Quote:
Originally Posted by Steelsinger
Ya well I like my auto. She embrassed a manual shifter this last weekend.  |
Yeah, that's usually the case on modern cars where automatics are no longer worse than manuals. Before 2000-ish most automatic versions shifted slower and less efficiently, had significantly lower horsepower, and didn't have the same number of gears as a manual (as recently as
2005, the automatic Corvette had only
4 forward gears, which is pathetic for a sports car circa 2005).
Nowadays slushbox autos like the 6-speed in the Camaro/Corvette shift very efficiently and have as many gears as the manual counterpart. It's a matter of mash the pedal and go with lethal consistency and predictability, taking the driver right out of the equation.
For me, the fun is enjoying the "life" of the machine by controlling the motor, the gear, and the direction of travel. A manual transmission strengthens that connection between man and machine and puts the driver in complete control. I'll gladly lose by a second to an automatic transmission car if it means I shift my own gears and work the clutch pedal. Outright speed and acceleration are just pieces of the larger experience that is the driving experience, and that's why I'm a die-hard manual enthusiast.