I don't know if anybody else has experienced this but in the freezing temperatures we've experienced in the UK in the last few days, the performance of my SDV6 immediately after start up has become very sluggish. I have to press the accelerator pedal much further to get a response from the engine and the gearbox is more reluctant to change down. This is definitely a change in the behaviour of my car which has coincided with the colder temperatures we have had recently. After 10 - 15 mins of driving and when the engine has fully warmed up, the performance of the engine returns to normal

I'm wondering whether this is a fault with my car or a characteristic designed in by L-R maybe for emissions reduction or fuel saving reasons? All I know is that I have to pull on to a busy major road about half a mile from my house every morning and I've had a couple of pant wetting moments recently when the engine hasn't responded with the kind of vigour I've been expecting

I noticed this too, at first i put it down to the fact i was wearing big insulated boots! I then came to the conclusion that it was something to do with the "Auto" on the terrain response which may be changing the throttle response to dull the power in potentially icy conditions. i also found that when i put the gearbox into sport mode with terrain response in auto it automatically changed to "command shift" whereas if i selected "dynamic" in the TR then sport mode on the gearbox it stayed in auto shifting.

Ah, very good point, I didn't think of that. I'll try disengaging the Auto on the terrain response to see whether that makes a difference. Predictably of course, the weather is about to warm up so maybe I won't get a chance to test this theory. Certainly this morning with the temperature 3 or 4 degC milder, the car felt livelier from the off

I had a play while i was out today. mine felt a bit sluggish although it was not too cold but the snowflake was on. so i stuck it in general program and it was fine again. stuck it an GG & S and it was sluggish and if you stick it in sport then it drops into command shift too. so I'm thinking it was definitely this.

It might have been nice if the auto setting had some indication it had changed the parameters of the car. especially when it concerns throttle response to avoid your "pant wetting" moments.

Me too. I've just taken my car out and the difference with the Auto button off and on is significant. As you say, its a shame there isn't a message on the dashboard confirming that the Auto TR has modified the driving program

Anyway, problem solved and I've got my old car back!

So, just to be clear, do we think that at less than 3degC the Auto Terrain Response changes the program to "snow and ice" without any intervention? Regards

Malcolm

Absolutely.

I was convinced I had a major problem the other morning until I realised that if I put the chassis into "dynamic", all was normal.

Soon as the temp hits 0C, If you have terrain response in "auto", I suspect the system goes into "snow and ice" mode - starts off in second, upshifts rapidly, marked softening of the accelerator response etc. Huge feeling of "where has all the performance gone?"

In my old Jag XF, this would be the equivalent of "winter mode", but there I had to select it manually.

We can't complain, after all, what else did we expect "auto" to do other than act automatically? MY2016 HSE D SDV6 - gone due to fuel dilution problems.

By the age of 50 you have the face you deserve - George Orwell.

In the days on manually selected TR programmes selecting the Grass Gravel and Snow setting had an amazing dampening effect on the throttle pedal and almost made you think that there was something wrong with the system as the take off was terrible and any acceleration very slow. If you have eperienced driving on compacted snow then you will realise just how good the system is as you will only be allowed the amount of power that the ABS/Traction Control sensors calculate that the car can handle in the conditions and as grip changes the pwoer allowed changes. I ended up on one journey very slowly working up to 60mph on the snow bound M74 and was not in the least surprised to have FFRR's and Disco3's also fitted with TR overtaking me, I thought 60 was pushing it but those guys had way more confidence in their cars/ driving skills than I had in mine!
I also think that deep snow is another time when DSC should get disabled to aid grip at low speed like in deep slippery mud, it allows you to build up a wedge of snow to get grip by turning the steering back and forth, which DSC doesn't like and reduces the pwoer further. 2020 Pangea Green 1st Edition D240 New Defender 110 is here and loving it
2018 Melting Silver Mini Countryman PHEV - soon to be replaced
2015MY Corris Grey SDv6 HSE Dynamic, the best car I have ever owned, totally reliable only a cou0le of rattles in 3 years, now no longer in my care
Also in my garage is a 1996 TDi300 Defender 90 County HT made into a fake CSW

wilf wrote:

We can't complain, after all, what else did we expect "auto" to do other than act automatically?

Yes, I also thought it changed modes by measuring wheel slip in snow etc. Using temperature as a criterion is strange as you can easily have perfectly dry but cold conditions.

I agree that LR should explain how the system changes mode so that drivers can understand what is happening. Surely this is not a "trade secret".

I have also noticed this effect on the last few cold mornings and something similar has been discussed on another RRS site. Regards

Malcolm

The indicator you seek is the "snowflake" turning red from amber. MY2016 HSE D SDV6 - gone due to fuel dilution problems.

By the age of 50 you have the face you deserve - George Orwell.

Big brother is controlling you.

I bet you also thought that you'd paid your money so it was your car to do as you like.

I think the car goes into Grass Gravel Snow at about +2 degrees. If you press the TR button to take it out of auto it shows you the mode it was in before whilst in auto mode. And this is often the case. Not reduced performance as such, just the car adjusting

drdelrrs wrote:

Big brother is controlling you.

I bet you also thought that you'd paid your money so it was your car to do as you like.

Quote:

I don't understand - what is stopping you taking it out of auto TR and doing whatever you please with it? So you can do exactly as you might like