What happened to engine braking?

[amirm]

When I got my Land Rover LR4, I noticed something interesting. It has far less engine braking. Downshifting makes comparatively much less difference than my old LR3 and other cars I have owned. Reading through the brochure, it seems to be caused by the increased efficiency dialed into the transmission (and engine?) to let it roll better.

That said, it is silky smooth the way it downshifts. I am always waiting for a heavy jolt but even if you do insane things like downshifting and having the transmission hit 5000+ RPM, it is still surprisingly gentle. I suspect the above factor is partly responsible for it.

Have others noticed the same in other cars?

 

[flez007]

My car has an "intelligent" engine breaking (whatever that means) that shifts down gears as needed, ir even detects if one is on a downhill or taking a turn to compensate any energy at braking dynamically. Just as you Amir I do not feel anything except that the car never makes funny things on an emergency brake. It is a 2011 model.

 

[amirm]

Mine will also do that especially in sports mode. it is quite nice that way.

BTW, my car is leased. They ding me for brake wear but not transmission wear when the lease is over. So I try to use the engine and transmission to slow down . Yes, I am frugal that way. Shoot me.

 

[DonH50]

VRT (variable-rate transmission)

When I saw this thread, all I thought of was a Jake's Brake on a semi...

Engine braking works fine on my Jeep!

 

[Bruce B]

Mine has an A-T that you can do manual mode on the paddle shifters.

 

[amirm]

You are right Tom. I had forgotten about the old automatics doing that. Now that you say it, I do miss that.

 

[JackD201]

Mine blips the throttle for me when I hit the paddles. Sounds and feels way cool! They say the new Audi RS5 actually drops in a bit of fuel for a mini detonation. THAT is REALLY cool!

 

[The Smokester]

My tranny rev-matches when downshifting on manual mode. It also downshifts agressively when braking in sport mode, a feature that is an acquired taste.