On the eve of my Labor Day Monday, I was reading about the revised Audi TTS in Automobile Magazine. They make mention of their revolutionary DSG transmission design, but nowhere is there mention of a manual transmission, with an actual clutch and gear selector.
This troubles me. I am also troubled that only 10% of new Ferrari’s sold today are built with a manual. I grew up thinking that there was no greater gift in the world of autos than to guide that shift knob through that gorgeous chromed gated shifter. I am a Formula 1 race fan, and I see the appeal of driving a production Ferrari like a race car. But to me..you are driving an automatic.
My Dad, an Infiniti fan, bought a G35 Coupe from a postcard he got in the mail. I drive the car. Remarkable engine. An automatic, I got to shift it myself, but it did nothing for me, so I left it in total Auto. Bored the crap out of me.
I love a true manual. It is the ultimate in driver involvement, in my opinion. I have two cars. My daily driver is a 2007 Honda Civic Si 4-door. My family car. This is one seriously slick gearbox, and even people who hate Honda’s will admit they have utterly fantastic clutch’s and tranny’s.
My other car is a 1976 Porsche 911S. Porsche fans will note this is not a G-50 transmission. To those of you who are not in the know, this means that in comparison to my Honda, shifting my Porsche is akin to shifting a farm tractor. But I get a lot of satisfaction from making a good shift. It is not as easy as the Honda, but the allure of the 911 is that it is not a simple car to drive, but a rewarding one when you do it well.
My question to you, Garage reader’s, is what would you rather have? A paddle shift, a computer that can process gear changes far faster than you could ever hope to manually? Or do you crave the attention, the involvement that a manual gearbox requires? Even if it means a slightly slower car?
11 comments ↓
Years and many cars ago I swore, SWORE, SWORE WITH ALL MY MIGHT!!!!, that I would never get an automatic again ….. that was before I took a job where i had to fight rush hour traffic. Then it was bye-bye RX-8 with the manual and the rotary. But I got what was probably one of the best alternatives if you don’t want to row-your-own … VW’s DSG in an R32. I can now live with that decision. But I’ll be back someday.
For me, it’s manual all the way. I just prefer to be more connected with the car and it is more satisfying to execute the perfect shift than to let the car shift itself.
Manumatic type devices similar to Scott’s R32 are fine for sports cars and really good ones are even pretty sweet for track days, but…
Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed that designers are putting a manual shift mode in just about everything that sports and auto tranny. Sorry folks, but I just don’t see the need or purpose for a manual shift mode on a minivan or an SUV.
Oh yeah…Scott, somehow I don’t see your home town having anywhere near the traffic we have up here in Toronto! Suck it up buttercup
The first car I ever bought with a paddle shifter was when Totoya Racing Deveopment designed their new Celica. I gave it to Will for high school when he wasn’t driving his 68 Stang but a few trips over Blood Alley to Santa Cruz and Wll found the limits of bith the transmission as well as the engine. Boy was Toyota unhappy to see that car again. LOL.
Unless you are reliving a chase scene from Bullit on the hills of San Francisco your feelings with regards to an auto would change when spending the day in San Francisco. But any place else, for me, a car without a clutch if like a beach without sand.
I agree with you completely. I’ve driven cars with manumatics and don’t see the appeal. My daily driver is also a Honda Civic. Mine’s a ‘97 with a 5-speed, and I don’t mind it one bit as I crawl along in Houston traffic for 25+ miles each way. I love being in complete control of my car and find that having to shift keeps my full attention on driving.
Daily driver is manual, but after a few 2 hour winter trips to work, the next one will be an auto.
The weekend GT6 is a 5 speed manual. So I’m good both ways.
A.
BTW, my daily driver might be a far cry from what most of you get to play with, but I guess I can’t complain too hard.
http://www.gt6.ca/08/0427/slides/DSCN3511.JPG
She’s served me well over the past 4 years and still puts a big smile on my face when ever I have a chance to wind out the 2L turbo. (Every morning, specially when its cool and dense.)
An automatic works very well in a commuter/daily driver application.
The paddle manumatic transmissions appeal to the folks that want to use their cars on the track, which is the reason these transmissions came about in the first place.
An old school manual with a clutch pedal…is totally cool but with less appeal then years ago.
The daily driver is often into “appliance territory” where a CVT will do, especially that the driver is focused on multi tasking and not driving.
Andre, the mspeed is a fave here. One of my buddies drives one and my wife drives a P5. Great little cars, I just wish they had done a speed version of the 5.
I’ve refused to test the MS3 based on the sheer fact I might like the extra ponies way too much.
Love my MSP, the right colour, the right deal and was right price. I guess back in 04 they were having some issues getting rid of the yellow ones. So I made like a bandit, well as far as I was concerned.
I would have no problem with paddle shift, but the fact that auto designers now a days are dismissing the manual shift is absurd. Where is the sense of control in a paddle shift car that you get with a manual shifter… The feeling you get when you drop the shifter into gear, release of the cluth and hitting the gas.
Paddle shifting seem like an automatic on steriods, feeding all those lazy people out there and doing nothing for those who need to feel in control of everything in their lives, including their automobiles.
I’ve been wanting a Lexus IS350 with 306 horse power, but it has pattle shifting in 2008 - 2009 models and it was a complete let down. In order to have my beloved manual shifter, I have to settle for the IS250 which only has 204 horse power and cost about 5,000 less. Therefore, I am no longer getting the lexus because of a small detail such as the pattle shift. I then had my eye on the Nissan GT-R, but that was a short look because it to is pattle shifting.
For all that I might aswell just pick-up an automatic or just get an xbox. I don’t want to play a video game, I want to operate an automobile and enjoy the experience. Pattle shifting just seems to take all the fun out of it! For 30 to $40,000 I should get a choice, if they don’t want to mass produce the manual shift, then for those that still enjoy the experience of a manual shift should be able to put in a custom order, still allowing their to be a choice and making the customer happy, because at the end of the day that is the most important thing in business!
Hi,
Manual shift is more efficient. People should read this article.
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