V70: Gearbox Geartronic does and don'ts

[Peter V70 D5]

I hardly use the manual side worry it might go bang when selected. Is there any time while driving not to come out of "D" and over to the 1,2,3?
Thought it might be handy going down a mountain road just to hold the car up a bit.
Cheers

[inchindown]

Originally Posted by Peter V70 D5

I hardly use the manual side worry it might go bang when selected. Is there any time while driving not to come out of "D" and over to the 1,2,3?
Thought it might be handy going down a mountain road just to hold the car up a bit.
Cheers

Apart from mountain roads, it's also useful for pulling away in 2nd or 3rd gear on frozen or snowy conditions. You can also accelerate faster by changing gear manually which can help when overtaking.

[luggsey]

Originally Posted by inchindown

Apart from mountain roads, it's also useful for pulling away in 2nd or 3rd gear on frozen or snowy conditions. You can also accelerate faster by changing gear manually which can help when overtaking.

Mine has a W button for that very reason!

[RM955I]

Originally Posted by inchindown

Apart from mountain roads, it's also useful for pulling away in 2nd or 3rd gear on frozen or snowy conditions. You can also accelerate faster by changing gear manually which can help when overtaking.

Agreed - if I am stuck behind a vehicle and planning an overtake I'll often put it over to 'tip' so the engine is good and ready to go: in the right gear and with the turbos fully on boost. Otherwise it has to kick down one or even 2 years and the turbos may not be fully spooling.

[Sasha94]

Just remember to put it back in D to pull away smoothly again; trying to push on the lever to make the car change from 1st to 2nd during heavy acceleration is useless, it simply doesn't change as well as does in D, or at least my car never did!!

[tt82]

As a motorbiker rider I was taught to use the gears to slow the bike down, as car driver I was taught to use the brakes, hence the old adage of 'Gears are for going and brakes are for slowing'!

If using the gears to hold the car back going down a steep hill, it would be a prudent to change into an apropriate gear early on, rather than changing down through the box during the descent. IIRC, if the revs rise too much on a downhill gradient when being held in gear, the car automatically brakes for you anyway.