I have only driven manuals for the last 13 years and have never driven an automatic with shifting modes so I am not sure what Downshift Rev Matching means. When I buy a 2007 G35 sedan I want the Sport model with the paddles.

Can someone explain it to me?

Thanks,
Dave

 

When you downshift, the engine rpms increase to match the lower gear you are going into so it is a smooth transition into the lower gear.

 

And believe me, it's smooooooth. Sure, there's a bit of a lag, but you'll be driving in pure luxury. My rpms were pretty high when I forced the test-drive car to downshift (both from 4-to-3 and 3-to-2), and it was like cutting warm butter. My friend sitting in the back didn't even feel it.

 

As a manual driver you already know that when you downshift, you naturally would get a "kick" from the car being braked by the mismatch between the wheels speed and the engine speed.

What rev matching does for you is basically rev the engine first to match the higher speed of wheels so that "kick" is eliminated - before the lower gear is engaged.

If you have a manual gear box, rev matching is achieved by depressing the clutch, blipping the throttle, and only then downshifting. If you get good enough, the whole process takes a split of a second and the jerk is eliminated.