QOTD: Do You Ever Bother With Sport Mode?

Once a fancy feature reserved for legitimately sporty or luxurious vehicles with ample power to generate grins regardless of electronic intervention, “sport mode” is now nearly ubiquitous. It appears in tepid (but efficient!) economy cars. Your mom’s crossover probably has a button, dial, or shift lever position that fiddles with shift points, firms up the steering, and makes the accelerator pedal touchier than a friend whose long-term relationship just went south.

Auto journos quickly make use of the feature when hooning an automaker’s latest and greatest, but does it ever serve a purpose to you, the owner?

While sport mode, increasingly seen in the presence of wheel-mounted flappy paddles, might seem strange and out of place in, say, an off-lease Lincoln MKX, it does have its perks. For one, it’s a great way to calm a tempermental transmission that never stops hunting for gears. In a world where autoboxes are shifting more than ever, this is not an uncommon gripe. Also, by holding lower ratios longer and locking out the uppermost cogs, less-than-swift vehicles can suddenly come alive — or at least gain a weak pulse — in a generally unsatisfying way.

Sometimes, it’s necessary to give your overboosted, loosey-goosey steering a shot of Cialis to firm things up, thus cutting down on unwanted wandering. Sport mode can do that for you. Maybe your vehicle is one where sport mode can firm up your vehicle’s suspension, too, thus paring down your car’s body lean while high-tailing it home to watch a debate.

If snow and ice is a concern, or if steep inclines dog you each and every day, it’s possible you use sport mode to gain access to a manumatic shift function or just to hold a lower gear. Not all so-equipped vehicles require one to shift into “S,” but many do. Puttin’ ‘er in Low is your ticket to flappy paddle bliss in other vehicles, though it’s not necessary to instigate a downshift. Every manufacturer goes their own way in this regard.

As much as this feature can reduce the unpleasant symptoms of a less-than-stellar automobile, it stands to reason that if you feel you need to use it, you probably wouldn’t have bought that car in the first place. Thus, you probably don’t own a vehicle that requires sport mode to be activated to get your kicks.

And if your commuting buddy is a thrifty economy car, it also stands to reason that you’re interested in MPGs, not reducing the life of your low-drag tires.

In a decently-powered premium sedan, you’re probably fine leaving it in default “normal” or “eco” mode, knowing full well there’s power on tap to pull off that passing maneuver, if needed. And your steering is likely just fine already; nicely weighted, precise, and not in need of further firming. Even in your Mustang or whatever, how often would you call up the prettier gauge display and red lights in your day-to-day life?

Let’s put the question to you, B&B. If your present vehicle came equipped with sport mode, do you ever use it?

[Image: Ford, General Motors]