excessive"
McNab said:
sjp63,
Forget the braking just for the moment. Assume you're approaching a corner. You want to change down. You take your foot off the accelerator. You flick the downchange paddle. What happens?
You feel a very slight lurch. This is the momentary engine "drag" as the revs are forced to increase to match the change to a lower ratio.
By giving the accelerator a split-second "touch" when you flick the downchange paddle you bring the revs up to match the new ratio. Result: no lurch at all.
In Sport Mode the electronics do this for you. You can hear the "blip" the moment you operate the paddle, and the change usually goes through seamlessly.
But, even in Sport Mode, it's not programmed perfectly, and a "touch" on the accelerator can improve the downshift, particularly at high rpm.
Obviously if the pressure on the (very sensitive) accelerator pedal is overdone you will provoke an accelerative lurch, as the car reacts to excessive engine speed.
I think this "excessive" reaction is the basis of your question.
All the above applies under braking too, using the RH side of the foot to momentarily dab the accelerator. Not easy to explain, but I've done my best!
>> Edited by McNab on Thursday 31st March 14:59
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