Hi, never , never change into first or reverse when the car is in motion. Never had an automatic but my first one is on its way, 31 years driving manuals. 1 to2 is awkward with a cold box on the XF, its the nature of the beast.The harder you try the harder it gets. I had the same problem with my XF wife with the same car non. The reason? as I pay for the gas I was changing up the gears at 2000 rpm. The wife at 3000 rpm makes a world of difference. I must admit I don't like revving to 3000 rpm with a cold engine. MB was never none for its great manual gearboxes with auto the opposite.