This sounds like a good thread to get back on my "rear gear is too high" soapbox. I have the auto, and if you force a downshift, at higher speeds, It'll surprise alot of cars - I don't think there are that many production cars out there that can hang from a 70-drop-to-third kind of roll-on. That being said - leaving it to 'kickdown" itself is asking for embarrassment - particularly just out of the gate, if it has already shifted into second. With the combo of high rear-end ratio and not huge amount of torque - This thing couldn't pull a greasy string out of a cat's a** - out of the hole! (sorry - I grew up in the south).