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My 2 cents, I ordered an A8 for medical reasons, to keep my left foot still and to keep my right foot from moving back and forth during gear changing. I do not use the paddle shifters. I mash the gas peddle and hold on. Love my 2015 A8 C7.
I can't really decide what I want, originally I wanted a 7speed manual but now I'm slightly interested in the 8 speed autos. What do you guys think?
I was on the fence btw the 7 spd m and the 8 spd auto. I loved the idea of being so connected with the car via the shifting...but I chickened out! Did the 8spd and am happy I did. The paddles shifter are awesome! I actually changed the paddles shifter to a HQ metal style that extend the full reach up and down. any do what your gut tells you. I don't regret pulling the trigger on the auto.
I had (and am still having) the same consternation. Drove both when shopping and bought the A8. Primary reason is living with the traffic in N.VA. But I REALLY wish I had the manual when the days are nice and there's no one else out there on these back-road mountain drives. Paddle shifters are great, but there's still nothing like rowing your way through a great ride. Now, counter that with a single day commuting 45 miles each way in stop-and-go traffic. One day you're wishing for a manual, the next day counting your blessings for the auto. The only satisfactory solution is one of each.
I went back and forth between the 2 and when it came time to finalize my order, I went with the manual. This will probably be the last manual I buy as most sports car manufacturers have already moved to DCT's with paddles.
IMO you can't go wrong with either. I've had three auto's and three sticks and have decided that there are pro's and con's to each but they are both good. If you can, try both. If you still can't decide, flip a coin, you will have fun either way. Good luck.
The most logical response would be drive them both and make your own decision.
If you want opinions mine would be get the manual and enjoy driving a powerful sports car the way it was meant to be driven. Forget the piddle paddle pretend auto, forget all the excuses/reasons for getting an auto. It is faster, easier in traffic, bad knee, Ferrari, Lamborghini have auto, etc. etc.
Get the manual, bang some gears and drive that baby!
After owning both over the years.......medical reasons would be the only reason to go auto, but my Z06 won't be a DD. Even if it were a DD for me I would still want a manual for as long as I could deal with it.
A month ago I was actively negotiating and shopping around for a C7, specifically an M7, and preferred to order the car to my specifications. I ran into trouble with this process, in part because of the $1k price increase announced on 2/2 and the constraint on the PR. So, on 2/2 I turned my attention to finding a car already in inventory somewhere. The last seven cars I've owned spanning 35 years have all been manuals, and I had little inclination to change, especially considering the $1800 premium for an A8. However, most Corvettes in dealers' inventories were A8 which limited my selection considerably. My C6 with M6 dulled my enthusiasm a bit for a manual since its clutch engagement was never very smooth, though it improved quite a bit over time. Driving a C7 with M7 to my delight was much better.
Fast forward to 2/6 when I noticed a nice TR/AR 3LT Coupe in the showroom of a dealer 60 miles away, and I was smitten by its flashy good looks. It had an A8 and they made me an offer I couldn't refuse, so I decided to try something a little different for a change.
I can report that so far three weeks into the experience I'm okay with the A8, even enjoying the new experience to some degree, and I have had few second thoughts about the decision. Do I like it enough to do it again? Probably not considering the price premium, as I still like to shift with a clutch. I've used the paddle shifters only a few times, mostly just experimenting with them, and don't anticipate using them often even though that simulates manual shifting to some extent. The A8 is smooth yet responsive and it's hard to fault from a performance standpoint, and gas mileage is a bit better than my C6 with M6, even in city driving. I do think an M7 would sound a bit more sports-car-like just driving off with NPP open, however.
I prefer the manual, but if my car was my DD or I routinely drove in heavy traffic I would probably cave and go auto. A couple of points about the new 7 speed that frequently go unrecognized:
The emergency brake is now electronically controlled by a switch on the console. It sets every time with just the flip of the switch. It releases automatically as soon as it senses a "tug", either in a forward or reverse gear. This is a huge improvement over the old manual e-brakes.
Some don't care for the rev-matching feature but I really like it, particularly when downshifting.
JMHO's
I have always driven manual cars and love the 7 speed. Others have mentioned the automatic release of the parking brake but mine does not do that! If I forget to release it and try to back out of my garage it almost stalls! I catch it, quickly push the clutch back in and push the brake button down. I even tried to see if I could active the brake for a hill hold. With it energized I pulled forward until it stalled. Mine is a September 2013 build, and my owner's manual also says it's supposed to release automatically. Perhaps there is an adjustment that I can make. My Service Manuals are schedualed to arrive this week, I'll look. No big deal since we don't have any hills!
I love rev match as well. Use it all the time.
I can't really decide what I want, originally I wanted a 7speed manual but now I'm slightly interested in the 8 speed autos. What do you guys think?
Why people ask this question, ad nauseam, and without context is beyond me.
Where do you live, what is the traffic like, hilly area or flat lands, have you driven previous manuals, will this be a daily driver, will you take the car to the track or to run the quarter mile, etc.
Strangers can't tell you what to drive and this is something only you can answer.
My answer, without knowing anything about you is this.........I live in the Houston area and work in Houston. This car will be my daily driver. I will track my car. I have driven prior manual transmission cars, however my wife is a 40 diabetic and has leg problems, so she can't easily shift the car. Houston is flat lands and also has major traffic issues.
Yes, there are times I wish I had a manual to just shift my own gears, however this is only about 25% of the time. The rest of the time I'm grateful to be in an auto.
Just do what you feel is best for you and your family then do it. Once you drive the car off the lot, there is no turning back.
Its really a coin flip, you cannot go wrong. I wanted a 7spd but opted for an auto instead. No regrets.
You can go wrong, if you want to put your C7 on the track for DE's--you'll want the M7 for that because (as has been reported) the A8's have an overheating issue on the track. If you're not tracking, then I agree.
02-28-2015, 10:48 PM
To ME a manual transmission in a Corvette, is the only way to go!
