Car buyers falling back in love with manual transmissions

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

From the headlines-we-never-expected-to-see file: "Stick shifts popular again..." Yes, we thought manual transmissions were on their deathbed, what with every carmaker bemoaning low take rates and reports thatVolkswagen has decided to do away with them in both its Audi R8 sports car and throughout the range ofLamborghini models. But lo and behold, it seems that manuals accounted for 6.5 percent of new vehicle sales during the first quarter this year, the highest take rate since 2006, according to Edmunds.com numbers cited by USA Today.

This surge in popularity comes despite a 10-percent drop in the percentage of new models offering stick shifts in the past five years, according to the report. The change in consumer behavior has surprised some automakers, including Ford, who told the newspaper that demand for a manual in the Focus is nearly 10 percent, more than double the automaker's original forecast.

Of course before we get too excited – or give credit to the Car and Driver "Save the Manuals" campaign – let's keep in mind that a decade ago, when we first started to hear the groundswell against the manual from automakers, the take rate for manuals was still running above 8 percent. And we're still faced with an inevitable demographic shift as Millennials, born after automatic transmissions became dominant, grow up. The best we can hope for is to teach those willing to learn and hope to keep the manual tranny around as long as possible.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/01/car-buyers-falling-back-in-love-with-manual-transmissions/

 

[Zafiro]

Personally I never lost the love....

 

[Kowalski]

Personally I lost the love a long time ago...

 

[Giannis]

Personally, I have driven an automatic gearbox for only 15'. I hated and asked to return to the front passenger seat. Driving is not meant to be that simple...

 

[Mr Robert]

Stick for driving and autobox for riding

Seriously, manual boxes are great, cheap and economical. No wonder they are popular. Oh, and they are good fun too...

 

[Giannis]

Stick for driving and autobox for riding

Seriously, manual boxes are great, cheap and economical. No wonder they are popular. Oh, and they are good fun too...

They are either fun or economical. Can't be both at the same time

 

[330CIZHP]

I never believed manuals can be extinct nor I ever will. I am sure once people have enough of the automated boxes, they would crave going back to level interaction with the car offered in manuals.

 

[mini_cooper4]

I remember the time when I used to drive A/Ts and then I took the company's Punto for a ride which has a 5sp. M/T... I still remember that smile on my face on the first ride. It was like a month or two without a manual for me and I had almost forgot how great it is to drive a stick even in a 60PS TD car
Driving a manual is one of the most sacred things for me and I'll never stop doing it

 

[chonkoa]

I still love manual, just have to compromise.

 

[blaine]

I don't love it,personally.

 

[Human]

I have gotten so used to Auto's with all my BMW's current and gone but not forgotten + the F30's 8 Speed is a jewel and that is an understatement! So I will put it this way, for my current V8 TT M engine and the 23d I will stay with Auto. For a toy e.g. Subaru BRZ I'd have a manual.

 

[-=Hot|Ice=-]

I have gotten so used to Auto's with all my BMW's current and gone but not forgotten + the F30's 8 Speed is a jewel and that is an understatement! So I will put it this way, for my current V8 TT M engine and the 23d I will stay with Auto. For a toy e.g. Subaru BRZ I'd have a manual.

You really think so? The 8 speed in my moms 2011 X5 lags between shifts. Not sure if the F30's has been programed any sportier for quicker shifts but that's my experience with it.

 

[Human]

You really think so? The 8 speed in my moms 2011 X5 lags between shifts. Not sure if the F30's has been programed any sportier for quicker shifts but that's my experience with it.

In my review of the F30 I raved about the 8 sp tranny for it truly blew my mind!

Human, Mar 19, 2012

My Review: Local Launch/Introduction BMW F30 3er

South-Africa, Saturday 2012/03/17

Driving
First honours went to the 320d. For this initial drive I will just compare the engine and gearbox to that of my X1’s 23d’s Twin Turbo unit. With better noise insulation, the engine runs more quietly than that in the X1 and, with the F30 3er being lighter, the 320d left nothing to be desired in terms of power. Turbo lag or the lack thereof impresses whilst it’s the 8 Speed Auto one can really make a fuss about. Its simply a phenomenal gearbox, seamless, lightning quick up and downshifts in either auto mode or through the steering-mounted paddles.

I was lucky enough to jump right from the 320d into the 328i. After taking my seat behind the wheel and adjusting my seating and driving position to perfectly suit me, I told my passengers to do the same and to try and relax. I was determined to drive this car in all its modes and patterns. To take it all in and drive it like a BMW should be driven. None of the test cars had the optional M Adaptive suspension. I set off and what a surprise! The TwinPower 2.0 litre, 4 cylinder engine is very refined; instantly the 180 kW and 350 Nm of torque mated to the phenomenal 8 speed auto puts a smile on your face. Again, the gearbox make me realise that for the first time paddle shifters actually make sense to me. Man, the up and downshifts are immediate, seamless and do what you want and expect. Say you're in 6th gear @ 5500 rpm and you downshift two gears up by just pulling the left hand (-) paddle twice as fast as you can... it will drop two gears instantly with the tacho needle now @ 7000 rpm. This works best in Sport+ mode, with the gear selector in S (Sport). I can rave all day long about the gearbox; it’s a pure damn joy! The engine feels naturally aspirated - I cannot give it higher praise. It revs up as quickly as any NA engine and pulls like a steam train with the additional turbocharging and wide torque band. In Comfort mode things become a little bit more relaxed, yet still dynamic. In Eco Pro mode, everything changes. The throttle becomes less responsive, so much so that I guess it’s as if you're driving a 320i NA E90 3er. This will be the engine of choice in my opinion, since the 335i may just be too expensive.

Full review:
http://www.germancarforum.com/commu...es-f30-first-drives-tests-thread.40810/page-6

 

[Frank Wall]

I love the manual transmission. Its gotta be fun - driving an automatic is so damn boring. Might as well wait until the driverless car from Google comes around

 

[Centurion]

Analogue cars will persist to charm true drivers which is why the cars like the 911 GT3 is one of the most popular cars at the Nurburgring. Though one shall not say that track racing is a common man's favorite past-time but manual transmissions does give a sense of connect with a car and its engine.

 

[Guibo]

Sorry, couldn't resist.

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(Try also "Pulp Fiction: Just the Swearing," but not at work)

I still prefer a manual, but can see some applications where the semi-auto gearboxes might be preferrable.

 

[330CIZHP]

^^^

I have only watched the first fast and the furious, but that was some seriously hilarious stuff. In a few scenes, they are shifting automatic transmissions from park to drive.

 

[Centurion]

How exciting would movies be without these amazing gears?

 

[martinbo]

Hilarious!