Freelander 2 (LR2) Manual mode isn't manual - gearbox remapping??

Had a go in an FL2 today. Went better than I thought it would.

Mostly the autobox isn't too annoying, but it has a terrible terrible trait (as so many autos do).

When you move the stick to the left and activate the manual mode, it isn't manual..... is still f'ing kicks down. So so so so so so annoying!!!!!

e.g.

Coming up to a turn, on the brakes and down the gears, 5th -> 4th -> 3rd -> 2nd

2nd will be ideal. It's a turbocharged engine after all, go round the corner and floor it and expect it to use the torque and just go. But no, it pauses, then kickdowns to 1st at pretty much the redline to instantly shift back into 2nd.

Why call it a "manual" mode if it will still do things automatically. Essentially it makes this mode completely pointless on-road, as you just can't drive and use the throttle pedal.

I know the FL2 isn't. sports car, but it is fairly nippy and sporty for an off roader. More than anything it annoys me that they give you a feature that doesn't work as labelled or in anyway that is useful.

Anyone know if this can mapped out at all?



For reference, I used to have a Smart Roadster, it had an automatically shifted manual, but you drove it like a sequential box. It was the best attribute of the car and it was hugely fun. It had an auto mode, like a normal auto. But when in manual mode it did not kickdown.

Don't know about this car but on at least some it should be manual until you press pass the resistance at 100% throttle to the kickdown button which will override your gear selection

You probably just have to do it properly. If you don't activate the kickdown, it'll hold 2nd. Full torque request is reached before the kickdown is activated.

It's a saftey feature that makes a lot of sense. What if you need to suddenly accelerate, but have forgotten you're in manual mode etc? Or you're going to slow for the gear?

My wifes VW is the same, but you can press the throttle right to the detent pressure and it will stay in whatever gear you selected, as long as it's over 1000RPM. Press just enough to activate the detent, and it will quickly drop to an appropirate ratio and accelerate. You can be doing 1000RPM in 6th and it will try to pull, if you activate the kickdown, it'll drop to second and go.

Quite coincidental this because I used the manual gear selection in my F2 for the first time this weekend.

We went over a pass where plenty of vehicles burn their brakes out by the time they've got to the bottom.

I was using it to brake rather than accelerate, but it worked a treat.

When we got to the flat bit, that has always been 100kmh limit, but under Cindy's rule went down to 80kmh and hasn't been put back yet, I got bored stuck behind a line and, when commanded by the right foot, the auto knew what to do

kermit_rr said:

Don't know about this car but on at least some it should be manual until you press pass the resistance at 100% throttle to the kickdown button which will override your gear selection

Click to expand...

You can’t use full throttle easily if this is the case. Autos don’t need full throttle to lockdown. They are all electronic on the pedal position.

AllanWorms said:

You probably just have to do it properly. If you don't activate the kickdown, it'll hold 2nd. Full torque request is reached before the kickdown is activated.

It's a saftey feature that makes a lot of sense. What if you need to suddenly accelerate, but have forgotten you're in manual mode etc? Or you're going to slow for the gear?

My wifes VW is the same, but you can press the throttle right to the detent pressure and it will stay in whatever gear you selected, as long as it's over 1000RPM. Press just enough to activate the detent, and it will quickly drop to an appropirate ratio and accelerate. You can be doing 1000RPM in 6th and it will try to pull, if you activate the kickdown, it'll drop to second and go.

Click to expand...

Safety feature? Surely not. There are actual manual cars that have no ability to kickdown at all. There can be no hazard or danger by replicating this with an auto when in a specific mode.

I very rarely use the flappy paddle manual mode (l322) but in normal there is a definate click felt on the go pedal for the kickdown to happen.
I will have to try it to see what it does.
I have used the paddle to get it into 8th when towing, as its not quite fast enough (towing) to do that itself.

So I guess the FL2 was telling you if you wanted to be racey you should have used 1st to go round the corner then put your foot down?
Or maybe the last bit of throttle does absolutly nothing on the "faster" and just goes to kickdown? Which you have asked for, then it sorts itself out and goes straight back.
Did it take it out of manual mode when this happened?

J

300bhp/ton said:

You can’t use full throttle easily if this is the case. Autos don’t need full throttle to lockdown. They are all electronic on the pedal position.

Click to expand...

If you're wearing boots, then try shoes or even bare feet. The resistance for the kickdown operation should be obvious, it requires significant extra effort

Lever to the left puts it in 'sport auto' mode. Its only when yer start to move the lever forwards or backwards it changes to manual mode.