donq

Hi, my last few cars had manual transmissions; this is my first automatic since my very first car. One of the things that I'd like to know is what gear I'm in but it seems that the only way to know this is by switching it into sport-mode. Does anyone know if there's a way to display what gear you're in while driving in auto mode? (I don't remember seeing anything in the manual.)

dq

Brock79

There's really no need to know that if your just cruising and not in sports mode. But I believe if you hit the up paddle it will show you what gear you are in.

donq

Oh, I'll try that...

thePearl

^ as said above, just press the paddle and you will know.

jim_c

There is an excellent write-up on how the trans and the display works in D and S modes in the service manual (not the owner's manual).
The service manual is available as a .pdf file and there is a link on this board posted by some very helpful guy. I downloaded the one for 09/10 and it is a great source of info. Three thousand or so pages but very readable.

Reorge

Yes, just hit the up paddle and it will show you the current gear (unless it's possible to shift up.... it will).

donq

Yeah, actually I tried it and it shift to the next available gear which isn't really what I want. You can use either panel but then it shifts. I'll check out the service manual though... sounds interesting!

dq

dtrayers

My 2012 has the 6 speed and on my car at least I've noticed that when in 4th gear the tach needle is in about the same position (angle) as the speedo, and it tends to follow the movement of the speedo. In 5th, the tach needle lags the speedo (more so in 6th). Just the opposite with 3rd.

You really don't need an indicator to tell 1st or 2nd, IMO. Your ears and butt can tell you.

Also, the car will not go into 6th under 40MPH, and won't go into 5th under 30 MPH.

Based on that, I've kind of learned from the relative angles of the needles what gear I'm in. I actually drive in S-manual mode most of the time, but sometimes forget to shift into 6th on the highway. With the radio up or sunroof open, I can't tell from the engine drone, but I will notice the needle angle isn't where it typically is before I see the gear indicator.

(I have a very long commute and XM only entertains for so long...)