[mit_peid]

I'm totally ignorant here, but my guess is that the advances in software and computers are mostly behind things. Perhaps the TC got more reliable and faster too, but the brain on the FR-S AT must actually be quite advanced. It takes in inputs from all the subsystem/sensors from all around the car and is able to determine quite accurately what is going on and predict what should happen next. For instance hard braking with a slight turn in the steering wheel could mean X, Y, Z and probably not A, B, C. Having the car in Sport mode probably means the driver wants to get from A to B as fast as possible so the car won't shift until it can best maximize the band in engine that does this best. I am simplifying things, but there is obviously tons of data to be collected everywhere in the car. There shouldn't be a surprise that a computer can do process a lot of data better and faster than a human can. As long as things are deterministic, then I'll happily hand over the decision making over to a computer as long as I still have my fun.

I'm half joking but just a heads up to the MT devotees clinging onto old-school shifting too blindly, your MT will go by the way of the abacus before you know it. I can just hear the abacus devotees trying to convince how the feel of the abacus is better than the TI-84 (or whatever they are making now).