Fiesta new 7 speed auto box

[unofix]

turbocat

Started conversation: March 9

hi unofix.  ( coffee time)

thank you for your referral to ian (about to seal or not to seal)he carefully checked it out and and said the sealant could cover the tmps has it is inside the tyre.so not to seal.i am new member to forum,new to ford and have many questions which i am asking one by one on the forum.i like my fiesta active x automatic very much,but am very disappointed with one thing,no manual mode and no sport mode,ah you say,there is a sport mode,but not in the sense of true sport mode has with dsg auto boxes.the gearbox has a L mode where the sport mode should be and is absolutely useless unless you want to tow a 10 ton caravan.if you could move from normal mode to sport mode when doing a overtake it would be fine,but you have to go through eco mode first,which slows you up,losing the chance of a overtake.i ordered with paddles,but they stopped adding them.my question unofix(at last)is there any way to move from normal to sport mode without going through eco mode.is there any way to use a Manuel mode for overtaking.or even having paddle shifters fitted.have you used the automatic gearbox now fitted,your observations if you have please.  one easy question for you,how do you display the view mode in the display.should have had your coffee now.

many thanks jim

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turbocat

Replied: March 11

would love to here your thoughts and any advice to my comments unofix

jim

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unofix

Replied: March 11

Hello Jim, I've been trying to find some up to date info on your model and the gearbox arrangement you have. In short there's not much to be found that is of any use.

I've not had the pleasure (or misfortune 🙄) to drive the automatic with the "L" button although I read all about it.

Does your model no longer have the "Kick Down" facility ?

The only thoughts I can offer is, would it be convenient to have the drive mode to always default to 'Sport' and then use the button to select normal as and when you need it ?

There is a little unit available that is an easy add on that allows the default mode to be pre-selected  each time the car is started.

cheers, Unofix

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turbocat

Replied: March 11

thanks,i thought you may be doing research on what you was not sure on.it is not a L button,it is the last downward movement on the gear stick,exactly where the sport mode is on the dsg box on the vw group,you would need to live on mount Everest for it to be of any use ,why ford used a L mode instead of the sport mode is anyone's guess,there is not even any manual modes.apart from those two over sites it seems a good gearbox.i prefer normal mode but would have loved to just move the stick down and be in sport for safe overtaking.not sure about the kick down mode,never found these has quick has one shift gear stick,its that slight hesitancy . thanks for your help unofix.i am sure if you come across any more information,you will let me know.

jim

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turbocat

Replied: March 11

surprised there is no comments on the forum about the new 7 speed auto box.

thanks jim

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turbocat

Replied: March 14

hi ian

i would love to here your thoughts on me and unofix comments

about the new auto box on new 2023 fiesta

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iantt

Replied: March 14

Unfortunately I've had no interaction with the new transmission. I will see what I can find out about it. 

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turbocat

Replied: March 14

hi ian

i would love to here your thoughts on me and unofix comments

about the new auto box on new 2023 fiesta

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turbocat

Replied: March 14

your findings will be very interesting.the L is a waste of space.no manual mode,no display what gear you are in,and a little bit of thought by the ford team about the order of the driving modes.if sport followed normal then it would be more like a proper sport mode.the order of the others does not really matter.

thanks jim

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iantt

Replied: March 14

Well , I can't find out much about this box really on fords technician site regarding the operation. Basically it's not an auto in the normal sence but a manual transmission with automatic wet clutches. Your totally reliant on the transmission control unit to select the appropriate gear as required. L is not sport mode in any regard. Have you tried hard acceleration at overtaking speeds on a quiet road to see the expected performance before trying it in a real overtake situation. What ever the outcome is of that will then be no suprise to you before an overtake manourvere.

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turbocat

Replied: March 14

i will try the kick down which unofix also suggested.just so used to the auto boxes on the vw,audi range which were brilliant for safe overtaking manoeuvres in one touch sport mode,but they had a slight delay if you used kick down

thanks jim.

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turbocat

Replied: March 16

hi unofix and iantt.do you think we should put our comments on the fiesta forum so people can make a informed choice whether to purchase a new ford with this new automatic box,i would definitely advice taking a test drive  with the new box before purchase.has iantt says you have  very little control over it.i am not sure how to put the comments on the forum,perhaps you could assist with this if you agree.there is the usual slight delay  on kick-down

thank you both for your thoughts and comments

jim

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unofix

Replied: March 16

I've no problem if you want to put the comments on the forum.

Best Regards

Unofix Services 😀

[Eric Bloodaxe]

This sounds a bit weird. I've been browsing the latest Fiesta handbook on line lately while pondering what to go for next, and was rather flummoxed by the automatic gearbox section. I'm not likely to go for an auto but just looked out of interest.

So as far as I could see, you have 2 set ups - with/without paddle shifters. You have PRNDL without shifters and PRNDM with shifters. As Ian mentioned L is not a sport mode, and seems like the old style set up I remember from years back which just held the box in low gears for hill descents etc.

As far as I can see M on the "with shifters" set-up is not sport mode either, it just puts it into manual mode (presumably by using the shifters as I see no mention of +/-).

Seems pretty inferior compared to a 7 speed VW group DSG, where flicking from D to S is useful on the bendy bits, etc.

[unofix]

3 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

PRNDM with shifters.

My Focus has the Auto gearbox with paddle shifters which you can use to override the auto selection at any time, or you can press 'M' and use the paddles to drive it like a manual. There is another drive mode selection switch near the rotary gear selector for 'normal' 'eco' 'sport' which can be selected independently.

[turbocat]

paddle shifters are no longer available on the fiesta.drive modes are in sequence. always starts in normal,then each press fetches up eco,then sport,then slippery and finally trail.i have the active.there is no manual mode.

[Eric Bloodaxe]

The VW set up has (or had last time I tried one in December) Sport mode for the gearbox (which holds gears for longer when accelerating, shifts down more readily, etc) as well as Sport mode for the engine (sharpens throttle response, etc). On most versions you can change manually via paddle shifters or selector irrespective of gearbox mode, though I note paddle shifters also seem to have been dropped on some models.

 

[DaveT70]

If the OP sources a replacement steering wheel, with paddles and changes the configuration to "select shift with paddle shifters" "L" mode should become Sport mode on the transmission.

NOT to be confused with "SPORT" mode on the drive selector, that just changes throttle response.

Transmission "SPORT" mode holds on to lower gears longer, downshifts sooner and engine brakes more.

Also, once in "L" which will now ne "S" on the cluster, using the paddles will lock it into manual mode.

All this is with FORScan.

Now, I'm not saying it's going to be easy, the OP will have to do a lot of research and probably have a paid license and a very good lead because, I would imagine, you will need to install a different calibration into the PCM and update/downgrade the firmware in the IPC.

ST-Lines have paddle shifters, so you're just converting your configurations to ST-Line spec, nothing drastic. You may need an the VIN from an ST-Line of the same spec and download that car's main configuration etc etc

I would join the FORScan forums and start asking the questions.

Research, research, research

 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Coincidentally just glancing at a current copy of Autocar, they have taken on a Focus Active X Powershift as a long termer.

They drew attention to the "rather old school" gearbox and absence of paddles or a manual function at all, but mention that the ST-L does have paddles. They confirm that "L" just holds a lower gear.