Replacing the VW?

[robg]

Originally Posted by AF

That car looks really good but I have a feeling that car's time is going to be limited. If someone is interested in it they better jump on it quickly. There is a good reason why Manual's aren't readily available any longer, the majority of people just don't want them plus the automatics nowadays are excellent.

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is why they chose to pair it exclusively w/ the 2 liter turbo. At this point, anyone who wants a manual wants it for the driving experience and not to save money. So if you're going to offer it on just 1 model, why not the big engine?

Other than that, the only downside I can see w/ the Genesis is that the rear seats are unusually cramped ( I sat in 1 in the autoshow and I think my old e46 felt roomier).

[Alan]

Originally Posted by JST

Counterpoint: automatics are still terrible.

I have to disagree, I think the Automatic in my 5 series is excellent, in sports plus mode it snaps away shifts super quickly, I love the way it downshifts itself when slowing down in order to keep the transmission in the right gear.

Overall I think it is one of the best automatics ever, I cannot say the same about the Automatic in the Corvette's I drove which felt sloppy to me.

Originally Posted by robg

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is why they chose to pair it exclusively w/ the 2 liter turbo. At this point, anyone who wants a manual wants it for the driving experience and not to save money. So if you're going to offer it on just 1 model, why not the big engine?
.

I agree with you completely, if you're going to make a car for the enthusiasts give us the bigger engine.

[equ]

Originally Posted by AF

I have to disagree, I think the Automatic in my 5 series is excellent, in sports plus mode it snaps away shifts super quickly, I love the way it downshifts itself when slowing down in order to keep the transmission in the right gear.

Overall I think it is one of the best automatics ever, I cannot say the same about the Automatic in the Corvette's I drove which felt sloppy to me.

While I'm a dyed-in-the-wool manual fan, I'd say I did not see a reason to prefer Porsche's 7-speed PDK over a well tuned ZF 8-speed automatic. I don't drive large vehicles overly aggressively, banging shifts don't seem to make sense for that kind of car; and I didn't see myself falling in love with the PDK while I had it on the Macan turbo. I would have preferred manual regardless, I like the third pedal.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by robg

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is why they chose to pair it exclusively w/ the 2 liter turbo. At this point, anyone who wants a manual wants it for the driving experience and not to save money. So if you're going to offer it on just 1 model, why not the big engine?

I wonder if meeting CAFE numbers plays a role?

It seems like the automatics have higher EPA MPG numbers for many of the cars with a transmission choice for a given engine, sometimes substantially so, especially in terms of CAFE where tenths of an MPG matter.

[robg]

Originally Posted by clyde

I wonder if meeting CAFE numbers plays a role?



It seems like the automatics have higher EPA MPG numbers for many of the cars with a transmission choice for a given engine, sometimes substantially so, especially in terms of CAFE where tenths of an MPG matter.

Good point. Does CAFE calculation just assume all models from a carmaker are sold in equal volume?

[Jeff_DML]

Originally Posted by robg

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is why they chose to pair it exclusively w/ the 2 liter turbo. At this point, anyone who wants a manual wants it for the driving experience and not to save money. So if you're going to offer it on just 1 model, why not the big engine?

Other than that, the only downside I can see w/ the Genesis is that the rear seats are unusually cramped ( I sat in 1 in the autoshow and I think my old e46 felt roomier).

yeah reading that review I dont think 252hp will be enough hp for JST. Wonder if you could chip it and get decent gains but again doubt JST would want to do that.

But go drive one JST and get back to us

[Alan]

Originally Posted by equ

While I'm a dyed-in-the-wool manual fan ...

I realize I'm not one which is probably why a good automatic works for me and I'm not talking about a crappy auto but one that is quick to respond and knows what gear to be in ... I love my 911 but I don't feel that need to have a manual for everyday living. The other day I was driving and hit some traffic and I was actually thinking of this board and how you much you guys/girls love a manual. I would have been completely ok with my 5er in that traffic.

[robg]

Originally Posted by AF

I realize I'm not one which is probably why a good automatic works for me and I'm not talking about a crappy auto but one that is quick to respond and knows what gear to be in ... I love my 911 but I don't feel that need to have a manual for everyday living. The other day I was driving and hit some traffic and I was actually thinking of this board and how you much you guys/girls love a manual. I would have been completely ok with my 5er in that traffic.

Yep. For me, it was a combination of having a wife who refuses to drive a manual plus increasingly limited choices for manuals coupled with the fact that I rarely get a chance to do the type of driving where I'd crave a manual anway. I also have started to appreciate well done automatics and paddle shifters because they really have gotten better over the past 10 years. One day I will own a manual 911 though.

[JST]

My hot take is that automatics are still just as bad as they have always been. They are always in a gear that is different than the gear that I want to be in.

[Josh (PA)]

Originally Posted by JST

My hot take is that automatics are still just as bad as they have always been. They are always in a gear that is different than the gear that I want to be in.

My biggest gripe with them is initial lock up. Either they don't go at all or I over throttle them and they lurch off the line. Usually it's a very unpleasant combination of the two. For some reason I cant get behind paddles either. I start off with them, then defer to auto mode and let it shift itself. When I want to use them again I forget what side is up vs down and wind up going the wrong way. Finally, I'm a big fan of skipping gears for smoothness and coasting down in neutral, koth of which are hard to do in a dual clutch.