Well apparently the Automatic vs Manual Debate is converting some Purists. After reading this article I can only hope Chevrolet employs an Automatic thats as nice as in the BMW.

I converted from purely Manual cars after realizing paddle shift would you let you hit the rev limiter just like a stick (full control) However, The 6 Speed Auto in the Vette feels like a 'first generation' system.

Interesting note about this Article is it says Corvette owners will probably never change. So a Manual will be around forever even if the Technology makes them Faster etc.

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/artic...umentid=656470

 

Well to each their own but for me I love the manual for many reasons and to me it is just way more fun to drive. For those who want the auto, I have nothing negative to say, it really is a personal choice.

 

I have the Auto but Miss the Manual... Not that I regret my choice...

I'm just hoping they increase technology to the point that I dont miss the Manual!! I'm not Familiar with the BMW system but it sounds like the Pinnacle of Automatics.

 

They can have my stick when they pry it from my cold dead hand.
Seriously, the manual in my Corvette just adds to the whole experience for me. I could care less how great they make the automatics, I don't think I would ever consider one in a Corvette unless there were some physical impairment or something that necessitated it.
I learned how to drive on a manual tranny car about forty years ago.
On the other hand, my wife wishes the Corvette were an automatic because she can't drive a stick. You would be surprised at how many guys I know that can't drive one either. They learned how to drive in an automatic car and never found the need to learn how to drive a stick. I'm sure that this is a factor in the decision to go with an automatic for a percentage of Corvette buyers.

 

Interesting that the A6 is even more popular in the vert, 75% vs. 67% overall.

It is possible to catch the A6 out, but when we were in the twisties in the mountains of western Virginia I was amazed at how well the A6 worked just leaving it in D. The roads were too twisty to use a lot of power, but the tranny, downshifting or upshifting every few seconds, was perfectly seamless. The only way to tell it had shifted was the change in the engine note.

 

Had a manual but traded in the 99 for a new 08 auto so the wife could drive it.
Always thought if you are going to own a Corvette it must be a manual.
Sure like the new 08 auto with paddle shift. Nice around town in traffice with the auto.
When and if I get the urge to drive a maunal.
I am very blessed with also having a 71 Roadster which is a 4 speed and the only way to go.

 

All of my cars have been auto until I purchased the Vette. It is a manual and is much more fun to drive. The 6 speed autos are much better than the old 4 speeds, but there is still something missing with full control over the car.

 

I am a die hard manual guy. I learned on a 70 Dodge pickup with 3 on the tree (which paid off in Italy when I had to drive a Fiat van with 5 on the tree). I hate driving.....period. However, driving the Vette with a stick and clutch makes even stop and go traffic much more enjoyable than driving my Avalanche. Now, with saying that, I don't fully understand the paddle shift. My guess is that instead of a stick and clutch you can manually control gear shifts by pressing the buttons up and down. Can you engine break like you do on a stick (please, no discussion on the harms of engine breaking. Been there done that, no problems). How do you know what gear you are in in paddle shift? Please PM me a short dirty if it is out of the realm of this post. By the way, my biggest reason for driving a manual......it keeps the wife out of the drivers seat. I really need to drive the paddle shift to appreciate it I guess.

 

Regarding the Paddle shift and keep in mind I believe its NOT cutting edge tech.

You have hand pulls to downshift and buttons on top of the wheel to upshift.

All is easily used as long as you keep your hands at 3 and 9. Even while turning.

The Car has a transmission mode called "S" which when shifted into allows the paddles to activate with your first pull or push of the buttons. When you activate paddle shift you get the Gear your in on the HUD. You can engine brake but literally its like doing it in a manual and releasing the clutch all the way.. You will get pushed forward.

The Paddles for everyday use are great going from 1st-6th. The Car will automatically downshift to prevent you lugging the engine. It wont automatically Upshift and will hit the rev limiter. Once again if you force it to downshift you will get shift shock.

In full acceleration runs you shift about a 1/2 second before you want the car to shift so you dont hit the rev limiter. This is where a Manual is different.

Also getting use to paddles is tough at first. The Good part is you dont have to think about downshifting. (Going from 65 to 0 - You will goto 2nd gear automatically) This prevents starts from 6th gear lol.

I'm wondering what that BMW system is like. Currently owning an A6 I miss the Manual but am glad I have the auto. I want a system so advanced (BMW?) that I dont miss the manual... Possible?

 

I have a 09 A6 and it is beyond incredible. I have had sticks but will never go back. It is like switching from black & white TV to color. We all know the auto is faster. It just took some time for me to see the light. And the paddle shifters are incredible. My sister has the BMW with the paddle type. It really is not all that much better if at all.

