I haven't used paddle shifters before, and on my previous car, I really didn't need to go manual.
For my IS, looks like it would be fun to downshift for passing.
I have had the car for less than two months, so I am just working towards getting used to the manual and paddle shifters.
For the main tach display, I set it on "gearing", to get an idea what the auto transmission is doing.
As discussed here, it really goes to high gears pretty quickly to keep the revs down.
I see I am already in 5th gear before pulling on to a main street!
I was trying to get an idea of what to expect on the highway.
Going 55 mph, assuming in ?6th gear? what kind of down shifting would help for passing.
This is the range where my IS300 seems to lack some grunt for passing.

 

i like dropping it to second..

 

I wouldn't go lower than 3rd on the free way for passing.

 

I am just exploring the paddle shifters for local driving.
I didn't realize they will engage without going into the M mode with the shift lever.
After shifting with the paddles, the transmission quickly goes back to auto mode.
Do the paddles work any differently if the shift lever is in the M mode?
I hate reading the manual :-).

 

Yes, there's a big difference in using M mode. In M, the torque converter stays locked from 2nd gear upwards, and the shifts will be a tad quicker as well. If you engage the paddles while in D, it'll revert back to regular operation if you press the gas for a certain amount of time.