Auto vs. Manual

[iyamdman]

I went to buy my LGT Limited Wagon today.

 

While at the dealer, they ask if I wanted to try an Auto and a Manual back to back - just to make sure the Manual is what I wanted.

 

I did it. Ended up choosing the Manual.

 

With the Auto, in normal Auto mode - the thing had issues with hard acceleration. It was like - low guts to 2500, then the turbo reved - the trani thought Change gears? change gears? change gears? OK and the car would lunge forward.

 

Then I put it in sport mode, and shifted with the stearing wheel. Loved it. Never drove in normal auto after that.

 

Really helped smooth out the acceleration curve and made for a better drive.

 

Then I drove the Manual, right after it, and I felt like I was in a real car. Big difference.

 

I thought, the effort, always shifting with the auto, was the same effort as shifting a Manual - except your left leg worked less. Always had to think about changing gears - but the Manual was a much better feeling ride.

 

Maybe I might regret the Manual in some LA stop-n-go traffic, but I survived 8 years in Budapest traffic with a manual, so it should be no problem.

 

Treated myself to some WRX pedals just to make it even better.

 

Like the idea of shifting from the wheel. Would love to try an auto shifting manual. You do the clutch, and shift up or down with the buttons on the stearing wheel.

[Tronix]

Heh, your experience was similar to mine, only I ended up choosing the auto. It took a little while to get use to shifting on the wheel, but made my shortwork driving more aggressive. I race autoX and the last car I had was an auto. I learned to drive 2 footed so i could brake in the hard corners yet still stay on the gas to keep the revs up so I can pop out of the corners. 2 footed driving and not having to take my hands off the wheel to shift made a hell of a force to be reckoned with at the track. I was in a little FWD Celica with around 140HP spanking everything from Corvettes to WRX's. The only guys that seemed to be able to run faster had slicks (i was on street tires).

 

So I figured The wheel shift was the best of both worlds.. I can still 2 foot it, keeping my revs where i want coming out of a turn and still be able to select gears all without the interruption of letting go of the wheel.

 

Either way you go, I can't see anyone being disappointed. Subaru has made one of the best Sport Shift transmissions out there.

 

but unlike some luxury sedans, you at least are still given the option of the trans to fit your individual style or needs.

 

-Tronix(shift BEEP oops)GT

[rc0032]

 

Either way you go, I can't see anyone being disappointed. Subaru has made one of the best Sport Shift transmissions out there.

Subaru didnt make the auto tranz

[krzyss]

I survived 8 years in Budapest traffic with a manual

 

Magyar ?

[iyamdman]

Nem, de magyar ujsag kiado voltem.

 

Hard language to learn (already forgot a lot of it, no one to talk to), but the women were well worth it!!!

[sde]

better than i

 

i purchased an auto, then traded it in 5 months later for a manual. :bendover:

[Slickvic]

Iyamdman, you're right on the money with that comparison, but Tronix is also correct in that if you were to spend day-to-day driving time with the Sportshift you can really get alot of flexibility out of the car. My fiance got the auto LGT and loves it. (no intention of learning the stick no matter how much pleading. Fine, it's your money)

 

Rony let me drive his manual LGT and I was surprised that it felt like a totally different animal. Plenty of throttle response right off idle. I agree that the LGT with auto trans feels "sleepy" until 2,500 then spools up and wants to leap forward. Best auto trans launches are with quick but gradual pedal engagement. Mashing the pedal to the floor just doesnt work here.

[rony]

I stand by buying my manual... Even though I have to endure stop and go traffic on the interstate going and coming from work.

[iyamdman]

You know, I think it is just a preference.

 

I enjoy driving, and rowing the gears has it's own joy.

 

When I buy an automatic - will probably happen someday - I would only want it if it has the sport mode of driving with stearing wheel shifting.

[Guest JessterCPA]

You know, I think it is just a preference.

 

I enjoy driving, and rowing the gears has it's own joy.

 

When I buy an automatic - will probably happen someday - I would only want it if it has the sport mode of driving with stearing wheel shifting.

 

Very well said.

 

I loved having manual cars. Then this LGT with a really nice auto came out. I get 90% of the enjoyment, without most of the problems. For me, its a good comprimise.

