Autoblog

Acura is again tossing enthusiasts a bone with a new six-speed manual transmission option for their 2010 Acura TL SH-AWD model. While the 2009 model is only available with a five-speed automatic with paddle shifters, next year will mark the return of the stick shift -- and the first time Acura has paired their SH-AWD with a manual transmission. The six-speed is all-new, and stronger than the manual last used in the 2008 model. It features a more rigid aluminum case and heavy-duty internals. New gear synchronizers improve accuracy while a standard short-throw shifter improves feel. In addition to the six-speed manual, the TL SH-AWD receives "Hill Start Assistant" to hold the vehicle on hills during a start, and special enthusiast-oriented suspension tuning for flatter cornering. The manual transmission also comes with stiffer engine and transmission bushings, heavy-duty front driveshafts, and stronger CV joints. Best of all, the manual transmission weighs 88 lbs. less than the automatic, moving the TL's weight distribution even further rearward.

[Source: Honda]

Last week, we linked to a CarDomain piece about a lunch that gang had with GM's Bob Lutz. One of their topics of conversation with the product czar was manual transmissions, and it was reported that the '09 Pontiac G8 GT would be offered with an optional Tremec 6-speed manual transmission. This was certainly welcome news, both to us and readers. Unfortunately, it turns out that this information was, in fact, too good to be true. Pontiac's Jim Hopson dropped us a note this morning to clarify. In it, he writes, "We currently have no plans to offer the Tremec on any other G8 model (including the GT mentioned in the article), although it might be an option we could consider in the future." That's a bummer, and there you have it: The only way you'll be able to get a manual in the Pontiac G8 is if you pony up for the über-caliente GXP performance variant when it arrives later this year. Jim's email, in its entirety, is pasted after the jump.


[Source: Pontiac]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Pontiac G8 GT

CarDomain recently sat for lunch with GM car czar Bob Lutz, and one of the topics that came up was the ever-vanishing manual transmission. Lutz explained that modern automatics are no longer the less efficient option by default, and with CAFE dictating so much nowadays, carmakers can actually improve their fleet average fuel economy more by going with automatics that can be programmed to deliver maximum efficiency (as far as the EPA is concerned, at least). He then went on to state that there will be manuals available in both the Camaro and the 2009 Pontiac G8 GT, which gets a 6-speed unit from Tremec. So if you waited on Poncho's new muscle sedan, your patience will be rewarded. Of course, your patience will also got you a price increase too, but at least those dopey digital auxiliary gauges will be gone, as well.


[Source: CarDomain]

It's not for us, but Volkswagen's moving ahead steadily with readying their new coupe. Heading a car for the showroom means that all the ancillary materials need to be created, too. They're likely shooting pictures of some preproduction model in an exotic locale as we write this, and the mundane things like owner's manuals need to get done so they can be lovingly tucked into gloveboxes. Some quick thinking with a digital camera has netted the interweb some closeups of a Scirocco's instruction booklet, which coincidentally carries closeups of an uncamoflaged Scirocco. The shots are small, out of focus, and not terribly informative, so we studied them for hours, naturally. You can see the final shape of the headlamp and down the flank, some fuzzy images of the interior and details like the rims, HVAC controls, and switchgear. We wish there was a shot or two of the rear, but at least we now know that the headlights are going to have an underbite that reminds us of the early '70s 412.

[Source: LLN]

On the eve of what could be the revival of GM's "Excitement" division, it comes to light that the new Pontiac G8 will make the trek from Down Under sans stick. For whatever reason, General Motors has decided to offer the G8 – one of its sportiest and most potentially enthusiast-pleasing models – with only an automatic at launch. Granted, it's the General's six-speed slushbox with paddle shifters, but for those of you who prefer to row your own and have a down payment in hand, you'll have to wait until late 2008.

So you say to yourself, "Self, I'd prefer the 256 hp, 3.6-liter V6 in the base model. It'll save some weight and Chevron can only extort so much from me when I hit the pump." Wrong again. The base model will also come with same 6T70 six-speed auto, although the same motor mounted in the new Cadillac CTS has an available manual option. Befuddled? We are too.

[UPDATE: Yeah, this is old and it was late when we wrote it. Our apologies.]

[Source: Inside Line]

Driving a manual shift automobile is a bit like riding a bike in that most people only have to learn once. For two young men, learning how to drive a car the old-fashioned way never happened at all. As a result, when they tried to carjack a ride with a manual tranny, they didn't know what to do with the mysterious third pedal or the wiggly stick. When faced with this situation, most people would throw in the towel and find a victim with an automatic, but the mother of 18 year-old Joshua Johnson didn't raise a quitter. Johnson and his juvenile cohort tried in vain for several minutes to start the car before deciding to run. By then, however, the police were within arm's reach, and the two boneheads were caught. Since a firearm was involved in the crime, Johnson is facing a lengthy stay behind bars. We don't think they have driver's training in most jails, so that lesson will have to wait a long time.

