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Automotive News & Views The Future Of The Manual Transmission
5801 messages, Last post on Nov 24, 2009 at 5:44 PM
You are in the Automotive News & Views Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & claires
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Replying to: shipo (Nov 24, 2008 11:37 am) I almost almost bought a 3s 5-door when I got the Matrix, but the better fuel economy and larger back seat of the Matrix swayed me. The Mazda3 was the better drive between the two though. I'm just glad both are still offered with the stick, as will the updated 2010 Mazda3.  That was a hell of a concession you made when you started your business.....don't know if I could have done the same. |
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Replying to: nippononly (Nov 24, 2008 12:18 pm) As for the new business, the goal was: BMW 530i, PP, SP, 5-Speed ==> 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.8 (for no more than one year) ==> BMW M5 (and/or a nice 911). The reality turned out to be: BMW 530i, PP, SP, 5-Speed ==> 1998 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.8 (for three and a half years and some 90,000 miles) ==> 2009 Mazda3 i Touring Value Edition (for the foreseeable future). Oh well, you pays your money, you takes your chance.  Best regards, Shipo |
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Replying to: shipo (Nov 24, 2008 1:15 pm) The Honda dealer has a 5 speed Fit in stock and they let me take it home overnight. It's fun having the stick around. I did stall it out a mile from home trying to start out in 3rd from a stop sign. 
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Replying to: shipo (Nov 24, 2008 1:15 pm)
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Replying to: shipo (Nov 24, 2008 11:37 am) Congratulations! Enjoy (as if. . .). Sorry to hear of your business reversals, but I certainly envy your opportunity to enjoy your new ride on the backroads of New England, schedule permitting. Did you ever try a TSX 6-speed? I'd appreciate your opinion of its manual relative to the the you've got. I enjoy it; it's by far the slickest FWD manual I've ever driven, but I haven't driven a Mazda3.
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Replying to: steve_ (Nov 24, 2008 2:33 pm) It's almost like I'm having to relearn how to drive a stick all over again, I mean, geez, this car is the lowest powered car I've bought since my 1982 Audi GT Coupe, of course it's also the car with the best fuel economy I've ever had.  Best regards, Shipo |
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Replying to: boaz47 (Nov 24, 2008 3:38 pm) Given the model change-over that the Golf/Rabbit/GTI is currently in the midst of, I'm not sure that my failure to find a 5-Speed Rabbit is an indicator of anything other than the fact that the remaining manny-tranny versions have been snapped up first. Regarding the Rabbit vs. the Mazda3 comparison, believe it or not, the Rabbit easily trumps the Mazda3 in driving dynamics, however, the Mazda has much nicer creature comforts and better fuel economy to boot; so the two were pretty much a draw with the VW ever so slightly edging out the Mazda to make it to the top of my short list. Apparently my rankings aren't unique as there are at least two recent economy car comparisons that I've come across that ranked the Rabbit #1 and the Mazda3 a very close second. As for liking the M3 better, over time, I rather doubt that, however, since the Rabbit didn't find its way into my garage, I guess I'll never know.  Best regards, Shipo |
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Replying to: cdnpinhead (Nov 24, 2008 5:42 pm) Thanks, I'm a tad over 35 miles from my new office and there are some nice twisty roads between here and there. Did you ever try a TSX 6-speed? I'd appreciate your opinion of its manual relative to the the you've got. I enjoy it; it's by far the slickest FWD manual I've ever driven, but I haven't driven a Mazda3. No, didn't drive the TSX, however, as I understand it, the gearbox in the Civic Si is very similar if not identical to the one in the TSX, and I really enjoyed flogging an Si around the back roads of Bow, NH. As for comparisons between the gearboxes of the Mazda3 and the Si, the clutches feel about the same, however, the shifter in the Mazda snicks into gear just a tad smoother than the Honda unit. Please understand, that's not to say that then Si tranny is anything less than excellent.  Best regards, Shipo |
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sums it up quite nicely, in relation to a review of the new PDK in the 911 Carrera he was driving. Gritzinger from Autoweek: I really love the precision of a Porsche manual shifter and the smooth clutch action, so it's hard to embrace the PDK as long as I still have a leg to push a clutch pedal. Yes, it's quick and likely smoother than I could ever hope to shift, and I'd vote it the best of this new generation of transmissions so far. But, as with any of these gearboxes, the missing element is knowing the exact point of engagement. I still would prefer to handle that myself, so I know exactly when the engine will brake or when to pour more power. To which Hart adds: This was my first chance to operate the Doppelkupplung transmission, and I have mixed feelings about it. In automatic mode it's fine, but it's not spectacular.....I'm not sure the tranny is worth $4000, especially because I think the steering-wheel interface could be much better. $4000 EXTRA to take half the fun out of the thing? What are people thinking??? And hey, it's just one opinion but mine is that steering wheels should be for STEERING and GEARSHIFTS are for controlling the gears....
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Replying to: nippononly (Nov 29, 2008 11:58 am) You are a devoted man I must admit. I took a class on mechanical drafting in the 70s and I can remember how many of my class mates had designs of cars with single sticks, much like a fighter plane, for controlling a car. Some went on to design some for car shows. Many years later when I went into logistics and transportation I started buying equipment and I noticed that over the years the controls on "working equipment got more automated and simple as the years went on. Twin sticks gave way to electric and hydrolic buttons on heavy duty trucks. But my first view into how much my old class mates had predicted the future came a few year ago when I bought our first forklift with a joy stick. Way before toyota had regenerative braking in a car Yale, Clark, Nissan and the others had it on their forklifts. But the joy stick was a surprise to me. I then discovered that they have joy sticks to help some people with handicaps drive vehicles. So wheels don't need to be for stearing and sticks don't need to be for shifting. The human mind can invent a machine that can do that for us and that is what inventors do. Without them you would still find joy in riding a horse or steering as was intended with the first cars, using a tiller. Once we see more EVs and alternative vehicles who knows how we will shift or steer? |
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