One of the things I am enjoying about the RC F over other cars I've owned is the transmission. I live in hilly N. CA and have always used engine brakes but on other cars/trucks, the transmission lags in engagement as well as refuses to downshift if you are going too fast--engine braking not very well, in other words. Not this one (at least so far). I don't drive in manual, but it downshifts with the paddles just fine even in Standard and automatically reengages auto shifts when you stop for that stop sign you were slowing down for. Only have about 1350 miles now, but I'm liking the car more, the more I drive it. Just have to keep from speeding, just cause I can.

 

I also think the cars tranny is pretty good in manual mode. The auto blip down shifts are much better than most. It takes some time to get used to and I find myself anticipating shifts a bit early to avoid the lag time that many reviewers mention.

 

The tranny saves you a great deal in brakes even with lots of spirited driving and canyon drives. I always drive in sport+ mode auto let the tranny do what it does best. It's AI technology coupled with the G-sensor is brilliantly calibrated for engine braking. My first brake change was at about 48k miles. I am on 20k on my newest brake replacement and they still at 80 percent at the front.