 

The paddle shifting A6 is my first auto vette. I bought it because traffic is a PITA with a stick and my wife would not drive the 6 speeds in my C4 or my C5.

After 4000 miles in the '08, I can say my next Vette will once again be a stick. I'm not a fan of the slush box. The shifts are sloppy and it occasionally seems to hunt for the gear. It's easier to drive in traffic, but it doesn't feel like a Corvette should. It might as well be a Caddy.

 

This is like debating colors or options. It just depends on what you're looking for in the car.

Like others here have already said, it's all about feel and fun. If you enjoy shifting, no automatic will ever replace a manual transmission. I drive an automatic in my family car but, for me, my sports cars will always have a manual.

 

I learned to drive performance cars on a 68 Camaro SS396 with a Muncie M21 4 speed.

All the things that people complain about on this and other forums were present in this old trans except a few.

The linkage was sometimes imprecise. The 2-3 shift could be blown if not careful. The shift **** vibrated and rattled. ( I would generally drive holding the **** better to feel the power. )

The clutch was direct.....no sissy hydraulic assist. No slave cylinder, no stupid silly clutch spring to break. And I, 18 when I got the car new, and in fairly good shape, had a sore left leg for weeks until I got used to the exercise involved in depressing the clutch pedal.

And people complain about driving a hydraulic assisted C6 in stop and go traffic. That car's clutch was like a B17's control surfaces. Human powered via cables.

By the way, I NEVER had to worry about the clutch pedal sticking to the floor or changing the dumb clutch fluid on the hydro assist. And...the clutch never slipped. I suspect it would be strong enough for a LS7 and perhaps better.

That's how I learned to shift a manual....connected to the car's driveline directly. BTW the gas pedal was connected via a direct cable too.

Now, if the manufacturers get any more fancy with the torque management and other computer controls on engine and trans the "manual" might lose even more of it's appeal.

For me, a vette with an automatic is not a performance enthusiasts car. Some over in the Z06 section have opined that people who buy "base" vettes are just looking for a car to drive and not interested in performance. This is bunk of course.

My opinion is also bunk but it's my opinion. I know some people who consider themselves performance oriented have C6 with autos. They talk about how the auto is a tiny bit faster etc. But my old timer opinion stands because I grew up with manuals and like the more direct control they supply.

Tactile feedback you could say.

I am glad the Z06 is available only with the manual. That is how it should be whether they could put one in the car or not. Also, the ZR1, a auto ZR1 would be a crime against car culture.

If you disagree with me about manuals vs autos then , IMO, you just never "got it" and probably won't ever "get it".

It's like telling someone who says they need the "head UP display" to shift properly that you shift by feel, touch, movement, and sound...NOT by watching a graph. You shift when you shift cause you are connected to the machine, part of it, and this connection is via the manual trans.

If you don't get this I suspect you like autos. You mash the gas and the car goes. You are not tied into anything but steering and , yes, I know you can paddle through the gears. I can only say, with perfect honesty, LOL to that.

Our society has changed much ...gotten softer and more interested in having others do our work. Autos fit right into this picture.

In luxury cars I like em. In performance cars I hate em. If it were up to me I'd remove the stupid hydralic assist cylinder and spring and make the C6 clutch cable actuated. Oh the whining that would cause no doubt.

For all the trouble these assists cause the leg work would be worth it. And, if a person could not depress the clutch then they could always get an automatic. That's what autos are for, IMO, people who can't drive a manual.

At least that's the way it used to be. And, since I was full on power shifting that big block at 18 I suspect I earned the right to say I was there and did that.

 

My 5th Corvette over many years and I gave way to the auto shift.
I do miss the shifting (my wife does not) but I must say with the LS3, it is still a dream to drive. I need to get out and learn a little more about the paddles which should be lots of fun.

 

I am also stubborn and I guess I'm in the lower 25% as I have a convertible with an MN6. To me it is not at all about performance nor gas mileage. The article said it best with:

A stick is simply more fun. It makes you feel like the pilot, in control instead of along for the ride. I’ll agree with the purists that a stick is more “involving.”

 

Always had sticks in all my performance cars, just got the A6 and love it. I drive 100% with paddles though. With this much power it is very nice to be able to have both hands on the wheel all the time. I live in the foothills of California so its all turns and some 100 mph straights which is perfect for the A6. The Vette has so much power a stick is not a must like some other cars.

 

Well said!

 

I like the auto because I hate shifting in stop and go traffic here in LA.

 

Sales to retirees and women must be increasing. Gotta be the reason!

 

Chevrolet seems to disagree with you! Their tests show that the manual is always faster than the automatic!

Tom