2007 Saturn Aura XR: Paddle shift logic

Agreed. The paddle design here is completely nonsensical.
 
Just imagine if an editor money $hifted the Aura. He or she could be approaching redline in 3rd gear. Let's say he or she wants to upshift to 4th by pulling the paddle and instead, is greeted with a downshift into 2nd. As Steve Matchett (for those of you who don't watch Formula 1 on the SPEED/NASCAR Channel, he's one of their commentators) would say, "KA-BLAMMO!" j/k I'm sure there's some sort of safeguard in the engine or transmission control unit to prevent this excitement.

Lexus may only build boring cars but at least they are one of the few who got their paddle shifters right...

that is how GM does it... apparantly their race driver John Henriechy (sp?) prefers this set-up, which is why it is the way it is.

Source, huyracing?
 
I give John Heinricy mad props for his victories in the 4th-generation F-bodies and development of the first Corvette C5-R. This is well before some people came to know him as the guy who can hustle GM products around the Nürburgring Nordschleife.

It is an unusual design within the world of cars, however, while i don't recall where i heard this from, i remember hearing the inspiration for GM's paddle shifters came from outside the automotive world. Instead GM designers where inspired by performance shifting systems on high-end road bikes, with paddle systems built in to the brake levers. Press the lever to upshift, and pull back with your thumb to downshift. This is actually quite intuitive on a bike, and the system here looks like it would be pretty intuitive from my perspective, but as a cyclist it may be just because its familiar.
 
Either way, I figure that if you want to change gears and really drive your car, get a manual. That being said, few family sized performance cars can be had with a manual. My 5-speed 95 Audi S6 is a relic of a bygone era in that respect.

Another red herring. If you buy the car and want to use the steering-wheel shifters, you get used to it. How many people drive multiple cars every week (like car reviewers)?

I believe the Mini Cooper has the same exact design. And that's German engineering!

SubyTrojan: I can't recall the source. Just a tidbit of info I remember. I'm usually right about these things, though. I too questioned the awkward placement and found the answer either through the internet or by talking to industry people.
 
Mini Cooper has an Aisin Automatic transmission. Japanese engineering. Similar to that found in the Mazda's. It is not the same thing, it is in fact the more intuitive method of pulling to upshift and pushing to downshift.

I believe the Corvettes shifter is the
same. I have heard the same thing, that
some expert said this way is the best.
 
Not sure where it came from.
 
SubyTrojan
 
Heinricy is a GM god. I wonder if he had something to do with the setup. I really don't know.
 
Stevej2001 has it correct, if you own the car, you get used to it. The editors for Edmunds have it so tough :)

Yep. The setup is the same in the Malibu V6's. And while it may be a bit counterintuitive when you first get behind the wheel, after two minutes, it's second nature. Additional strengths- the paddles are mounted to the wheel, not the column, so they move with your hands, they are located really well so that you can upshift or downshift with either hand (even when you have a hand off the wheel for whatever reason), good feel to both touch surfaces of each paddle. There's also definitely a protective override that keeps the automatic from up / downshifting outside some computer-determined zones for each gear. For example, the standard shift logic for the transmission normally won't enter sixth gear until the car is going somewhere between 50 and 55 mph. The paddles make it possible to upshift at roughly 43 mph, which btw, is perfect for saving fuel on the many stretches of 45 mph roadways I travel. But, on the downside, the car will also force downshifts at certain speeds as your velocity drops.
 
BTW, to the comments concerning who will actually use this in *these* cars, *I* do. Steep mountain grades (up or down) make it sensible to force shifts and let the car hold the selected gear much longer than the programmed auto-logic might do. And, as I said, if you're not trying to pass everything on the road, it can be used to increase the overall fuel economy you get in day to day driving (without making you the slowest car on the road either- the 3.6L has tons of torque).
 
To each his own as far as preferences go for automated manual shifting setups, but don't knock it unless you've tried it.

Because all those Aura owners will have 10 other cars in their garage, and will get confused as to how the paddles work.
 
phhhf.
 
Another example of domesitc bashing spin.
 
