Is it better to use S gear or D gear on the highway?
3 Answers
On the highway, it is recommended to use D gear. Automatic transmission vehicles have the following 5 types of gears: 1. P gear is the parking gear, used for long-term parking of the vehicle; 2. R gear is the reverse gear, used when the vehicle is moving backward; 3. N gear is the neutral gear, engaged when the vehicle is parked for a short time without turning off the engine; 4. S gear is the sport mode, making the vehicle drive more sportily; 5. M gear refers to the manual mode, where the driver manually completes the gear shifting when the gear lever is moved to M gear. There are 3 steps to reverse an automatic transmission vehicle: 1. Press the brake to stop the vehicle, hold the lock switch on the gear lever, and shift to R gear; 2. Observe the rearview mirrors and reverse camera, confirm there are no obstacles behind the vehicle, and honk the horn twice to alert pedestrians and vehicles nearby; 3. Slowly release the brake to allow the vehicle to move at a low speed.
I mostly use D gear when driving on highways, which feels particularly worry-free and fuel-efficient. Most of the time on the highway, I maintain a constant speed, and D gear allows the transmission to automatically stay in higher gears, keeping the engine RPM low and noise minimal. Driving 300 kilometers can save quite a bit on fuel costs. S gear keeps the RPM consistently high, increasing fuel consumption by at least 20-30%, and the constant engine roar is annoying. Unless I need to overtake continuously or climb a steep slope, there's really no need to use S gear. I've driven cars from different brands and found that the D gear tuning in newer cars is quite smart—it automatically downshifts when you press the accelerator hard for more power, which is more than enough. Anyway, I always stick to D gear for long trips—it keeps passengers comfortable and my wallet happy.
I love using S mode on the highway - it's exhilarating! Especially when driving sports cars, S mode gives noticeably more responsive power. Step on the accelerator and you immediately feel that push-back sensation - overtaking big trucks becomes crisp and decisive. Although fuel consumption is indeed higher than D mode, it's only 1-2 liters more per 100km - totally worth it for the driving pleasure. I've found S mode particularly useful on mountainous roads with lots of hills, as it prevents that sluggish feeling during climbs. But a word of caution: prolonged use of S mode requires monitoring engine temperature - check coolant frequently in summer. I've developed a habit of switching to D mode for cruising on empty straightaways, then immediately shifting to S mode when overtaking.
