[Fish]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I'm not knowledgeable enough about machines to say for sure. My boss's was like an automatic in that all the driver needs to do is put it in drive, but there is a manual-like pause while it's shifting gears that, from what I am aware, can't be sped up.

It's got what is ironically called an automated manual transmission....

Here's a couple descriptions from drivers:

When accelerating, the dreadful 5-speed automated manual transmission shifts awkwardly and slowly. It may be enough to make you reach for the Dramamine: the engine temporarily slows as the car is about to upshift, jerking the driver forward and then back with each shift. Several times, my wife threatened to walk home.

Two things about driving the car did trouble me. First, it uses an "automated manual transmission," which offers the convenience of an automatic — the car changes gears automatically — coupled with the slow, jerky shifting of a poorly driven manual.

One way to deal with it is to ease off the gas when the car starts to shift, which makes things much smoother. Or you can put the Smart in manual mode and change gears using the lever, or with paddles mounted on the wheel. You still have to take your foot of the gas, but you won't have to guess when the gear changes will kick in.

And second, while I felt fine on the highway, I had a rude shock when I got on the Whitestone Bridge to cross from Queens into the Bronx. The car suddenly shifted to the side, enough so that I thought a tire had blown.

Then I realized: Without buildings providing protection, all 1,802 pounds of the car were being knocked around by the wind. It was a scary, unpleasant sensation.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/shoul...#ixzz2yEGLbc59