Not Good Boys...
 

A buddy and i test drove the new pontiac G8 today, and let me tell you this car was a winner on so many levels... but one level stood out in a negative manor, and was so drastic that it stopped either of us from wanting the car. At least with the Auto.

The Auto/manual shift system in the car lagged to the point that would make you uncertain if you had shifted hard enough, wondering if the computer read it and you should do it again.

The Shifts that were made in the 'Manual' mode were lagged what felt like seconds, realistically it was probaly just over a second or two. But a car travels a long time in a second or two.

i wasnt expecting lighting fast shifts like that in a Ferrari, but this almost made the whole 'manual' concept irrelevant. It made you feel even more detached from the car than you did before.

Now the real scary thing about this: this is the same 'TAPshift' system we're getting in the Camaro, According to the man at the dealership i talked to.

now im having trouble confirming this to be true, but it seems like it would be true. New systems, same platform, the G8 and Camaro are alot alike in alot of ways... just makes sense.

:iono:

Get a manual... Problem solved... J/K Haven't driven the G8. I love the car but it only being available in a auto except for the G8 GXP that is to come out was a major turn-off for me personally.

Did you test; the V6, or the V8? Cause they were two different transmissions....

And keep in mind they can recalibrate the transmission from car to car. They 'fixed' it in the Corvette from 07 to 08, which produced a noticeable response increase according to the 'Vette guys. And they're also playing with shift response in the Camaro to drop the V6 0-60 from 6.1 to 5.9. :iono:

I test drove the V8, im hoping they recalibrate something to rectify this. If you were the one that was driving you'd be saying the same thing.

I wanted to test drive the G8 GT and as a few know...that car REALLY impressed me on looks, fit, and finish alone. I didn't drive it cause I was afraid I wouldn't have returned it to the dealership!

But, to fix that problem, BUY A MANUAL!!! Or don't tap shift. But buy a manual....hehe ....much better anyway.

The gripes about the manumatic modes are well known. The bottom line is if you want to shift your own gears get a manual. It does wake up considerably with a tune but really. Buying an auto and hand shifting it on a regular basis is just silly.

I drove the G8 with the V8 in it and I don't recall the shifts being that bad. I was very impressed with the fit and finish. I am hoping the Camaro gets the leather from the same supplier. The center console was cheap but overall the car was great. Keep in mind this is the 4 door sedan, it shouldn't have lighting quick shifts for the family. I would guess the target audience is a little different. I guess I'm saying I think the shifting will be much better in the Camaro. I know mine will be.....I'm getting the stick.

Its control over an automatic transmission. Nothing more, nothing less. The shifts will still feel like like an automatic no matter what. If you want your car to shift like a manual, you need to get a manual. Tap shift and the like are for having a bit more fun with an automatic not to replace a manual.

I agree 100% and always have. Only the exotics and real race cars use tap-shifting that actually matters.

Yeah. Unless the transmission in a G8, was a dual-clutch transmission, like what I believed are used in the Audi/VW's DSG/Triptronic transmission, or from BMW's or Mercedes, those transmissions have a much better feeling when up-shifting/down-shifting.

The transmission on the G8 is still basically just an "automatic transmission" with a computer controlled manual shifting system. I've driven them on a few cars, G6 Coupe, Lincoln LS V8, Lincoln MKS etc and my car's a stick and there's no comparison.

So yeah I'm sure when the Hydramatic "auto" comes over to the Camaro it'll be more refined...

+1 Didn't an engineer, in the NBC special, comment on calibrating the transmission in the V8 car? I could've swore I read that they're going to be calibrating the TapShift to be able to hold that gear at redline. Hmmm... now I have to find it.

What is silly is putting something in a car that doesnt work.

why put that there if it is ineffective??

It does work, its just not as quick as you would like. But when you tell it to shift it does shift. Therefore it works.

Well since I have a bad knee, taking the clutch peddle out of the equation but still being able to manually shift is appealing. However I know the limitations of a simple automatic with a simple manual shift mode. I'm still hoping we see a nice DCT by the time I buy. Otherwise I'll be getting the manual and keeping advil in the car for my leg on long drives.