Honda Civic Automatic Transmission

I have owned 2 Civics within recent years and generally like them.I am
one of those people that prefers an automatic
transmission.However,something in a lot of vehicles particularly Honda
Civics I find to be a disturbing trend.
Why is it that they are manufacturing auto transmissions without an
operator addressable first gear? I can think of a couple of situations
where you would actually need it.One,is where you would use it for
downhill braking on very steep hills (I live in an area that has
one).Second gear just does not cut it very well for that purpose.Second
situation is in passing.There have been numerous times when in a PASSING
situation the accelerator transition to first gear (passing gear) does
not kick in despite my best efforts.Especially as the car ages.In cars
manufactured 10 or more years ago in such situations I just force it
into first gear for the extra pickup in speed.I would hate to be without
this ability in such situations so I avoid passing and grit my teeth
when confronted by a "dawdler".(Someone who persists in driving 15 mph
UNDER the speed limit).
Again,what is the rationale behind this? D3 is totally useless to me as
I never use it.This to me is a major Honda annoyance.

 

red line in 1st is about 35mph. you're talking some /really/ slow passing.

if you're in d3 or d4, [NOT d2!], your motor is properly tuned, and the
transmission properly adjusted, it /will/ give you first on w.o.t. [wide
open throttle] if you're doing less than 25mph. there is no reason to
have a user over-ride - it's more likely to cause damage than anything.

if you're complaing that it won't drop to 1st from d2, that's because
it's not supposed to! traction in snow or ice requires a higher gear
start, so d2 stays in d2 and won't drop to d1.