str8line

I drove a 4S the other day and was really impressed. I did notice that the shifts seemed rather abrupt though, almost harsh. I was toggling between comfort, sport and sport plus mode during the drive and didn't notice a difference between them at the time but it was a somewhat short test drive. I'm wondering if the abrupt shifts I experienced might have been the result of being in sport plus mode? Also, I was accelerating pretty hard, not really driving it like I normally would if I owned it. Maybe that had something to do with it?

How do you like the way your car shifts? Is it smooth?

jmm

I had a 911S with PDK and now have a Panamera Turbo with PDK. In both cases I would rank the smoothness of the PDK as slightly less than a torque converter automatic when new, especially the first to second shift, and smoother than a torque converter automatic after the transmission has "broken in."

There are a few (very few to be exact) abrupt shifts because it is more responsive than the old automatic. These fade as the miles approach 2,000.

In normal driving you can't feel the shifts from 3-4, 4-5, 5-6 or 6-7. You might feel the 1-2 or 2-3.

roberga

^what he said. In normal under regular acceleration do not even notice shifting. Sport+ 1st to second big jump the rest quick but not harsh. It does take you to redline before the shift. Under hard acceleration the computer is adapting to what you are asking it to do.

mmcmilla

I've had my 2010 Panamera Turbo for 3 weeks now. I notice a huge difference between Comfort and Sport, as well as between Sport and Sport Plus. Also, my Panamera always starts in 2nd gear from a standstill, not 1st.

In Comfort, the shifts are smooth and nearly undetectable. In Sports Plus, they are quite noticeable.

BTW, on a recent 500 mile highway trip, I got 23.5 MPG, driving 75-85 MPH under moderate driving (Comfort, not Sport). The mileage on my new Panamera is as good or slightly better than my 04 911 TT.

Dan993

In Sport Plus mode, the car should start in 1st gear (M or D). Sport and Comfort both start in 2nd. My 4S functions this way and as outlined in Porsche literature.

need_cayman

My 4s starts in 2nd unless I have sport sport + on.

W8MM

I also notice a huge difference between all three modes in my Panamera Turbo.

If I am in a cross-street multilane intersection where I have to have very good control over when I pull out and how quickly, I have trained myself to select one of the sport modes so I feel safe. The comfort mode seems to get confused if I play around with the throttle quickly in various stages of dodging cross traffic first from the left, then from the right.

I suppose the transmission feels as if I am being indecisive, but that's not really what's happening. I have had many occasions where the throttle response just disappears and I have to wait a second or two for the engine to accept my foot commands -- very frustrating and a bit dangerous in the wrong type of traffic condition. My wife complains about this "feature" of comfort mode when she drives the car and calls it "that damned hesitation".

In Sport Plus, no such hesitation is present in any form. It just does exactly what my foot tells it.

Too bad the comfort calibration doesn't take cross street driving into account.

Carrera GT

I've driven the Panamera S and Panamera 4 extensively. I'd say the upshifts in Sport Plus lack the "immediacy" of the Carrera PDK. It's a let down. I was expecting launch control to bring tire chirps on the up-shifts.
Overall, on the "but dyno" I feel like the V6 is the "dynamic" winner and the V8 is, of course, the "torque" winner. Turn off PSM and the rears will be scorched in a matter of minutes. Turn off PSM in the V6 and the rears will quickly regain traction and the car will rocket off. But, oops, I have to mention, the V6 I'm driving is a "4" and the V8 I had is a simple "S." So, I still call a "win" to the 4 over the S, but I wish the 4 didn't sound like a six ... so to speak. : )
As for PDK, it's smoother in the V6 than the V8 and I'd never contemplate a car with a slush-o-matic again. I would like to see Porsche offer more vigorous shifts, but I couldn't ask for a smoother shift in the V6 (certainly smoother than an Tiptronic or torque converter including the sublime Mercedes.) I have a 2010 Mercedes and its automatic (torque converter 8 spd) is not as smooth as the Porsche 7 spd PDK. The only "mistake" the PDK makes is in the Carrera coming to a halt where the downshift to 1st is abrupt and causes unacceptable drive-train "shunt" but that's a small price to pay for when the gearbox is doing its real job of catapulting the car forward. PDK is a dream come true in both Carrera and Panamera. Will Porsche make it a nightmare in future GT cars? Here's hoping they get that one right, too.