Opinion — Are Paddle Shifters In Budget Cars Like Ertiga And XL6 Really Useful? | V3Cars

If you recall, both the Ertiga and XL6 used to be offered with an ageing 4-speed automatic gearbox before they both received their facelifts early this year. The Ertiga and XL6 facelift, on the other hand, come with a new 6-speed torque converter automatic transmission. The added ratios make both MPVs feel more relaxed on the highways. Hence, having paddle shifters on the Ertiga and XL6 can help you go through the ratios for quick overtakes or relaxed cruising. It’s a feature no one asked for. But now that it is here, there’s nothing to complain about either. But is it useful?

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Well, paddle shifters come in handy for chasing lap times on track days. However, they work equally well while overtaking large trucks and buses which usually take space on speed lanes of our national highways. You can manually select gears via the gear shifter as well but that becomes a 2-step process. On the other hand, with the help of paddle shifters, one can go up or down the ratios with one tap — helping in a quick selection of gears.

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Thanks to the presence of paddle shifters, you would not only be able to plan your overtakes better but also have a better command over the transmission. Last but not least, having paddle shifters can help you extract the maximum fuel efficiency or mileage from your engine. Every carmaker selects a certain engine RPM for each gear change. And due to the variation in these calibrations, there could be instances where the car can comfortably and efficiently cruise on 6th gear but the transmission is calibrated to be in 5th. That’s when paddle shifters can help you take control over the transmission and shift to a higher gear for improved efficiency.

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