Ahha! Finally I found a reviewer who dances around but admits that the transmission can't get out of its own way. At least he's a member of the media. If you don't believe me, listen to this guy. Start at 4:15 and you'll hear him talk about it.
I've driven the truck now for an initial 350 miles and here's what I've seen so far.... "Normal" mode is pretty much designed in order to get the advertised MPG for the vehicle, and that's pretty much it. I've kept in Normal for most of the those miles (500 mile "break-in" period), and I've averaged 16.8 MPG. It's pretty much there to keep the RPM's under 2,000 and won't hold gears long at all. I was amazed the first time I saw it in 10th gear at 45 MPH running at about 1,300 RPM. This isn't the most exciting driving experience, but it's effective as a daily driver for your 9-5 job. Of course, when you're going 45 MPH and you hit the accelerator, it'll drop down to a lower gear, and run at a higher RPM until you settle back to an average speed. I've noticed some hunting for gears and some definite lugging when this happens. Also, you have the Auto Start/Stop that's automatically turned on in this mode. "Sport" mode is entirely different and is more conventional; in that it's timing is more based on your actual speed and will hold the gears longer. Much more fun and responsive. I do like that Auto Start/Stop is automatically turned off when you put it in Sport mode. The first time I tried the paddle shifters was from a dead stop at an intersection. Given how this thing has a 10 speed transmission, I had some significant torque and wheel spin when I took off. I wasn't able to manually shift fast enough in order to keep the RPMs where I wanted. I think that I'll have to lock out certain gears when I try it again on the road. Today, I took the truck to a section of beach in the Outer Banks of North Carolina specifically designed for 4X4 vehicles. It's a 12-14 mile stretch of beach along the Atlantic Ocean where you can really cut loose with your toys. I put the truck in "Mud/Sand" mode and had a BLAST! The truck is definitely confidence inspiring and took everything I threw at it. Keep in mind that I spent most of my time further from the water, in the really deep sand, and it never flinched. In a true Off road/4X4 environment, this is where I think the paddle shifters really shine. I put it in manual and was really able to put the truck through it's paces while doing donuts between sand dunes. I moved over to the flatter section of beach along the water and I tried "Baja" mode a little. The turbos really spool up and I was immediately at a much higher RPM. Without touching the accelerator, I could tell the truck really wanted to just take off....I'll be looking forward to playing with that drive mode more in the future. Overall, I'm very impressed with the truck and the functionality of the different terrain modes. I liked that it automatically put the truck in 4H, locked the rear differential, and deactivated stability control when I put it in the "Mud/Sand" mode. Within 2 seconds, I was ready for some FUN! Yes, normal mode isn't all that fun to drive, but we all have to remember why it's there. It's for MPG and nothing else. Could it be better? Sure. But let's face it....we didn't get this truck for the gas mileage, so have fun using everything else!
I live in the Outer Banks, have had Gen1 since April 2010. True, it is great on the beach. But beware if you are coming to Outer Banks to think you can let loose on the beach you will end up in jail with your truck towed to the federal holding facility up to about 80 miles away. Speed limit on the beach is 25mph and the federalistas don't play around. Trust me. The beach is federal land, patrolled by federal officers who don't have the slightest sense of humor. Additionally you will need a permit that is $150 a year or $50/week if if you plan on going to the best places.
No, we want real world feedback and not lip service! I'll get mine in two weeks and i'm glad to be reading real world reports. I know the truck has pros/cons, it's not realistic to everything great 100% of the time. It's a tool and like all new tools you/I will need to learn how to use the tool correctly and how to get the most out of it. Also a reminder, this is the first wave of the 2nd Gen truck, there will be updates going forward. We've all been chomping at the bit to get our trucks, now we need to live through some of the growing pains that will be coming.
Look at my post and make sure before you leave the lot, look at these issues I ran into. Hopefully, it won't happen to you. Congrats brother!
Wait, what???? Did california move to the east coast? Or did the atlantic ocean move to the west coast?
You ain't lying brother man. I tried it the other day and damn almost pissed my pants. Maybe just a bit...lol
