While in MM, if you slow down to a complete stop, does the car shift itself back to first gear, or do you need to do it independently? Or alternately, from a dead stop, can you put the car in manumatic, upshift to second or third, and then move?

The reason I'm asking is because manual gearboxes give you freedom to start at any gear, which is especially useful when trying to climb up a snowy driveway. Putting the car in second or even third, helps me control wheel slippage. I'm curious to know how some of the AT owners that live in northern areas deal with such situations.

 

Yes, it shifts to first gear before coming to a stop. This is mentioned around page 5-13 (of the Sedan manual).

 

I have an '05, but it's probably similar. If you're in MM in 4th or 5th gear and slow down without downshifting, it will automatically drop to 3rd at about 15mph, and will always drop to 1st gear just before coming to a complete stop. I don't think you can upshift to 2nd until you're rolling faster than the speed that it drops to 1st. It will never upshift automatically in MM, regardless of what you do.

 

Not what I was hoping to hear, but oh well...

Thanks guys.

 

when you are in autostick mode and at a complete stop, the car will be in 1st. I have used both the paddles and the shifter to try to get the car into another gear, but nothing happened. I assume you cannot start from a stand still in any gear but first.

 

In manual mode the car will shift back to 1st gear. You can upshift when you start moving and get above a certain speed..
The VDC system will kick in if you lose traction. So if you are in first and start to spin, the VDC will allow the wheel to turn slow enough to allow you traction.

 

If it's the same VDC system as in my 04' coupe it won't do jack....