 

Jesse

[cohenfive]

i've only driven sticks for the past 10 years but i'm lucky to live in an area where traffic is not too bad. while i'm a firm believer in the benefits of driving a stick (better control, faster, just more fun) if i lived in a heavy traffic area i would get an auto in a heartbeat...spending 90 minutes between 1st and 2nd gear is just not my idea of a good time!!

[Colonel Angus]

Either way you go, I can't see anyone being disappointed. Subaru has made one of the best Sport Shift transmissions out there.

 

 

actually, you can thank ProDrive for the auto gear box

 

i was torn between getting an auto and a stick, but it all came down to practicality. with my job, my main office may be in the city, but my daily office is wherever my client is located, and most of the time they're out in the chicago burbs. and since they're out in the burbs, most of the time i'll have to hit the highway; which means chicago traffic. stop, go, curse, rinse, repeat. the auto won by default - that, and i'm a man that loves having his options.

 

i can go full auto, auto with temporary shift control, full auto sportshift, or automanual. while the manual gearbox would give me better shift control, and a little more power to the wheels, it wouldn't save my sanity in rush hour traffic like the auto does.

 

admittingly, the next legacy i'll own, may be stick...however the aftermarket security/remote starter i have on my leggy now, wont work on a stick:(

[DKB_SATX]

Another consideration is how long you think you'll own a car. I have more trust in the simpler, more-durable mechanism of a manual transmission over the higher complexity of an automatic, especially the new electronic computer-controlled variety. I've been driving manual-shift daily drivers exclusively for 23 years or so and have never had a transmission problem (in fact I've never had to replace a clutch, even putting 140k miles on a car, though one of my VWs had some quirky clutch issues.)

 

Also, the manual shift is lighter, and in most cases less expensive.

 

DKB

[iyamdman]

Yah Mon!!

 

The price was a big issue for me. Pay $1200 extra, plus I would have not gotten it for $1250 below invoice, but only $600 - so the auto would have cost me $1800.

 

Just not worth it for me.

 

Row, row, row your Leg!!

[d.scott of suburbia]

I traded my 2001.5 Passat GLX with Auto/Tiptronic for my 2005 LGT Ltd. in manual.

 

Having dealt with the 'manumatics', there is still that 'automatic' feeling - like you don't have control of when the cluch catches or anything else. In Tiptronic mode, when you hit the redline it will automatically up-shift for you, and the same thing happens when you're riding super low revs in a gear - the auto will downshift in Tiptronic mode. Convenient, but not my idea of being in control.

 

IMHO, there's really no 'feel' to automatics with 'manumatic' shifting. I prefer manuals because you get more feedback from the car. At a touch, you can tell what gear the car is in, which you can't do with a 'manumatic' if you are uncertain. For instance, if you have the stereo on loud and cannot hear the tone of the engine too well, you may well forget that you're running in third when you could be in fourth or even fifth, if you keep an eye on the tach or the gear position indicators.

 

The point is that the 'feel' and true control of the car's gearbox is seriously comprimised. The Tiptronic just felt so 'contrived', like it was trying to convince me it was a manual when it behaved like an automatic the whole time.

 

Everyone has their preference, but personally, I'll endure riding the clutch in stop-and-go traffic and take comfort in knowing that I'm in full control the car's gearbox and clutch. Call me a 'control freak' -- it just feels better to me, that's all.

 

D.SCOTT

[redline76]

Manumatics are for fags. What's the great technological breakthrough that is leaps and bounds better than manually shifting the lever from PRND321 in every car built with a floor-mounted gear selector since 1969? Absolutely nothing, it's a marketing gimmick. Those of you who continue to use it 1 month after buying the car shoulda bought manual...you're deluding yourself into thinking it's the real thing. 90% of drivers stop playing with the buttons after the 2nd week of ownership.

 

Common arguments:

1) "I like manual, but I deal with traffic all the time, so I bought auto"

 

The clutch on the Legacy is pretty light and if you've spent any measurable time driving stick you stop noticing it after a while as it just becomes second nature.

 

2) "My wife/girlfriend/mistress/kids/dog shares the car"

 

Sucks to be you. Buy her/him/them/it a car ya skinflint!

 

3) "I'm too busy stuffing my fat face with a McTrio while talking on the phone and smacking my kids with the back of my hand to be driving stick"

 

Focus on yer driving, silly rabbit

 

Bottom line: Driving manual is an art that happens to give better better driver feedback and control. Driving a manual also happens to be way more engaging and fun, not to mention more fuel efficient and cheaper to purchase. Yes, it takes more work on the driver's part but you participate on this forum because you like to drive, right?

