The Rolls-Royce experience is defined by a number of things. From the utter quietness of the interior to the silky smooth feeling of the suspension, and the imperceptible gear changes, everything is done so that you feel as spoiled as possible. However, over recent years, Rolls-Royce noticed that their customers are starting to be more diverse than ever. They might even want to start driving the cars themselves. The audacity!
All jokes aside, all the research carried out by Rolls-Royce shows that’s definitely the trend and, in that case, you might want a gearbox that adapts to your style of driving Therefore, the gear selector located on the steering column comes with a so-called ‘Low Mode’. What is that, exactly? In short: pressing that button makes the transmission shift gears up to 25% faster.
That means you get a more immediate feeling from it whenever accelerating as well as when decelerating using the engine brake. The result is an increased RPM level in lower gears for a variety of situations. For example, this could come in handy when driving the Cullinan and facing steep gradients so that you have better control over the car’s response to your inputs.
The Black Badge models have a different feel when engaging Low Mode as well. However, in these models you get a different behavior. Engaging Low Mode will make the gearbox hold gears longer when accelerating while under deceleration the car will shift faster. This means, when the throttle is depressed to 90% with ‘Low Mode’ engaged, gearshift speeds are increased by 50%, delivering power with more immediacy.
On top of that, special flaps in the exhaust open in Low Mode on Black Badge models, for an enhanced aural experience. They work while the car is stationary too, no matter whether you’re in Park or Neutral.
