And by that I mean it is dumb to shift a torque converter automatic, at redline, manually. What in the hell is the point? With electronically controlled transmissions and rev limiters, there's zero reason to think you can somehow time the shift better than the computer.The transmission will hold gear selections up to the 6200-rpm redline and, unlike a good many so-called manumatics, won’t upshift on its own. But the collision with the rev-limiting fuel cutoff is abrupt, and timing your upshift too close to the redline results in a slow gearchange. That’s not good, because the redline is only 100 rpm above the engine’s horsepower peak.
But I guess they have a point:
Having logged seat time in manual and automatic versions of the CTS- V , we’re inclined to believe the automatic may be the better choice, particularly for the slightly older guys who are most likely to step up to a car in this price range. The manual transmission might be the better choice on a racetrack, but how often is a sedan like this going to show up at track days? And as far as that goes, keep in mind that John Heinricy, GM’s erstwhile performance guru and nine-time SCCA national racing champion, set what GM says is a Nürburgring Nordschleife production-sedan lap record driving a CTS- V automatic.
