What is the difference between Sport mode and S gear?
2 Answers
Sport mode is the S gear, and there is no difference between the two. S stands for 'sport,' meaning sports. Most automatic transmission cars have an S gear. After engaging the S gear, the operation mode of the engine and transmission will change. The engine speed will increase, the throttle response will become more sensitive, and the transmission will delay the shift timing. The S gear is suitable for aggressive driving and overtaking, but after engaging the S gear, the car's fuel consumption will increase, and the engine running at high speeds will also accelerate engine wear. Some automatic transmissions also have an M gear, which is the manual mode of the automatic transmission. After engaging the M gear, the driver can use the gear lever and the paddle shifters behind the steering wheel to control the transmission to upshift or downshift, which is also very suitable for aggressive driving.
Sport mode and S gear are actually quite easy to confuse. Having driven automatic transmission cars for seven or eight years, I've found that sport mode is like adding a turbo switch to the entire car—once engaged, the throttle response becomes more sensitive, the steering wheel feels heavier, and even the suspension might stiffen. Once, while driving a friend's new SUV on mountain roads with sport mode on, I clearly felt much less body roll when cornering. S gear, on the other hand, is purely about the transmission's behavior—shifting into it delays gear changes, keeping the engine RPM above 3000, which is especially powerful for overtaking. However, both modes increase fuel consumption. I once used S gear in city traffic, and the fuel consumption was 20% higher than usual.