[Source: 11 Live]

Thanks for the tip, Phil!

It looks like the dual-clutch preselector transmission is emerging as the leader in automated manuals. Volkswagen's DSG has been around a while and offers fewer compromises than less purpose-built manuals. Ford's champing at the bit to get their own trick DSG-like transmission into production, and it looks like we'll see such a unit drop soon with the PowerShift moniker. Gearbox maker Getrag has several different variations on the theme, and word is they'll start off in PAG brand like Volvo first and then trickle down to other Fords as a premium option. Volvo is a logical entry point, as the marque's S40 T5 can be mentioned in the same breath as the A3 without the entire room snickering.

The core engineering seems to be essentially the same, with the packaging, max ratio spread and durability of the innards varying among the different configurations. Applications cover the various vehicle architectures of FR, FF, and MR, plus AWD, though we're not sure if the center differential is a seperate unit or integral to the trans. They're mostly six-speeds, although there is a seven-speed version with triple cone synchronizers and a max torque capacity of 750Nm. The exciting thing is that these transmissions reportedly have Job 1 dates in 2007, so we should see the debut soon in something. Europe will likely get them first in the diesel S40/V50s. There's a version rumored to be destined for the Fiesta, which is destined here, so before long, we may all be revelling in the perfectly executed blip-blip downshift as we clip the apex and get back on the power to exit fast while behind the wheel of a Ford vehicle.

[Source: GM Inside News]

When Automobile got their paws on a six-speed manual version of the M5, they were none too pleased that BMW's engineers wouldn't allow drivers to fully disable the traction control. At the time, we assumed that BMW's legal boffins pictured overly enthusiastic Americans, stomping the go pedal and promptly winding up in a ditch.

Not so, according to Car. The magazine learned that the M division had no way of controlling clutch plate actuation, which would normally quell the axle tramp caused by the V10's prodigious power delivery. Acceleration times would rise and drivetrain components' lifetimes would fall. Hence, the only conceivable solution was to make the DSC a permanent fixture within the Bimmer's brain.

Still, you can partly disable the system in M Dynamic mode within iDrive (if you dare), but that may not be enough for those who want to test the limits of adhesion of the 285s in the rear.

[Source: Car]

click above image to view high-resolution gallery, now with 17 live shots

It's been a long three weeks since Ford officially announced that the Interceptor concept would be debuting at the Detroit Auto Show, but the big, blocky sedan finally rolled onstage in Cobo Arena to an introduction by Ford design chief J Mays. Much was made of squircles and Super Chief design influences, but Mays also nodded toward the heart and soul of the concept - an E85-compatible Cammer 5.0L V8 and 6-speed manual gearbox, with a good ol'-fashioned short-throw shifter.

FoMoCo then announced that it had finally woken up, realized what it means to be a truly American car company, and stated that it was making a Bold Move by immediately authorizing the Interceptor for production... oh, wait, that was the dream we had while nodding during the Focus intro. Rather, no plans for the Interceptor's future were mentioned, and the Interceptor was quietly chased off the stage by the next vehicle in Ford's procession.

Yeah, the styling is a bit derivitive, and the interior is dark and weird, and the door handles don't work well at all, but we don't think any of that would matter much if Ford would bring to its showrooms a RWD sedan with an honest 400 hp and a row-your-own trans.

Click here to see the 17 new live shots of the Ford Interceptor we added to our gallery.



For our comprehensive listing of everything from Detroit, click here.

When BMW opted to only make the M5 available with a seven-speed SMG gearbox, the hue and cry from U.S. purists was heard across the ocean. For 2007, BMW has finally decided to appease American customers by equipping the 500 HP uber-saloon with a six-speed manual, much to the apparent disgust of Gerhard Richter, the development chief of the M division.

Automobile magazine got their hands on the manual version of the M5 and seem to have come away with the opinion that it's better, but still not as good as it should be.

Aside from the fact that the manual cog swapper slows forward momentum of the V10-powered sedan, BMW also decided to nix the ability to completely disable the traction control. This decision, surely on the part of BMW's legal wonks, will likely cause another up swell of consumer complaints.

Overall, the reviewer thought that the action of the clutch and shift linkage was up to BMW standards, but in the end, the two words that stuck with us after reading the review were, "even clumsier."

[Source: Automobile]