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patrick_y
[PuristSPro Moderator]
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Transmission and Steering

Thank you for your compliments regarding the quick review I typed up.

The transmission does indeed behave inconsistently, even on level surfaces. The car was always left in the "SPORT" mode on the steering wheel switch and I agree that this mode has a very sporty driving behavior. For a portion of my test drive, I left the transmission in automatic mode and still used the paddles to temporarily override the system. I noticed during the use of the auto mode, the transmission shifted much more smoothly, even during a particularly difficult downshift that was performed when the car was going uphill. The transmission seems to not shift smoothly throughout the entire gear range, from the low 3000 RPM shift to the 6000 RPM shift, so I was unable to determine if there was a particular engine speed where the transmission shifted more smoothly.

In regards to the steering, allow me to first say that I can't say that I ever found a driving position where I was super comfortable with the steering wheel. I ended up holding the steering wheel more at 3 and 9 o'clock rather than the usual 2.5 and 9.5 o'clock position I normally prefer. The steering wheel itself felt surprisingly large (my car has a small diameter steering wheel). I also normally wear driving gloves when I drive, and I was not during this test drive. The steering had a good feel to it, firm, good weight, but not so much road feedback. The slightly dead on-center feel I mentioned in my original post was referring to it's slightly slower initial response in turning. It's not very tight steering. A tight steering is like this; turn left, then turn a little bit right and you can still feel the car go less to the left. Basically, the steering has a bit of slack in the center position and can even actually be considered a tad bit numb.

I hope that clears it up. If my response has led to even more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

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