6 speeds automatic trans.

Our new 2008 T/C van has a automatic with 6 speeds. Why would a person
shift it manually?

 

I can't speak for having this capability in a minivan, but do know that the
"auto-stick", which allowed manual shifts of the electronically controlled
4-speed automatic transmission on my 1996 Eagle Vision TSI, was a wonderful
feature. I used it regularly every winter to compensate for the low 1st
gear and high torque engine which used to result in simply spinning the
wheels whenever trying to start from a dead stop on snow/glare ice. By
starting in 2nd or even 3rd gear, I was able to simply pull away (rather
slowly) without spinning or sliding on ice.

Other than this application, I also occasionally used the manual gear
control to downshift into lower gears and provide some engine braking when
descending steep declines.

Hope this is what you were looking for from your question.

Bob

 

When climbing a twisty mountain road, I dropped my trans from "D" into "3"
to prevent it from shifting up into overdrive every time I lifted my foot
off the gas for another hairpin turn. When the slope got steep enough, I
even put it into "2". The reason for a shift selector on an automatic is to
be able to override it for particular needs or performance.

 

Also, if you're slowing because, say, the car in front of you is
turning, you can downshift and be in a lower gear for acceleration
before putting your foot back on the accelerator, and thus before the
tranny will downshift on its own. That's what I used to use mine for
primarily.

 

Same reason you'd shift a 1969 3-speed automatic manually from time to
time- in situations where you need more control.

Driving down a mountain road to utilize engine braking rather than wear
out the brakes. Driving up a mountain road to minimize "hunting" between
gears. Holding it in a lower gear as you approach a freeway onramp so
that you can jump in to traffic at maximum acceleration without waiting
for the transmission to figure out that it needs to downshift. Starting
up on an icy road in 2nd gear so that you minimize wheelspin. Etc. etc.
etc. etc.