ItzFilyO

Hey guys, I just noticed that my car lagged when flooring it from about 50-70. I mean it downshifts but not enough, it could've downshifted to a lower gear but it didn't and it's no where near redline. I was in normal mode and I tried the sport mode and still the same. Is it normal?

Do I have to downshift manually in M mode? Cause I feel like this car can pull a lot faster than that.

My old Camry V6 with 2GR-FE engine pulls a lot quicker if the pedal is near floored out cause it didn't hesitate to downshift to a much lower gear to get going, I rarely had to totally floor that car. But the GS has a lot more power 306 vs 268 HP. Pulling from a dead stop however, is no problem.

I have a little over 900 miles on it, is it still in breaking in period?

FishBike

Yep, you do. It will only downshift for you in M mode if the engine speed gets very low while slowing down. And it will only upshift when you hit redline. In between those two extremes, all shifting is up to you.

ItzFilyO

No no, I mean do I have to shift to M first in order to downshift further to speed up? Cause I thought the computer will downshift automatically in D depending on how much you step on the gas.

Basically what I'm saying is the car hesitates to downshift when you floor it when in D.

FishBike

Sorry, totally misunderstood you. You are correct, yes, with the lever in "D" it should downshift when you step on the gas hard enough, and will shift down several gears if you floor it. I've found it to be pretty responsive in the speed range you mentioned, though it does take some time to get used to the feel of the bottom-hinged gas pedal.

ItzFilyO

Right, but mine doesn't shift several gears when floored all the way like it supposed to, only one gear. lol

Maybe I need to start driving more aggressively and let the computer learn?

jjscsix

Ours feels the same. I had a 2010 GS that was MUCH more responsive in throttle response and downshifting. And it doesn't matter what mode I'm in, it still feels more sluggish to me. We have the CAFE fuel mandates to thank for this.

ItzFilyO

That's it!!! Glad I'm not the only one, so that means mine isn't defective!

Rexus300

iTrader: (1)

I have no downshift issue and my car changes gear more smoothly then when it was new. Forgive me but I have 28,000 miles on my F-sport.

Needsdecaf

You need to drive it more, and your wife drive it less. The car I test drove felt very sluggish. Mine, not so much. Of course, I am also averaging 21 MPG...

In all seriousness, normally it only downshifts 1-2 gears unless you hit the kickdown. But the paddles are quite responsive and the only time I notice it is when I REALLY get on it.

Neogenic

I think this is a subjective preference. It follows how you tune on your engine sound. And yes I do agree its slow in downshifting. No defect to be concern about. On the other hand this will probably increase lifespan for both gearbox and engine:-)

G-SharK

Just remember the car is made to remember your driving habits, if one person drives in a steady pace for a long time the car system will remember that. Drive the car hard for a while and you will see the difference...

ItzFilyO

This morning I tried it again and this time I only stepped on the gas just a little more than halfway (not floored) and the car downshifted like 2 gears and fired right away. That pull and engine sound put a smile on my face, all in "D" and normal mode. I knew this car can pull faster than a Corolla! lol Maybe it finally learned my driving habits.

I don't trash my car or drive at redline, but I do want the power to be there when needed (passing, merging, etc.).

Nismo

The car is not uber-aggressive with downshifts in Auto mode, even in Sport+. However, one small input the driver does have--and it matters--is how quickly you push the go pedal to the floor. A moderate speed 'flooring it' will not engage as low a gear as an ultra fast 'flooring it', depending on your actual speed of course.

In general, if lowering a gear will put the engine RPM close to redline, I've found the car won't do it. So if max RPM is what you're looking for, keep it in Manual mode, which is quite responsive, and WILL put the car in the right gear for your speed, regardless of RPM, so long as you're below redline--at least that's been my experience both on the road and on the track.

jjscsix

I've probably put 300-400 miles on it just around town and I've tried every combination of how to make it respond, including paddles. Keep in mind that my point of reference is my 2010 that was far more responsive. Admittedly, I'm coming from a 550 BMW and you are coming from…..

jjscsix

How a car responds should be based upon how far you push the pedal to the floor. It should make no difference that most of my driving is in Houston city driving where there is simply not a lot of opportunities to push it hard. When I want all the power and responsiveness it should be there. But honestly, I don't really believe it "learns" your driving anyway. It simply makes no sense to me and I don't know what algorithms it's going to change based upon past driving. It would have to have some way of storing a lot of history that says "oh, he doesn't floor it that often so when he does I'm not going to give him all I've got - I don't think he really meant to floor it because he never has before".