Ford Puma Forum

does anyone else have an automatic with an 'M' setting and flappy paddles? (i'm not sure if all automatics are like this, if so then sorry for the silly question...)
anyway...
I've only once accidentally used this mode, which was a crazy minute of driving trying to work out why the engine was acting like it was, until my brain engaged
It's not something I would ever plan to use, except in snow maybe(?), but it got me wondering, should i use it occasionally to keep the car happy?

My van is an auto and although not flappy paddles I can either put in auto and let the gearbox decide what it is doing, leave in auto and override the gearbox eg going downhill and want engine braking using two buttons on the side of the gear stick or put into full manual. Just depends what I am doing and the roads I am on.

paulv wrote: ↑Mon Jul 26, 2021 7:27 pm does anyone else have an automatic with an 'M' setting and flappy paddles? (i'm not sure if all automatics are like this, if so then sorry for the silly question...)
anyway...
I've only once accidentally used this mode, which was a crazy minute of driving trying to work out why the engine was acting like it was, until my brain engaged
It's not something I would ever plan to use, except in snow maybe(?), but it got me wondering, should i use it occasionally to keep the car happy?

I have tried the manual mode once since picking the car up.. and tbh I wouldn't bother with it.. with no indication of which gear you're in I don't think the manual mode makes any sense.. the only time I can think of using the paddles would be to downshift to overtake maybe, but the dual clutch system is so good at preempting which gear you need you rarely need to

You might want to use them when you want to, uh, actually interact with your car.

STer wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:56 am You might want to use them when you want to, uh, actually interact with your car.

Indeed.. but then again if I wanted to change gear myself I would have, uh, actually bought a manual.

asl3312 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 8:19 am

STer wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:56 am You might want to use them when you want to, uh, actually interact with your car.

Indeed.. but then again if I wanted to change gear myself I would have, uh, actually bought a manual.

I once had a Honda Jazz hire car with them. Loved it!

Mind you I also loved my MGB Roadster with overdrive in 3rd and 4th.

Guess I just like switches

asl3312 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 8:19 am

STer wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 7:56 am You might want to use them when you want to, uh, actually interact with your car.

Indeed.. but then again if I wanted to change gear myself I would have, uh, actually bought a manual.

I guess FORD may have thought those who didn't want to buy a manual wanted to, uh, maybe still choose at times to actually interact with the car, hence fitted paddles.

I appreciate that many people on here love their cars and love interacting with their cars, and in over 40 years of driving I'm sure I was like that at some point

I bought an automatic with adaptive cruise control so that the car could do most of the driving for me, and to a great extent this works absolutely fine for me thanks

I was just wondering if by NOT using the M mode at all it might cause an issue with the gearbox? along the lines of if you don't use the air conditioning regularly it can cause issues with your air conditioning (assuming thats not an urban myth)...

Stoopo wrote: ↑Tue Jul 27, 2021 10:06 am I once had a Honda Jazz hire car with them. Loved it!

Mind you I also loved my MGB Roadster with overdrive in 3rd and 4th.

Guess I just like switches

I have an old Smart Car (450) 700cc turbo project car, with a semi auto box and flappy paddles.. in that they're pretty decent, though with it being a single clutch system the gear changes are woefully slow, but crucially there is a display of what gear you're in.

The Puma is very quiet and with no gear indicator it's hard to judge. Bear in mind I've only had the car a week so my opinion is likely to change