I do not recommend holding the left paddle while driving.
Last time I
tested this
feature - it selected 1st gear (4th to 1st) and my revs shot up near 8k which is beyond the useful torque curve and potentially engine damaging, especially on a cold engine.
- If you anticipate you may need more responsive acceleration, put the gearbox into S mode with one pull on the gear selector. It will downshift to an appropriate gear for the speed you are doing.
- If you need fastest possible acceleration, press the accelerator kickdown.
- If you need immediate acceleration, press the accelerator down fully without going past the kickdown switch.
I will recommend holding the right paddle when you have been driving in manual mode to switch back to the last auto mode. It is a very convenient way to go back to auto without touching the gear selector, particularly after coming to a stop. Holding the right paddle will select D or S depending on which mode the gearbox was previously in.