How to use the S gear in the new Focus?
2 Answers
Introduction to using the S gear in Focus: The S gear is the sports mode of the vehicle. During driving, you can directly shift into S gear without braking or stopping, allowing free switching. Here are some relevant introductions about the S gear: 1. The S gear is set to sports mode, which increases the RPM during gear shifting to keep the engine speed in a relatively high range for enhanced power. Therefore, upshifting in S gear is slower than in D gear (higher RPM), but downshifting is faster than in D gear. 2. Principle of S gear: In general automatic transmission cars and CVT-equipped cars, the cruising speed in D gear is set below 2000 RPM, and it will upshift when exceeding 2000 RPM. When using the S gear, the increased RPM leads to greater fuel injection by the engine, resulting in higher output power and thus enabling the car to achieve higher speeds. The upshift mechanism of the S gear is delayed upshifting, which increases the load on the transmission in a short time, intensifies friction loss, and raises the temperature. Prolonged use may affect the engine's lifespan.
The S gear in the Focus is actually the sport mode, and it's quite useful. Normally, you can just drive in D gear, but the S gear makes the car feel more powerful. I'm used to switching to S gear when I need to overtake quickly or on winding mountain roads—just push the gear lever from D to S, which is quite convenient. Once engaged, the engine RPM increases, gear shifts are delayed, and the acceleration feels stronger, especially when climbing hills or speeding up. However, don't use it all the time as it consumes more fuel, possibly increasing fuel consumption by about 10%. In city traffic, it's better to switch back to D gear to save some fuel. Also, the Focus sounds more aggressive in S gear, making driving more exhilarating—perfect for occasionally letting loose. In short, even beginners can easily get the hang of it; just try it more and you'll get used to it—it's a lot of fun.