This article could have been writen with positive spin: with the aura been painted in a good light for offering pedal shifters that are mounted to wheel, and work fairly well.
 
instead we got a post about how it could be better.
 
I saw pictures of the M3 with the DSG, doesn't look like BMW even included paddles.

I dont find the design counterintuitive or difficult to understand. I have NEVER accidentally downshifted when you meant to up shift or vice versa. This is simply a matter of saying that anyone who does it differently from BMW or Lexus or whomever is doing it wrong. Since I havent drive other cars with paddle shifters I have no reason to yearn for a "superior" system. I guess the paddle shifters on the camry and Accord are better. Well, if they had them I'm sure they would be better.

BMW offers paddle shifters on sports 3er and 1er, not sure about 5er.
 
BTW, the "DSG" M3 isn't even available yet.

Thanks for your comments.
The post was about how every other paddle system I can think of has one of the two types of operation logic mentioned. GM seems to be the only one with this set-up (with apparently Mini the same way.) It isn't worse, just a bit peculiar.
I know we drive many different vehicles - but pull for upshift seems to be a common motion stereotype.
    
Regards - Snake Doc

One more question for you gamers out there - Does any driving video game wheel have paddles with the GM logic - pull to downshift?
  
Thanks - Snake Doc

I've only found this to be a problem once or twice in the Aura. After that it's one of those things you just get used to. I still find myself using my left hand to downshift and my right to upshift though.
 
On a family sedan I won't complain about it-- in fact I love that I get a manual mode to begin with *ahem, accord*--, but on something like a corvette, should I be so unlucky to get into another automatic one, I consider this setup a flaw.
-mike

"This is simply a matter of saying that anyone who does it differently from BMW or Lexus or whomever is doing it wrong."
 
Wow talk about grapsing at thin air. Who are you even attacking? Anyone who does it differently from whomever? lol, I wonder sometimes if you read what you write, or if it just try to be arguementative.

SnakeDoctor
  
considering most car games are played with a controler, or even if you have a wheel, they all uses buttons, which, umm, you cannot push in 2 directions. Ussually one paddle is up, on is down.
 
louiswei
as for the m3 with dsg:
 
autospies has pictures of one getting preped for delivery:
 
http://www.autospies.com/news/FIRST-PIC-S-BMW-M3-w-M-Double-Clutch-Transission-29498/
 
so how can a dealer be selling one, if there not out yet?
 
and I was wrong, one of the pictures does show a paddle. just hidden.

"so how can a dealer be selling one, if there not out yet?"
 
I don't know, the BMW website doesn't have the DSG M3 available yet for both sedan and coupe.
 
Thanks for the link by the way.

"Wow talk about grapsing at thin air. Who are you even attacking? Anyone who does it differently from whomever? lol, I wonder sometimes if you read what you write, or if it just try to be arguementative."
 
not really. Who is to say this setup is "peculiar"? I have never thought that and apparently most reviewers of the car didn't think so either. Often people deem something inferior or peculiar because its not done that same way on something they are familiar with. To anyone who doesnt have extensive experience with paddle shifters (which is likely most Aura owners) there is really nothing odd about the setup at all.

1487: I think you can call something peculiar if it stands out alone. There are lots of paddle shifting setups out there, and this one is only seen on GM and apparantly Mini, therefore its fair to say its peculiar. Also, be careful to note that peculiar does not mean bad, or inferior.

One of my pet peeves is when people who don't know much about cars say "my car is a manual", referring to their automatic transmission with manual-mode shifter/paddles.
 
Does anyone else feel the same way?

"Does anyone else feel the same way?"
 
Yes.

"Does anyone else feel the same way?"
 
+2

opfreak -
 
Thanks for the game info.
I was referring to some game steer wheels with paddles - I agree most have buttons.
You mentioned:
"Usually one paddle is up, on is down."
Do you mean - pull to upshift (and probably downshift), yes?
Regards,
Snake Doc

"Also, be careful to note that peculiar does not mean bad, or inferior."
 
now that is something I can agree with although in this context "peculiar" seemed to be synonomous with "incorrectly done".