2020 Ford Focus St-Line X 1.0 Auto - Manual Shift Gears

[SkiDyve]

Hello.  I've been playing around with Manual mode on this car but noticed that when shifting down through the gears, it only gets to '2'...... I'll be the first to admit I don't know am awful lot about cars, but is there no first gear on this car? It's the 8-speed auto so was expecting to shift between 1 and 8... but 1 doesn't seem to be available.... I've tried this at a very low speed.    I've detailed some other issues I have with this auto on another thread (it's going to Ford next week to check out the major clunk when shifting to 'D'), so maybe this is related, or maybe I'm just being thick 🙂.  Any advice appreciated!

[DaveT70]

Ask them to check/update the software and check fluid level and quality. Transmission characteristic reset process should also stop the clunks, they should do that for you too.

 

[unofix]

You can only select 1 when the car is standing still. 

[Guy Heaton]

2 hours ago, unofix said:

You can only select 1 when the car is standing still. 

Yes my 8-speed is the same, makes sense really

[unofix]

Manual Gearbox.

I don't know if the rules are still the same as when I passed my driving test (1977) but way back in those days you would fail a driving test if you selected first gear at any time other then when the car was standing still.

Bringing the car to a halt at a junction was done in second gear and as the car came to a stop you selected first ready to move off.

[Guy Heaton]

That's probably cos back in those days 1st gear didn't have synchromesh so you could damage the cogs if you weren't at standstill.

[TomsFocus]

I was definitely suggested to shift to 1st while approaching junctions when learning in 2009...  I rarely do it now as it's never a 'clean' downshift being such a low ratio.

Anyway, back to the OP, does the dash not show gears in auto mode?  Try pulling away on a hill and it should find first.  

[unofix]

In full Auto mode the dash only shows 'D' and not the gear the the car is in.

If you leave the car in full auto and then use the up/down paddels the dash will show what gear you have selected for example '6' but after a while the car will take control of the gear change back and the gear number will change back to 'D'

If you want full manual control of the gearbox then you have to select the 'M' button and use the up/down paddles to change gear. In this mode the gear number will be displayed and the car will not take back control of the gear changes.

However no matter which method you have used to select gears manually you can not select '1' unless the car is at a standstill. This has been true of all the autos that I've driven since 1999, which include Ford, Vauxhall, Land Rover and Jaguar.

If I understand the OP, he is leaving the gearbox in full auto mode and using the up/down paddles to change gear which is fine, but what he is experiencing is that he can not select first gear while using this method. You can select first gear, but the car must be at a complete stand still before the auto box will allow you to manually select first.

 

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

7 hours ago, Guy Heaton said:

That's probably cos back in those days 1st gear didn't have synchromesh so you could damage the cogs if you weren't at standstill.

Lol, yes, I was thinking that. (Unless your instructor had already taught you to double de-clutch of course, mine didn't, so I taught myself later.) Don't remember it being mentioned as a fail point though.

[Guy Heaton]

My missus has a habit of putting it in first when going about 10mph and even with synchromesh I wince when she does it.

[SkiDyve]

On 6/10/2021 at 10:47 AM, unofix said:

In full Auto mode the dash only shows 'D' and not the gear the the car is in.

If you leave the car in full auto and then use the up/down paddels the dash will show what gear you have selected for example '6' but after a while the car will take control of the gear change back and the gear number will change back to 'D'

If you want full manual control of the gearbox then you have to select the 'M' button and use the up/down paddles to change gear. In this mode the gear number will be displayed and the car will not take back control of the gear changes.

However no matter which method you have used to select gears manually you can not select '1' unless the car is at a standstill. This has been true of all the autos that I've driven since 1999, which include Ford, Vauxhall, Land Rover and Jaguar.

If I understand the OP, he is leaving the gearbox in full auto mode and using the up/down paddles to change gear which is fine, but what he is experiencing is that he can not select first gear while using this method. You can select first gear, but the car must be at a complete stand still before the auto box will allow you to manually select first.

 

 

Thank you - that's really helpful.