[Dave43]

My wife's Mercedes E-350 w/ 7spd has the same issue - but in spades. I drive her car like I drive all cars - push it to see how it handles. She has the "sport package" but here is what happens. A windy road to get to town. Every kid of curve imaginable. The worst for her car (and my Giulia) - brake hard for a tight curve, sail thru the curve, meanwhile the car upshifts a gear or two in the curve, exit the curve and accelerate. At this point the transmission doesn't know whether to **** or go blind. Very different than a stick where you are at the right RPM leaving the curve.


I have not owned a lot of cars with automatics - but the Giulia is incredible. I'll try the road in manual mode to see how that feels.

 

[Racer Z]

My wife's Mercedes E-350 w/ 7spd has the same issue - but in spades. I drive her car like I drive all cars - push it to see how it handles. She has the "sport package" but here is what happens. A windy road to get to town. Every kid of curve imaginable. The worst for her car (and my Giulia) - brake hard for a tight curve, sail thru the curve, meanwhile the car upshifts a gear or two in the curve, exit the curve and accelerate. At this point the transmission doesn't know whether to **** or go blind. Very different than a stick where you are at the right RPM leaving the curve.


I have not owned a lot of cars with automatics - but the Giulia is incredible. I'll try the road in manual mode to see how that feels.

With or without the paddle option, the Giulia has a manual shift mode. I've been able to test drive four different Giulias now. In the manual mode, they will not shift until you tell them to shift.

I do agree fully with most of the talk. I learned to drive when I was ten or so, in a stick, four-on-the-floor. I was shifting for my father long before this. I'm almost sixty now and it's all second nature to me. I just drive and don't care what type of traffic I'm in.

My 4C has paddle shifters along with two friction clutches. My first paddle shifter. I took to to it like a duck takes to water. F1 racing technology that finally made it to the masses. She just shifts so nicely. The car would be all wrong with a stick in it somewhere.

Driving the Giulia with paddles is similar to driving my 4C with paddles. Ok, ok. The two cars are worlds apart. I'm talking about the paddle action and the shifting feel. The Giulia is a car my wife can drive in auto mode and I can drive in manual mode. Not that we need this type of car that does it all. My point being that the Giulia is an excellent car the family can use as their only car. Enough performance to satisfy him, a well mannered sedan to satisfy her.

 

[Andy Hillis]

I am having the same problem. It's getting worse. Experiencing 3 or 4 hard "lugs" in all driving modes when accelerating - most noticeably at speeds above 30mph. Contacted dealer and they are looking into it. We will see what they say.

 

[John_K_348]

Is it possible that Alfa and ZF never really intended the cars to run in full auto? I suspect that it might be a combination of that AND expecting either one mode or the other. In full auto mode, does it grab higher gears and then bog exiting a corner? Like if you are going through a couple corners on a slight uphill grade?

I say use manual mode as much as possible and enjoy your flappy paddles. F1 shifting has been around since the early 90s. Even todays F1 cars barely use the clutch except for standing starts. The original F1 robotic manual, and now ZF were made to shift faster and more efficiently than any manual. Let the robot do it's job. Downshift and enjoy the throttle blips. Remember, The Giulia set a record on the Nordschleife, then Porsche beat it in the Panamera, then the Giulia won it back using the automatic ZF we are getting here in the US. I see no problem with that.

Serious lugs are probably something else going on.

 

[Chipshot]

I wonder how different the ZF transmission in the Giulia is from those used in FCA's North American cars. Software, of course, but hardware may be very similar.

 

[neiltyme]

Is it possible that Alfa and ZF never really intended the cars to run in full auto? I suspect that it might be a combination of that AND expecting either one mode or the other. In full auto mode, does it grab higher gears and then bog exiting a corner? Like if you are going through a couple corners on a slight uphill grade?

I say use manual mode as much as possible and enjoy your flappy paddles. F1 shifting has been around since the early 90s. Even todays F1 cars barely use the clutch except for standing starts. The original F1 robotic manual, and now ZF were made to shift faster and more efficiently than any manual. Let the robot do it's job. Downshift and enjoy the throttle blips. Remember, The Giulia set a record on the Nordschleife, then Porsche beat it in the Panamera, then the Giulia won it back using the automatic ZF we are getting here in the US. I see no problem with that.

Serious lugs are probably something else going on.

I think it might be something else too. Here is why: For me, it happens in manual mode as well. When you are already in a gear, i.e. M3, and you have slowed down to under 2000 RPMS, stepping on the gas causes similar jerking/lurching. I can't see how the transmission would be responsible for this type of problem when in manual mode and being in a reasonable gear would result in similar symptoms. Maybe something with the TCM or torque converter?

Dealer hasn't been much help as they said that its a learning/adaptive transmission and it may take a while for it to blah blah blah.

 

[Chipshot]

Dealer hasn't been much help as they said that its a learning/adaptive transmission and it may take a while for it to blah blah blah.

Well-trained dealer. Telling you just what the book says.

