What do you like to drive BEST?

[gino]

I want something that works exactly like the manual...QUOTE]

Paddle shifters on the steering wheel are extremely cool. F1 cars have them because they shift faster--up or down--than a clutch and stick. F1 cars have a clutch to get the machine off the line, then it's paddles and brake pedal only.

Shifting is automatic only after a paddle is touched, otherwise the gearbox remains in the selected gear, just as it is with a clutch and stick. Downshifts are accompanied by an automatic engine blip to match gears, just as with a manual gearbox.

Drove an Alfa in Europe equipped with their system--Selespeed. Once you get used to it, there's nothing like it. Nothing shifts more quickly. Period. And, it's all manual, except for no clutch. Not needed.

 

[jnorion]

I've used the paddle shifters, and the tiptronic gear levers in the normal spot. They're better than nothing, but I really like having a clutch. I'm picky about that.

 

[gino]

I've used the paddle shifters, and the tiptronic gear levers in the normal spot. They're better than nothing, but I really like having a clutch. I'm picky about that.

Like I said earlier, paddles are very cool, but I, like you, find the absence of a clutch hard to get used to. Bud of ours bought a Bimmer Z4 with Tiptronic and still punches the floor looking for a clutch when shifting. I think, though, when you have to pull back on a stick to upshift and push forward to downshift, you have an even weirder situation going on...
(scratch)

 

[SciFiMan]

I voted for manual, but I have an auto (wife) at the moment. That being said, manual is a pain when you spend long sessions in stop and go traffic. And if you have very young kids, auto is much easier in traffic when you also need one hand to steer and one to deal with passing items back to kids, dealing with sudden messes, etc. But after they are 5 or so, they can take care of themselves and I'd switch back to manual for the fun.

 

[olddognewtrks]

Except for rare exceptions, I vote for nothing but a manual. Driving an automatic is like playing golf by shooting golf balls out of a gun, like watching porn versus sex(hump) , like... well, you get the idea. Hell, when I drive my beater backup car (with an auto) I end up watching the tach to see when it shifts, and manually downshift for the steep hill before my house (it's smoother that way). I just wish I had a six-speed in my P5! More gears, more fun!

 

[SpecM3]

I drive manual and thank God my wife drives manual too, she had to do a Internship in Latina America few years ago and had to learn stick down there.

 

[p5stockr]

my p5 is an auto and ive hated it since new, I bought it cuz I thought it would prevent me from scrweing with the car , so I could finish trying(foolishly) to restore my VW....now the bug is gone and im dyin to work on the p5, but i feel like im beatin a dead horse cuz of the tranny, I figure a cai and exhaust would help, but it just feels like im draggin anchor tryin to go fast (notcool)

 

[mazdaspeedpower]

well, I love Manual....it's so much fun. I also love the fact that I control engine speed, I feel the car more, plus if it's slippery, I can just upshift to prevent slipping too much...plus I can make it sound real good(and by this, I really mean I can use the full potential of the gear and use all the powerband)....though, in some conditions, Auto is nice(like when ur really realy really really really really tired...or your left leg is hurt), or for offroading, I don't wanna worry about gear selection that much. All in all, Manual is the only thing I will drive, less the car is good enough to deem getting if it only comes in Auto...but I'd still explore my options

 

[KpaBap]

Did you say automatics are good for offroading?

(rofl)

 

[snooky]

Someday someone will build a transmission that has a clutch, but the gear shift goes 1-2-3-4-5-R-D, and when you put it in drive then it bypasses the clutch. That's the automatic I'll buy.

man if they made that it would be sick! but for now i love drivin my 5 speed MP5, u get to know your car better, and it tells u wen it wants to be shifted into a higer gear....Auto i fall asleep at the wheel , no excitment!