The recent thread re. Cruise Control discussed that the 2.2L has a hard time keeping a steady highway speed on hills.

 

How about with the 2.5L engine?

We have a 2.2 and a 2.5, both with AT and cruise control. I find that they shift at almost the same point on the Whitefish grade going home from work in Kalispell.

 

I can't give you RPM comparisons 'cause the 2.5 is a Brighton. The only place I really notice any difference is in passing.

I haven't noticed any unecessary amount of shifting in cruise with my 2.5L.

Distance Commuter,

 

Depending on the car and the motor, every situation will be different when it comes to hill climbing using cruise at the same time. Three of my cars have cruise, but where I live in Southern Ontario, Canada, it is sooooo flat, that the only hills are overpasses on the highways. My wife's Lexus and my 300ZX have enough ponies under the hood, that there usually is no tranny downshifting needed to get up and over. The 02 OBW (auto) will downshift one, and then 2 gears if necessary, just because it just doesn't have enough oomph like the other 2 cars. But in all three cars, as I get into a hill, I add my foot pressure to the accelerator to help the cruise out to the top of the hill and then remove it. It invariably will make the drive much smoother, because it doesn't let the revs drop back too far, causing the downshifts, or make them as abrupt when it does shift down.

Likewise, before I turn the cruise off, I take up the pedal pressure with my foot on the accelerator, then hit the button. You don't get that jerk in the driveline that way. Call me old fashioned, call me anal attentive, but it works for me, and makes my driving experience much more rewarding.