Unless I'm going backwards, this is how I drive the G8. I'd bet the fuel economy is marginally worse, but otherwise there seems to be no down side. The calibration difference between "Normal" and "Sport" is a subtle but effective change which perks up the car's response to small throttle openings. When accelerating from most corners using aggressive (but not wide-open) throttle, Sport mode gives me the perfect gear nearly every time. And it does so without unnecessarily hanging onto gears and generating awful engine noise. Nor does it lock out sixth gear.
I rarely want a huge kickdown, but I also don't want gear selection mandated by a fuel economy drive cycle, which is too common these days. Sport is the perfect solution. And if I want the kickdown, it's still available.
Five years ago I would have gone on a tangent here about how stupid the automatic transmission is. Put your foot to the floor and what's the first thing it does? Slow down. While it finds the right gear. Seems like the wrong answer when the driver is asking for maximum acceleration. But I'm not going on that tangent again. I must be getting old. At least I'm not the only one.
Also, and this I'll never figure out, why is it every time I get into one of our long-term cars some previous driver has jacked up either the balance or the fader or both on the car's audio system? Sound is always biased to one side or the other or to the front or the back. And not just a little bit, either. Oh no, it's full honk from the front left speaker. I swear it's making me even less balanced. The G8's system was set full front when I got into it last week. I bet it's the same guy who sets all nav systems to "avoid freeways."
Sheesh.
Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor
golfgti4789 says:
04:37 PM, 06/15/09
How do you call a small block chevy V8 "afwul engine noise?" :)
clarkma5 says:
04:43 PM, 06/15/09
Hmm interesting every sport mode I've ever sampled in an auto has been too aggressive for any sort of normal driving.
g8gtnorth says:
04:56 PM, 06/15/09
@clarkma5
He's right, it's subtle, but it works. Its actually much easier to tool around town with it in Sport than in Drive. Passing manouvers are also easier to anticipate. I used to be able to find 5th, 4th and 3rd gears on the highway using only the throttle position in Sport. Bit more of a challenge in Drive.
Only problems I ever had were that, very rarely, mine used to hang onto first or second too long on occasion. Typically in instances where I need a quick squirt of WOT and let off quickly. More common, was if you put it in Sport at highways speeds it would shift to 5th and stay there until you gave it some gas.
subytrojan says:
05:47 PM, 06/15/09
What's your replacement plan, g8gtnorth?
jaeger1 says:
06:53 PM, 06/15/09
Give me a stick. "Sport" mode is when I say it is and how I say it is - no damned computer interpretation required.
nealibob says:
06:59 PM, 06/15/09
Do most automatics that "lock out" the top gear in their "sport" mode really do that, or is it just that you do not hit it until you're actually going fast enough to need it? I'm pretty much always already in 6th gear cruising at normal speeds, and I have never bothered to test this.
nealibob says:
07:00 PM, 06/15/09
...when I hit 100+ I am already in 6 and don't bother changing it, that is
jjacquot says:
08:00 PM, 06/15/09
The EVO X's twin-clutch gearbox locks out sixth when it's in Sport mode and selecting the gears itself. Hangs on to lower gears forever, too.
Josh
g8gtnorth says:
08:57 PM, 06/15/09
@subytrojan,
It'll be a GT, somewhere within 800 miles of the big T. Essentially from St. Louis east. That way I can drive it home the same day.
Unfortunately, it's going to have to wait as I no longer have my plush bank job. Probably 6-8 months; it'll be worth it though, Pushrod > OHC.
Btw, for those thinking about it, there are some SCREAMING deals on these right now in the States.
redliner says:
09:26 PM, 06/15/09
So, what your saying is that 'sport' mode in the G8 is lazy. Because if you use it for everyday driving, then its not a performance tool, its just mapped the way it should have been all along in 'D'
rayainsw says:
04:13 AM, 06/16/09
I drive my 2009 G8 GT in Sport [ Automatic ] mode much of the time. And Sport [ Manual ] mode the rest of the time. Although the trans bears the same designation [ 6L80 ] as the trans in the 2007 Corvette I drove 30,000+ miles, it is actually much, MUCH better at several things than the trans in that ‘Vette.
1 - In Sport [ Automatic ] it does a good job of selecting the right gear & the right shift points based on throttle input. I drove the ‘Vette 2 or 3 times, very briefly, in Sport [ Automatic ] mode & gave up. It was just terrible.
2 – The result of slamming the throttle to the floor when in S5 at a steady 45 MPH is: downshifts all the way to second – almost by the time my foot completes the short trip to WOT. Quite impressive.
In Sport [ Manual ] the shifts, both up & down, are generally very well executed & the delay is not nearly as bad is in the ‘Vette.
And the rev match on downshift works exceptionally well – making for very smooth transitions when downshifting & braking. Kudos.
And if my Mother ever visits, I will likely keep the trans in “D” while she is a passenger.
BTW: Sport [ Manual ] mode locks out AFM \ DoD.
- Ray
joegibes says:
06:25 AM, 06/16/09
I've spent a few hours driving an automatic V6 Camaro, and it's a fantastic transmission. It operates like the G8's: Put it in ‘M’ without hitting the shift buttons and it’ll act as a ‘Sport Mode’ (it shows ‘S’ on the dash). This holds gears through corners (sometimes waits up to 30 seconds to upshift after coming out of a corner and cruising at a constant speed), downshifts easier and more often (by the time your foot hits the floor, it’s down 2 or 3 gears), and overall improves the driving experience greatly.
The transmission is good enough that if I were to buy a V6 Camaro, I’d seriously consider this slushbox (if you can call it that – this trans is anything but) over a stick.
Note: This function is not immediately apparent unless you’ve already heard about it, spent time playing around, or read this little bit buried in the manual: “While driving in M (Manual Mode), if Tap Shift has not been activated, the transmission determines when the vehicle is being driven in a competitive manner and will select and hold the transmission in lower gears and have more noticeable upshifts for sportier vehicle performance.”
stingray454 says:
10:34 AM, 06/16/09
"I drove the ‘Vette 2 or 3 times, very briefly, in Sport [ Automatic ] mode & gave up. It was just terrible."
What is terrible is driving an automatic Corvette in the first place. It should be illegal.
rayainsw says:
10:59 AM, 06/16/09
"What is terrible is driving an automatic Corvette in the first place. It should be illegal."
Like I've never heard THAT before....
For 2007, the A6 automatic was certainly sold
in more new Corvettes than the M6.
About twice as many A6 Coupes as M6s -
And over three quarters of 'Verts:
The automatic:
Coupe = 14093 & 65.6%
Convertible = 8329 & 76.3%
Z06 = 0 & 0
The 6-speed:
Coupe = 7391 34.4%
Convertible = 2589 & 23.7%
Z06 = 8159 & 100%
fuhteng says:
11:24 AM, 06/16/09
Maybe I'm just a wuss, but I don't much care for my Sport mode unless I'm doing something sporty (like tormenting ricers). The shifting is harsh when I'm just piddling around going to get groceries, or going from stop-light to stop-light. If I had speed limits over 30 or stop lights more than a half-mile apart on my commute I would play with it. I need to go out of town to check it out better.
That being said, I love Sport mode when I want to scream past that semi doing 10 under on a two-lane highway. Or when I'm racing that V6 Mustang (what an embarrassing piece of machinery).