 

[melayout]

Better resale, MUAHAHAH and the dealer is less likely to claim abuse if you have any transmission problems, DOUBLE WAMMY in your face.

 

Consistent ETs and for some better to have the SO's approval else no car at all. QUADRUPLE wammy.:D:lol::lol:

 

You've got Stinky Stink, still I would have gotten the manual if I test drove it. I guess it's fate, with my lead foot and multitude of tickets not having the manual is probably a Good Thing .

[redline76]

Better resale in terms of speed or price? Yes, autos will sell quicker but I suspect the difference in price will be inconsequential as there are buyers who would rather buy a manual. -No whammy.

 

Transmission problems? Yes, if you're 21, you've done a ton of mods, you're dropping the clutch at 5000 to get a good launch and you lose a couple of gears, you're an idiot. Abusing the car, breaking it, and crying to the dealer that it's the manufacturer's fault is for WRX owners. Manulas are far less likely to develop problems down the road unless abused-no whammy my friend.

 

Consistent ETs? If I had a 9 second dedicated drag car (don't know why I would want one), sure I see your point, but otherwise buying a car with auto just so you can have consistent 15+ second passes in your family sedan/wagon is sad. Find a new car, or better yet, a new "sport". :)

 

Sig. other? Dump her. Trade up to someone more adventurous.

[melayout]

Heh. I Keed.

 

My main thing for choosing the Auto was the bad stories about the manuals on the WRX and since this was my first time getting a car I didn't want to take a chance, you know what I mean. But next time I'm in the market, I'll go for teh manual.

 

I hope your transmission lasts forever, cause I would hate to be wrong.

[Bretm1]

Manumatics are for fags

 

 

Lot of fags out there. Mom, Dad, Sis, Uncle Joe, Mike Schumacher , Big Daddy Don Garlits and probably even your father. Don't give up your day job as chief of absolutely idiotic logic.

[melayout]

You forgot the designers and owners of the Ferrari F430, which only comes with a Tiptronic.

[Bretm1]

http://www.terra.com/autos/especiales/ferrari/img/fotos/f43001.jpg

 

Otras de las novedades destacables del F430 son dos incorporaciones tecnológicas directamente importadas de los F1; una es el diferencial electrónico, que en este modelo monta en el eje trasero, que además es el de tracción del vehículo. La otra novedad es el denominado 'steering wheel-mounted switch' (un mando situado en el volante), conocido en la Fórmula 1 como 'manettino'.

 

Esto le permite acelerar de 0 a 60mph en menos de 4 segundos, y alcanzar una velocidad máxima de 315km/h

 

Malte Fagumatico

[924 turbo]

Does anyone have links to tests for both trannies? I have only seen tests for the MT. Are there any out there for the auto? BMW makes a very efficent manumatic, no one else seems to be able to. On my folks Z3 it only looses .1 seconds on the manual. God I love that car. MMMMM

[IwannaSportSedan]

Did you guys forget that the Ferrari system is actually a MANUAL TRANSMISSION, that is being controlled by a computer?

 

It has a clutch, and it has a mechanical shift pattern. (and the e-gear diff and the red steering wheel switch is hella-cool) It is lacking two things, a fluid-driven torque converter, and a hydraulic shifting system.

 

Just because there is no clutch pedal under the driver's left foot, does not necessarily mean it is an automatic. A clutch-based electronically controlled sequential manual, or manual-derived DSG-type trans would be the only "automatically shifted" trans I would have in a sporting car. Otherwise, and most of the time, it is all H-pattern and left leg excercise for me.

 

Plus, I believe the 6MT will be offered on the 430, as well, even if it isn't being built in the first batch of manufacturing (likely due to ferrari's estimation of demand.)

 

I can't abide by torque converters or FWD torque steer getting in the way when I am trying to drive, as upposed to just operating a vehicle. Like my truck, I don't really care that it has a 5AT. I wouldn't buy a performance oriented vehicle with one. Luckily my wife drives a stick as much as I do.

[iyamdman]

You know, Auto or Manual it is all good for the right person.

 

I am happy just to have a great new car.

 

The manual has a very nice clutch, the shifting is a little rubbery and not as fluid as I would like - but much better than any other stick I have rowed.

 

Wonder what the short shift feels like...?