Still getting to know my new '13 G sedan...............was wandering through the owner's manual and came across the Drive Sport feature on the tranny, but the description, "for a sportier feel" is a little vague to a non-technical guy like me.

Before I start trying it on for size, could anyone suggest to me a few Ds pros/cons in routine, day-to-day driving? In other words: what does this feature actually do??

( tried running a search, but must have used the wrong key words, because nothing came up )

Thanks!

 

Ds mode alters the shift points or a sportier feel. It also provides rev matching on downshifts with braking. The way to feel what it does is to use it. It will lower your gas mileage.

 

ASC (ADAPTIVE SHIFT CONTROL) : System Description INFOID:0000000007464845
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION
It automatically selects the shift pattern (such as road environment and driving style) suitable for the various
situations so as to allow the vehicle to be driven efficiently and smoothly.
When Driving on an Up/Down Slope
• ASC judges up/down slope according to engine torque data transmitted from the ECM and vehicle speed.
Fixing at 4GR, 5GR or 6GR on an up-slope prevents shift hunting and controls the vehicle to gain optimum
driving force. On a down-slope, automatic shift-down to 4GR, 5GR or 6GR gear controls to gain optimum
engine brake.
When Driving on a Curve
• In driving condition where acceleration, deceleration, or lateral acceleration continues, it corrects gear selection
in order to keep a smooth vehicle speed during the curve and to give an adequate driving force at the
curve end.
- When acceleration pedal is quickly released at curve entrance etc, it prevents an unnecessary shift-up.
- On braking operation at curve entrance, it gives an early shift-down according to the deceleration.
- In a sporty driving condition, it selects lower gear early even on a light braking operation, giving greater
importance on driving force.
DS Mode
• Changes to the shift schedule that mainly utilizes the high engine speed zone when ASC is active.
• DS mode can be switched according to the following method.
- When the selector lever is in the “D” position, shifting the selector lever to manual shift gate enables switching
to DS mode.
- When in DS mode, shifting the selector lever to the main gate enables to cancel DS mode.
- After switching to manual mode with paddle shifter, switching to DS mode can not be enabled even when the
selector lever is shifted to the manual gate. (With paddle shifter)

 

thamks for this info ... i asked the guys over at cerritos infiiti they had no real answer. he actually said " paly with it and have fun" ..

 

Pretty much sums it up, I guess. Going out of town for a couple of weeks, after which I'll give it a try and hope for the best. Barely a thousand miles after almost four months - I need to drive this thing more.................

In any case, thanks again for the responses.

 

For what it's worth I would be mindful of the break in period. Ds mode can cause the engine to rev above 4k. As I guess mashing the gas.

 

Good point - think I'll hold off until I've passed it + a little more.

 

From what the salesman at Infiniti told me is that DS mode just holds the gears longer. So you will shift later and be in higher revs, so that you can feel that "sportier" feel. I too have a 2013 G37S sedan, but have yet to try the DS mode and/or M mode, as I am still in the break in period.

But all in all as what g37guy01 said, "The way to feel what it does is to use it."

 

DS is much much more enjoyable to drive at the cost of MPG.
The car will feel more responsive as it holds the gears longer.

 

break in period doesn't make a huge difference. You're not redlining the car at every light

 

Yeah, its much more important to vary RPM's when breaking in so holding the gear longer is probably a better method to achieve that. The one thing you should never do is use cruise control during break in. Avoid WOT but driving aggressively the first 1000 is actually what you should be doing. If you could see what the car is put thru when it first arrives at the dealer then you would not worry about babying the car.

As for the DS mode, that is the only mode I can drive in now. It's just so much more responsive and much less of the tranny lag that many of us get. It ups the fun factor of the car so much because it feels like you have 330 HP with it on. Going back to regular mode feels like a jerky mess afterwards. Sure you pay for it in MPG but you're spending 40k for a car with alot of power, if you can't afford to pay a few extra bucks in gas a week then why buy the car in the first place. It's like guys who go into a Porsche dealership and want to know the price of every model. If you have to ask then you can't afford it.

 

I will then be driving differently then haha! Thanks for the tip/info!

 

think of ds a race car mode

 

DS: 75% (local)
D: 15% (hwy)
M: 10% (FUN)

Give up about 1mpg in DS, but well worth it! :-)

 

Sure reads like Dan would prefer the 6MT.