Originally Posted by AMGLover
Some info that may help you drive the car differently...
Active braking downshift: If a high pre-set rate of deceleration is achieved, the transmission automatically executes a downshift – useful before taking a bend briskly, for example. At a high pre-set rate of lateral acceleration, the transmission maintains the same gear through the entire bend, preventing load-change reactions. In addition, selection of the correct gear allows the car to be quickly and powerfully accelerated on exiting the bend. Both hands may stay on the wheel, for a further increase in driving enjoyment and safety. The almost instantaneous calculation of longitudinal and lateral acceleration forces necessary for the active braking downshift function is carried out by wheel speed sensors acting in conjunction with the transmission management system.
Optimum gear function: This technology makes overtaking easier by automatically selecting the gear that ensures the best acceleration according to the speed and pre-stored characteristic engine data when the shift lever is moved to the left and briefly held in that position.
Torque converter lockup: A lighter torque converter with a lower inertia reduces torque converter slip above first gear by means of a mechanical lockup clutch. This means that the V6 engine responds immediately and directly to the accelerator in any driving situation.
Sporty shift program: The shift points and shift logic are tailored to the high-performance engine. The result is 35 percent more rapid gearshift response compared with the basic transmission. Naturally, the transmission also shifts down to the correct gear in other situations, intelligently taking account of the driver’s requirements by analyzing the pedal and driving dynamics. It also rapidly recognizes gradients and will use the braking effect of the engine on downhill stretches, for example. This transmission may either be controlled by one-touch shifting (+/-), or manually, and is specifically configured for the uncompromisingly sporty character of the new AMG high-performance cars. The selected gear is displayed in the AMG instrument cluster.
Wow...I didn't realize it was doing all of that. Sounds like a case of technology getting in the way. Do any of the ECU chip upgrades eliminate any of that "intelligent" interference? Again, I'm very used to having more direct control over gearing, driving mostly stick-shift and occasionally "dumber" automatics, and found I had more control with both.