Not wanting to start a manual / automatic war. Really mostly interested in hearing from people who love driving manuals, that have for one reason or another have changed to a C7 A8, and your feelings about that change.

I LOVE manual transmissions. I've been driving either a manual vette or camaro for the past 6 years. I commute 10 hours a week, and a lot is in stop and go. I have never really minded the manual in stop and go - "occasionally" I get tired, but VERY rarely. Mostly I find the shifting exhilarating.

I'm only considering an automatic for one reason. I found a 2016 with my very favorite of any C7 interior - spice red. Car is perfect...except...it is an automatic. I haven't driven yet, but I'm seriously thinking about it.

I could rationalize that it will be easier for my commute. As a Stingray, it'd eat WAY less gas then my Camaro ZL1 that I have to fill up every 2 1/2 to 3 days.

Anyone make this change, and regret it? Anyone else make this change, without doing so because of an injury, and really surprised how much more you enjoy the A8 than you thought?

Please, no boring religious wars.

 

I had a 15' A8 and now have a 16' M7, both were 2LT Z51. For me it just depends on the day and what I am doing with the car.

I actually really enjoyed the A8 in manual mode when I was doing spirited driving, but ironically I prefer the M7 in traffic. The one thing that bothered me about the A8 was it was really hard to stay off the rev limiter in 1st if in manual mode. (You really have to anticipate the upshift)

My M7 seems to be getting notchier with more miles, about 2k now. Second gear also seems to grind on the first few shifts when the transmission is cold. I am also not a fan of the clutch engagement and feel.

Not taking into account shifting speed, my A8 felt faster than the M7. I did not expect this. Every dyno I see shows the M7 putting down a little more RWPH over the A8. Because of this I expected the M7 to be a little faster from a roll, I dont feel that in the car.

The reason I got rid of the A8 was because I intend to supercharge the car. I was concern my A8 would require some warranty work at 8k-10k mile mark. I was not prepared to pay that out of pocket so I traded for a M7. Knowing what I know now, I would choose the A8.

 

I can't speak to the specifics of the A8 v M7 Corvette but I had a similar decision when I got a 2010 370Z A7 Nissan. I'm now driving a 2011 GS M6.

I checked out the A7 because of some issues with my left leg (since resolved) and was impressed with its quickness under acceleration and nice rev matched downshifts. It was less engaging in the full auto mode than a manual trans but was good fun in the manual mode and it made traffic a breeze. Of course it never missed a shift up or down. It wound out very quickly in first gear (very short first gear) so you did have to anticipate the 1-2 shift by about 500 rpm but that was never a real problem for me. Really an excellent tranny. Overall I liked it and would probably make the same choice again.

I got the GS in the manual because I wanted all the go fast goodies. I love the interaction of the manual but on those occasions that I get locked in traffic I do wonder about the auto.

If I was considering a C7 A8 I'd probably get it because the A8 seems like it has enough manual control (more so than the old A6) to still be fun. Age would be a factor for me, at 67 I'm not sure I'd buy a new long term car with a manual, I'm not sure I want to be shifting gears well into my seventies. Unless you are a real ace with the manual you'll probably be quicker in the twisties with the A8 because of reduced driver workload. Having said all that my M6 is a kick to drive.

 

Hopefully you are not trying to convince yourself that you can live with an auto because you like the rest of the car. If so, you may regret your decision in the future.

 

Exactly.

 

I think you should not compromise but look for another C7 that has a manual transmission. The choice of whether it's a manual vs auto is almost half the reason to get one over the other. For me I've drive manuals almost exclusively for >50 years, DD's and sports cars. But three years ago at 70 I reluctantly went to a '14 C7 auto after a 6spd '04 C6. IMO a compromise but I do appreciate the relief from so much constant pedal work in traffic. IF I WAS YOUNGER LIKE YOU APPEAR TO BE BE, I'd get a manual.

 

The answer is, you need to drive an A8. Drive it in the different modes. Drive it like a grocery getter and drive it like you stole it. If you can get a decent test drive in, you'll know right way if you love it or not.

I considered the auto after driving several '16 Camaro SS's for hours at a time with the same drive train. I had a '08 Z51 MN6 at the time and was blown away with Camaro's performance. I thought the same combo (LT1/A8) in the Vette would be awesome. Test drove the Vette and confirmed what I believed. Bought it on the spot.

