"Tim+" wrote in message
...

A nice ICE automatic can be very good and whilst I liked by VW DSG box, in
terms of refinement, my Jag XF box was much better. It seems its hard to
beat ample power and a good €œslushbox€�.

It was the "slush" (torque converter) aspect of automatics that I found
hardest to adjust to: as you gradually increase the engine speed, the torque
converter initially tends to "change down" slightly, so small increases of
engine power don't result in increases in road speed. The DAF/Volvo
variomatic transmission was even worse for this: you'd hear the engine revs
increase dramatically but the car wouldn't increase in speed because the
belts moved to a lower ratio, and only when the ratio was correct would it
stop doing this and you'd get a fixed ratio and so an increase in road
speed.

I like a car that has a fixed ratio between engine and road (until you
change the ratio - and if you do it manually, you are *prepared* for it and
sub-consciously adjust the engine speed to adapt to it), rather than a vague
wishy-washy relationship between the two.