I do have 6MT. I have more than one car though! My automatic car will keep rolling at idle on a level road. Just sayin'...

 

But at what speed? Mine slows quickly to the idle roll speed which is probably 8 mph - too slow when you're rolling toward a red light that's 2 10ths of a mile away and you have cars behind you.

 

Why are you coasting so early then???

 

The light turns red, and I know it'll still be red when I get there.

In Dallas you can go from major intersection to the next and see the signals 1/4 mile away. It's pretty flat here, and wide open. Most main streets are three lanes wide, and most cars travel 45-50 MPH. When a light turns red ahead, I take my foot off the gas - which is why I started this thread... read post #1.

 

The 7AT has a pretty agressive downshift protocol. It is frustrating for people who tend to coast to improve their mileage. Partly it is the short gears from 3rd and lower that cause the issue. It drops out of 4th fairly easy at slower speeds of under 30 mph, and while this keeps the engine from stumbling and struggling when throttle is re-applied, it means that with the big gear differences you experience engine braking when it isn't necessarily desired. This is partly the reason why the G37 doesn't get any better city mileage than it does. It simply slows itself down when the speeds are real slow. The car is really set up to travel best above 45 mph.

Like the quick launch from stop? well there is a downside.
The 6MT people should get improved city mileage, but unfortunately they tend to drive more agressively, not less.
When it comes to stop n go, at least the gears mean that the car will crawl forward at idle under many circumstances and the driver won't have to apply throttle at all to inch forward. Another bright spot is that you can at least save on brake wear.
It seems the car is what it is, and what makes it a car you can love is also what brings about a quirk you tend to question.

 

I can't speak for other MT folks, but in my case I adjust my driving style to maximize fuel efficiency. The feedback from the mpg display is very useful, and the 6MT gives me total control over the transmission/engine interaction. I like the extra power, but I use it only when I need it. I also use a lot of coasting in neutral, which really improves mpg. So, with some practice, it is easy for the 6MT to beat the EPA mpg.

 

The way the tranny behaves in this car was done to protect it so I hope that throwing it in N doesn't cause any damage, I do that sometimes.

 

It really took me some time to adapt to the 7AT's downshift pattern. After 20000km just when I started to get myself good at predicting its downshifts timing, all of a sudden my car coast a lot longer then before when I let off the gas. I am suspecting that when I had my 24000km service done the dealership applied the software update for me (I don't know for sure as nothing was indicated on the invoice). Or maybe they reset the computer or something like that? Now it seems that the transmission doesn't downshift as early. The gas mileage is a little bit better since then (not sure if it is also traffic/weather dependent as I usually had better mileage in summer). At the same time I also notice that I need to use the brake more frequently then before as a result of less downshifting.

 

This is an Interesting Thread. It goes to show that this 7 AT continues to "puzzle' many drivers... I'm not a car techno person by any means, but driving many, many cars over 40 years. I've noticed that the 7 AT DOES behave so differently than any other car I've had. I've posted and received a number of Member responses on a different thread concerning the 7 AT. But to this issue, what I've noticed that when coming to a stop, I've shifted to N and I feel the car Jerk. On all the Auto tranny cars I've had, including the excellent 07 G35X, when coming to a stop at a light or end of a driveway, whatever, I would shift into neutral, car stops quicker - like a Manual tranny, no jerks like this car. After reading the comments here and tranny behavior explanations, I see that the differences from a older 4 gear or 5 gear auto tranny is signiificant. It's not as simple as just 2 higher gears to increase MPGs....It still has too much gear hunting going on - although the performance is better after having hit 1500 miles or so (break-in ) AND this car does not drive like the 07 G even in DS mode.....Too Bad....Infiniti elected to Opt for better MPGs over the more aggressive response, IMHO anyway.