 

OP, I purchased a 2014 Jaguar F-Type convertible, which arguably has the best paddle-shifted automatic in the industry (ZF8). It has proven to be completely bullet-proof the way it's programmed in that car, and in 2 years on the F-Type forums, I don't recall a single person reporting a malfunction.

Both up and down shifts are lightning fast. It has routinely been reviewed in the automotive press as the near equal, performance-wise, to the Porsche PDK.

AND, I got completely bored with it because I missed having a manual. The primary reason I sold my F-Type was to get back into a high-performance manual, in this case a Z51, 7MT convertible, which I vastly prefer. My 7MT is the best manual I've ever driven in 40 years of manual ownership.

 

I had a 2013 Corvette with the 6 speed manual. Loved it. Sold it and bought a 2016 A8. Love it too. The A8 is quicker than the M7 (just quoting Chevy's stats as well as several car magazines). I thought I would miss shifting, but honestly I enjoy jamming the throttle down and letting the computer do the shifting. Remember, you can use the paddles to shift with the A8 if you wish. Like others have said, do a really good test drive and see if you are happy with it. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

 

 

I'd order or find a Stingray with a manual after reading your post again. I think you'd miss the shifting experience. A good deal really isn't a good deal if you're not getting what you really want in a $70k+ car.

 

I do not have a C7, but my first two C5s were manual tranny cars. My current C5 is an automatic and I have just as much fun and enjoy driving it just as much as I did the manual tranny cars. And nothing physical prevents me from driving a manual.

Just drive a few samples of each and then you can decide which transmission may be right for you.

 

My C5 was a M6 but my 16 is A8. I like both but at 66 yrs old I like the automatic. I am concerned with all the problems the automatic has had and may still have in the future. Mine is working fine at 3500 miles but you read every day about tranny and TQ problems. I believe corvette should have stayed with the A6.

 

If you really love a manual transmission, don't settle for an automatic, because you will surely regret it! Ask me how I know. Years back, I did just as you are contemplating. I found a Corvette that had everything I wanted with the exception of the manual transmission. I tried to convince myself and others that this would be a good thing. It was not...I got very bored with it and traded for a manual. I have made compromises since on color or equipment but never on the transmission choice. Go with what you really want!

 

I now have a 15 C7 A8 after a C6 M6 and several German and Itialian manual transmission sports cars. I am very happy with the A8. Maybe because I'm like everyone, getting older, but I still enjoy driving as much with the A8 as the manuals.
I fell in love with the A8 in my Audi SUV, and decided to take a chance with the C7, and I'm happy with my choice.

 

I had four Corvettes, two automatic versions that were purchased used and now two new cars purchased with a manual transmissions. Another C7 is currently ordered with, you guessed it, a manual M7, that will make five. I enjoy selecting the gears according to the condition, paddle shifting just isn't the same experience. I don't care if the automatic is a few hundreds of a second faster to sixty, acceleration is just a small part of the overall driving experience. I have driven a A8 recently, doesn't do it for me. Unless physically challenged, I will not purchase another automatic Corvette.

 

I just got back from tracking my Z51 A8 this weekend and it never missed a beat or had a shift that I disagreed with. I went to paddles for a session but they were not as quick and decisive as the transmission doing its thing for me. Shifting was always part of the fun in nearly every predecessor ranging from Ferrari, NSX and other Z06 experiences but I am a tech guy at heart and my last Porsche had a 6 speed but the PDK got such good reviews I started wondering. I will work paddles more on the street before my next HPDE. The computer launch beating the M7 was another factor in my selection of the A8 before I ever drove this. Hope this helps.

 

Getting ready to order M7 for my wife in the spring. She is having knee replacement on her clutch leg in March and still insists that the order be M7. We test drove both, and she has been shifting for 40 yrs and thats what she decided at age 62

 

NO...don't do it...

 

Being a former Viper GTS owner running thru the gears has always been a fun part of driving for me. We curently have a Panamera Turbo with PDK and it is fun to drive and works flawlessly so automatics can't be all that bad right? So when the opportunity for a new Z06/Z07 A8 came up we bought it sight unseen, because I wanted my wife to be able to enjoy the car, the 97 Viper she could not because of the 6 speed and no nannies or ABS did not build confidence. I can say I enjoy the the A8 fully and never once think about manual in that car. The performance is good and feels right. There is room for improvement, but it's close to PDK. I get the connection to the car with a manual, it's up to you but for us it just is not needed anymore and why we bought a new Z06/Z07 over an ACR.