OK, I have driven the car a little more and here is what it does:

1. On the 1-2 shift in auto mode, the car will slightly rev at the shift. No, it is not slipping. It's doing what is called a flare. The engine revs a tiny bit then shifts. It also does it ever so slightly on the 2-3 shift. This is at light throttle ONLY.

2. If you put the car in manual mode, it shifts nearly perfect at light throttle. Shifts are perfect at moderate to WOT.

I suspect a sticking valve or solenoid. I have read there is a solenoid that controls the quality of the shift. I am pretty sure this is the one I need to be looking at. However, I'm curious if there is a way to troubleshoot the solenoid or simply remove and clean by flowing something through it. The solenoid is pretty expensive (around $200) so I'd rather KNOW that's the problem rather than throwing parts at it.

Anyone else have this issue?