Oddly, mine seems just as responsive in
D as it does in
M. Perhaps because I seldom use
D the PCM has learned to emulate the way I drive in
M....I'm not sure. Bottom line is the car is surprisingly spirited in
D, down-shifting at light throttle inputs and holding gears longer than I had expected.
There should be no acceleration advantage in M over
D. Actually, in real-world driving you'll often be slower in
M because you're more likely to bounce off the rev limiter.
D will run right up there and shift without the loss of power that you get on the bounce. A drag racer on another forum stated that his best 1/4 mile times were in
D with the T/C on.