Unless you are going to do a lot of autox and track events, go with the auto/stik. The best of both worlds. Manuals are stone age technology, right up there with handcrank starters and carberators.

 

Dr. Pepper, i already ordered my car! It's in production already! I got the Manual!! I have decided to give my left leg a workout...traffic will always be there, or i might work closer to home in the future! who knows! i've always wanted to drive a manual and what perfect car to drive in!

 

Oh, you couldn't be more wrong.

The only automatic systems that truly compete with a modern manual transmission are VW/Audi's DSG system, or the professional ones used in race cars. BMW's SMG design is also an improvement... but the point is that only new, advanced designs like those eliminate the lag/delay inherent in all traditional "slushbox" style fluid automatic designs.

That's the number one issue that I and most other manual tranny fans have with most automatics. The delay is very frustrating when you want to shift right now and you still wait on the car to hurry up and do it.

Aside from that, traditional "slushbox" automatics sap much more power than manual transmissions do.

In automatic mode, they are even worse for performance driving, because of the lag... push the pedal to go faster... and wait and wait and wait for the darn thing to decide to downshift on its own. Blech. And don't get me started on when the car overrides your decision. I tell it to upshift NOW... or downshift NOW... and sometimes the computer says "NO! I won't do that". Or it shifts when I don't want it to and didn't ask, even in "manual mode!"

Guess what kind of automatics are present in MINIs? The BMW SMG one? Nope... MINIs get the same, tired, old-school, traditional slushboxes. Yuck. Sorry... no comparison... manual control is far superior for those of us who are looking for a sporty experience and know what the heck to do with them.

Tell me - can you drive a manual? And I don't just mean "I can do it when I have to", but do you have lots of experience with a manual?

In my opinion, the only benefit of automatics are for driving in heavy traffic. And if you are buying an auto as a daily commuter, that might be an overriding factor. But when it comes to the sport factor away from the crowds, the automatics simply don't measure up, after you get past the learning curve.

Am I going to criticize someone else's decision for choosing an automatic? No. We all have our reasons. But to say that the manual is inferior is a ridiculous statement that I absolutely will challenge!

 

let me begin by saying that i'm not a street racer but i like to put the peddle down once in a while....

i used to drive manuals when i was younger but now with the tiptronic style shifting on these newer vehicles, i feel i have the best of both worlds. my g35 coupe is also auto with tiptronic shifting and that thing moves just fine

 

i drive a 2006 S all over the San Francisco Bay Area. This region has notoriusly heavy traffic and even gridlock. My automobile is a manual. It is not a problem. I have had manual transmissions all of my life. Not having one is not true driving.

 

... and clutch engaging and low RPM idle is so smooth with all the manual MINIs with no lugging. You can coast in first and second and re-accelerate without any jerkyness. My wife's impreza drives me crazy it jerks you back engaging first and start lugging and pitching fwd at less than 1000 rpms.

 

Once DSG trickles into the mainstream, the days of manuals will be numbered. DSG can simply shift faster than any human and the ppl who are about quicker acceleration will dump manuals. Of course, some people may still prefer a clutch and shift rather than the paddles but as the years go by, the shift will be inevitable.

 

I don't disagree with that, Art. That isn't the point. Dr. Pepper was making the comparison now, with regards to the MINI.

You're redirecting the argument... when I already accommodated your point in my last post.

 

That wasn't the intention. I agree the manual in a MINI is far better than any auto.

 

Thank you, I would have appreciated you stating your agreement in your last post, instead of (or in addition to) trying to prove a separate point.