Should be collecting the SD4 next week and it's my first auto so I wanted some pointers before getting to grips with it.

Park, Reverse, Commandshift and Drive no problem. What about sport mode and neutral though? If I put it in sport mode, how much longer does it tend to rev prior to changing?

Secondly, what use is neutral? I understand that when you end your journey you need park (obviously) in order to remove the key fob thingy. So when would it be useful to deploy neutral? Traffic perhaps?

Thanks in advance 60 plate SD4 XS, Stornoway Grey, Arm rest pack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly--gT1RJdk

First of all when you get your car, the shift patterns will not be quite right, as the box "learns" your driving style, don't be disheartened by the changes which may seem to be at strange points, it needs some miles to learn your style.
Sport mode will hold onto gears for longer, again it depends largely on your left foot, it will also change down more readily and also change down on overrun, anticipating fast acceleration when needed, country roads are well suited with this mode if you tend towards brisk progress.
Neutral I use in heavy traffic or jams, saves sitting with your foot on the brake, most people don't bother and are happy to sit with their foot on the pedal, blinding those behind them and creating hotspots on the discs which can lead to warping of them.

Find a road you know, drive it in D, then try it in Sport, you will notice the difference, as I said the box will learn your style and to give change points at certain rpm is meaningless as mine will differ to yours.

simply enjoy it, it's fun and catching the odd beemer driver out with the ample power has a certain smile value

Thanks Taz, I am looking forward to trying it out and I have been reading other posts on the forum and one mentioned how fast it is off the mark when using sand mode

I might find somewhere suitable to try it 60 plate SD4 XS, Stornoway Grey, Arm rest pack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly--gT1RJdk

Actually on a similar note, there seemed to be a flat spot in the manual FL2 that my uncle owns. I drove it down the A38 and in 5th at 60-70ish it was very flat on acceleration and 6th was just as poor. Does the extra power and torque of the SD4 defeat this issue in your experience? 60 plate SD4 XS, Stornoway Grey, Arm rest pack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly--gT1RJdk

People speak if flat spots and hesitation, personally I don't find it is an issue, maybe I drive with more anticipation? I have had a number of autos and thy are a completely different drive to a manual.
In the auto, at 50-60, slight pressure on the throttle will have you dawdling forward, a little more and the box I'll downshift and off you go, it will go from 50 into 3 figure speeds very quickly.

Sand mode try it you'll see.

Mine has no obvious flat spots above 1500 rpm (when the turbo starts to kick in). Flat spots are likely to be due to mechanical problems such as blocked filters, although the ones that do turn up on the forum seem to be pretty hard to diagnose sometimes.

Kal-El wrote:

Actually on a similar note, there seemed to be a flat spot in the manual FL2 that my uncle owns. I drove it down the A38 and in 5th at 60-70ish it was very flat on acceleration and 6th was just as poor. Does the extra power and torque of the SD4 defeat this issue in your experience?

Kal-El
Just trying to be helpful here
I know The A38 from M1 J28 onwards to Derby very well. And I know the driving characteristics of the manual FL2 very well.

Driving southwards on the decline or northwards on the incline you should not have experienced "very flat" acceleration in 5th gear between 60 to 70mph unless you were trying to drag 5th from below 1400rpm. The very same applies to 6th below 1600rpm. Both of these values are of course approximate as they will vary from one engine to another.

If your uncle's FL2 is sluggish or displays flat spots in that domain then I'd politely suggest to him that perhaps he refers the matter to his preferred LR service centre.

taztastic wrote:

Sand mode try it you'll see.

Past master wrote:

Mine has no obvious flat spots above 1500 rpm (when the turbo starts to kick in). Flat spots are likely to be due to mechanical problems such as blocked filters, although the ones that do turn up on the forum seem to be pretty hard to diagnose sometimes.

taztastic wrote:

First of all when you get your car, the shift patterns will not be quite right, as the box "learns" your driving style, don't be disheartened by the changes which may seem to be at strange points, it needs some miles to learn your style.
Sport mode will hold onto gears for longer, again it depends largely on your left foot, it will also change down more readily and also change down on overrun, anticipating fast acceleration when needed, country roads are well suited with this mode if you tend towards brisk progress.

Find a road you know, drive it in D, then try it in Sport, you will notice the difference, as I said the box will learn your style and to give change points at certain rpm is meaningless as mine will differ to yours.

As for the hesitancy that many have mentioned, I had it on mine but after wise words from Taz, it doesn't do it any more. Don't sit with your foot on the brake and then hit the loud pedal hard, use the handbrake when stationary to, hold it or let it creep then hit the loud pedal, no hesitating then.

Excuse me Taz for asking, but what has your Left Foot got to do with it, it's redundant

its not ideal to stand in traffic etc with D selected and foot on brake, it could heat the oil in torque converter and also your brake lights annoy those behind,use handbrake and select neutral.
Also if you fainted? or became distracted you foot could come off the brake and you would roll forward

http://www.freel2.com/forum/topic8427.html...+converter At work
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