[Steve Chryssos]

Perhaps a descriptive real world scenario of the system's function will help clarify:

I picked up Tyler at J.F. Kennedy International Airport. It's about 80 miles from my town. Anyone who knows NY City can attest to the fact that I had the only 68 Camaro at the airport on a Thursday night or any night for that matter. The area is plagued with gridlock and other forms of vehicular stupidity. There are lots of foreigners who are used to driving in countries without roads or rules.

On our way out of the airport, the transmission was kept in full automatic mode. This allowed me to turn my brain off as we endured congestion. The floor shifter was placed in "D" (3rd gear). This engages the overrun and coast clutches. The lock up clutch will automatically engage at 44mph and not disengage until speeds drop below 34mph. I only use OD for highway speeds. So just picture that with the floor shifter in "D" (3rd gear), the tach stays at speed when you lift off the throttle--maintaining the load from the driven wheels and dropping only as vehicle speed decreases. Below 34mph, there is no chugging. Coupling is entirely fluid--as smooth as a Cadillac.

As we travelled away from the city, traffic steadily lightened up. When speeds exceeded 60mph, I slipped the floor shifter into OD to maximize fuel economy. Note, that I have not yet touched the paddle shifter (other than showing off to Tyler).

We're on the Southern State Parkway now. A beautiful, winding roadway with some fairly aggressive turns and some hills. Being from Vegas, Tyler was impressed by the presence of trees. The lock up clutch engages at 44mph, providing some engine braking. The chugging sensation is just like a mechanical clutch--Direct drive coupling between the engine and trans. With light traffic comes the urge to pass the 40mph turds clogging up the roadway. Check your mirror and tap the left paddle to downshift. This automatically switches the system from automatic mode to paddle shift mode. The on-board display shows gear selection. It changes from "4" to "S3". The "S: signifies paddle shift mode. Squeeze the throttle, pass the turd and tap the right paddle to upshift. The display now shows "S4" (instead of "4"). Repeat the process: Tap down, squeeze the throttle, pass, tap up, repeat. Bye, bye turd. You find yourself carving up traffic like a guided missile. Shifts are quick and tight--way quicker than the time required to push in a clutch pedal, row a gear, and let out a clutch pedal.

Finally, as I approach our exit ramp, I reach down to move the floor shifter into "D" (3rd gear). With the overrun/coast clutches engaged, I now have engine braking to help steady the chassis through the tight exit ramp. On local roads, I keep the floor shifter in "D" (3rd gear). I can put it in "OD", I simply choose not to. This prompted Tyler to make a joke about gas mileage. My response? It's a hot rod.

As we pulled into my neighborhood, I put the system back into auto mode. Brain off.

I hope that helps. The 6L's can do the same thing--only better. We just can't adapt them to our cars yet for various reasons.