what particularly peaked my interest was that while driving home down the 95 corridor in VA two nights ago a late model E-class MB and I were running and gunning in good fun. He would would speed way up and then slow down to stay with me. But sometimes when he hit the accelerator his car would take off whereas mine, in sixth gear even, did not have the same pick up as his between the 90 to 110mph range. I am thinking that its a result of the automatic downshift in the Mercedes automatic tranny that allowed for this. Perhaps if I had shifted down to 5th gear too it would have had the same effect. I'm glad I didn't though because I could smell this guys oil burning on those sprints... literally!