Autoblog

PORSCHE CANNOT STOP BUILDING MANUALS.

Blasphemy.

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It not boring, but I would trade for a 4.0sec 0-60 and shift myself with a clutch. Personal preference. If I owned a Porsche I dont think I would give a %$#@ about a minor MPG difference between a standard and dual clutch system. What does work out o a few hundred bucks a year, at the very most? If it is b/c of the CO2 and the enviroment I was worried about I doubt I would even be in the Porsche store looking at a extra car as a toy.

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I meant to respond to you, forgot to hit 'Reply;' please see below.

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So you see no difference between riding a rollercoaster and driving a car? If going fast quickly is your only criteria for fun this example is not so outlandish.

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Yes, and 30 years from now, we may have GPS-guided cars that safely and efficiently drive themselves from location to location. That would represent progress in one sense (decreased traffic, reduced emissions, etc.), but's it would also represent regression (reduced freedom and driving enjoyment).

The quality of our interactions with automobiles should not be overlooked just because enjoyment can't be quantified in a 0-60 time or MPG rating. I'll drive a manual as long as I can!

-SimianSpeedster

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I think it's time auto was scarce imo. All cars should come with a manual and have two options/types: normal stick or smt controlled by paddles.

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RE: rypt

All Cars? Who the hell would want a S600, Phantom or Maybach 62 with manual? That would be goofy.

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I've been living in Denmark for a year or so and I love the fact that 95% of cars here are manual. They do it to save money, and because they really don't care for Autoboxes. Most of Western Europe is like this. Although, in richer places like Switzerland, Hannover, Hamburg, the ratio is a little different. The Europeans are still way ahead of us (the U.S.) when it comes to the more enjoyable, and cheaper, 6-speed transmission :)

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Eddie, ok fine maybe not in those, but I wouldn't want one in the first place, unless I have someone else to drive me in one.

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You need to sort of reframe how you think about the malaise years of the 70's and early 80's, and government intervention in the auto industry. Forcing the automakers to deal with emissions and safety caused them to come up with _amazing_ technology. Yes, for a few years things were really bad, but eventually things got way better: modern fuel injection, improved aerodynamics, 100K mile reliability on motors, seat belts, airbags, stability control, etc. I, for one, am glad I don't have to fiddle with carbs or adjust valves every few thousand miles.

In this case, I suspect we'll see MUCH better Porsches emerging as a result of these efforts. How do you maintain performance while lowering emissions? You build a much lighter car with a more efficient engine. Smaller, lighter Porsches are always a good thing, IMO. :)

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wow, well said Patrick

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I see your point, but it is just a matter of taste. I personally grown out of having a manual in a car. It just becomes too much of a hassle after a while. Especially if you don't just take it out to the open road. That's why those manual guys hate my sequential manual gearbox. For that connection with a machine I ride my motorcycle. Not to mention manual in bikes are still faster :P

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I understand you completely. There will always be people who want the rewarding feeling of driving stick in a car, but sometimes, I just don't feel like doing it myself, I just want a smooth ride from point A to point B. I still think I'll always have one car that's a manual myself, because I find just driving, as well as the techniques enjoyable and rewarding (heel-and-toe, left foot braking, etc.). However, not having to do things yourself can sometimes feel like a luxury, this I understand.

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who are you fooling. because you depressed your left foot once or three times, you think you moved yourself quickly?

ATTENTION: couch potato logic at work here.

try getting up and running. THAT is moving yourself.
what you are talking about is ccordinating the actions of 4 appendages instead of three to direct a 2 ton piece of machinery to do thy bidding, requiring a minimum of physical effort from you the driver.

and dont by any stretch misinterpret my comments, I love a clutch so I can determine the torque amount when I am on the back country roads but to have to engage the clutch myself, meh, its nice but then the other 90% of the time I am in traffic stuck constantly shifting between two gears because the person in front of me is geared differently and sitting in their sweet spot.

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Relax, it's relative in this context. Driving a manual is relatively more involving and therefore rewarding in some situations, I didn't say it was the be-all end-all reason for being alive. The pleasure from doing your own shift and clutch work isn't superficial as you imply, because the driver is physically connected to integral parts of the car, and is even integral to the car's function himself, more so than in a non-manual (auto shifting manual or fully automatic). Much of the pleasure is derived from the feeling that the driver and the car are working together to achieve something, rather than the car simply responding to input.

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