 

[John_K_348]

Yes this could very well be the case. If the TCM is fluttering around a threshold value, what you are getting is like "aliasing" in video graphics or "clipping" in digital audio. This was more common in lower res days, but it happens when the digital resolution is not fine enough to pic up on or execute the small variations required. On an audio signal, it would look like a sine wave with jagged stepped edges instead of a smooth curve. It also effects the throttle response and braking.

 

[bigk200]

Is it possible that Alfa and ZF never really intended the cars to run in full auto? I suspect that it might be a combination of that AND expecting either one mode or the other. In full auto mode, does it grab higher gears and then bog exiting a corner? Like if you are going through a couple corners on a slight uphill grade?

I say use manual mode as much as possible and enjoy your flappy paddles. F1 shifting has been around since the early 90s. Even todays F1 cars barely use the clutch except for standing starts. The original F1 robotic manual, and now ZF were made to shift faster and more efficiently than any manual. Let the robot do it's job. Downshift and enjoy the throttle blips. Remember, The Giulia set a record on the Nordschleife, then Porsche beat it in the Panamera, then the Giulia won it back using the automatic ZF we are getting here in the US. I see no problem with that.

Serious lugs are probably something else going on.

I think the only reason the ZF was faster than the manual at Nordschleife is because of the gear ratios. The ratio for the ZF in 8th gear is 0.64, and ratio for the manual in 6th gear is 0.872. Here are all of the ratios:

Manual Gearbox

1: 4.055
2: 2.396
3: 1.582
4: 1.192
5: 1.000
6: 0.872

ZF Gearbox

1: 5.000
2: 3.200
3: 2.143
4: 1.720
5: 1.314
6: 1.000
7: 0.822
8: 0.640

Since I drive my QV in the city a lot more than at high speed, I would rather have the maximum control that is provied by a manual transmission. Many people on this thread are unhappy with the shifting of their ZF, but all of those complaints would go away with a manual gearbox.

 

[Chipps]

Well-trained dealer. Telling you just what the book says.

MB uses or did use adaptive transmissions. It did take a bit to get them to adjust themselves. I had one that never did. I made them take the car back.

 

[inikkor]

Since I'll drive my Q most of the time in 30-40-50 mph roads I'll much rather have a short geared shifter to play with.

 

[John_K_348]

Good points all. I have to admit that the F1 in my 360 is a bit of a pain around town. Gear ratios are more at issue than the manner of shifting. Always having to sand bag. But since the ratios and number of gears are different with the manual, now the manner of shifting becomes more significant. The manual is still produced in Europe so maybe there will be a change in the import plans in the future?

 

[neiltyme]

Joe, did find resolution to this through updates and/or reprogramming?

 

[bigk200]

I have a QV and have noticed that the shift from 1st to 2nd can sometimes occur at 3,000 to 3,500 rpm in the "N" mode. Has anyone else noticed this?

 

[Joe selvaggio]

Joe, did find resolution to this through updates and/or reprogramming?

Yes but I also noticed after the update lower power and longer lag.... don't which one is worse......

 

[neiltyme]

Yes but I also noticed after the update lower power and longer lag.... don't which one is worse......

????????????

 

[ibehardnock2001]

I have a QV and have noticed that the shift from 1st to 2nd can sometimes occur at 3,000 to 3,500 rpm in the "N" mode. Has anyone else noticed this?

Perhaps the transmission has learned your personal driving style irrespective of the car's individual setting? Drive with a feathered foot for 500 miles to see if the shift points change. Your car's transmission is always tuning and adjusting shift points automatically based on your driving habits.

 

[Racer Z]

Perhaps the transmission has learned your personal driving style irrespective of the car's individual setting? Drive with a feathered foot for 500 miles to see if the shift points change. Your car's transmission is always tuning and adjusting shift points automatically based on your driving habits.

Good point. On my 4C, I can reset all this learning back to default by disconnecting the battery about five minutes. I don't know the actual minimum time, cause I disconnect it to do legitimate work. It usually takes about 100 miles to relearn whatever it needs to learn.

 

[Joe selvaggio]

????????????

Sorry, allow me to elaborate to the best of my abilities, YES the problem of the transmission was FIXED, no no more jerking or jumping gears but...but now i don't know if is me but i noticed the car does not have as much power at start and the lag of wend accelerating, is even longer, those are my uneducated observation, i complained and they said they will check but still don't notice improvement, some times i think that the fix was worse that the problem, i use to drive my car in A mode (it was enough power for the day to day drive) but now only drive in N to feel some of the power of the car, Capisce?

 

[Racer Z]

Sorry, allow me to elaborate to the best of my abilities, YES the problem of the transmission was FIXED, no no more jerking or jumping gears but...but now i don't know if is me but i noticed the car does not have as much power at start and the lag of wend accelerating, is even longer, those are my uneducated observation, i complained and they said they will check but still don't notice improvement, some times i think that the fix was worse that the problem, i use to drive my car in A mode (it was enough power for the day to day drive) but now only drive in N to feel some of the power of the car, Capisce?

How does she feel in D mode?
And what about manual vs auto (all modes)?