Regarding the DSG: this is what separates those who know from the posers: DSG does not equal automatic. It is not a slushbox, it is not a semi-auto. It’s a manual transmission that can operate like an auto if you need it to. It has two clutches that preselect gears to give you instant response. It means you can haul ass and pay closer attention to the road. It is a unique and revolutionary great leap forward in auto technology. Nobody but VW/Audi has it. Not BMW, not Porsche, not Ferrari. Those paddle shifters ARE automatics. It doesn’t help that VW also sells a 6 sp automatic Tiptronic tranny in addition to the DSG, though not on the same models.
I don’t care what you “feel” about it. Read up on it, drive it. Then you’ll know what you’re talking about.

The VW DSG is not only faster than the 6sp, but the mpg is pretty much the same. Farago is right, with the DSG you get more control, not less. The only thing you don’t get is fucking sick of stomping the floor with your left foot.

In our house there are 3 drivers (soon to be 4), 4 cars and -0- slushboxes. My wife and I intend to keep it that way.

The coolest thing about the DSG is when you upshift around 4000 rpm, it lets out a little burble fart. I love that sound. The manual doesn’t do that. Don’t forget that the DSG is faster in the quarter mile than the manual 6 speed too. And if you’re in traffic, forget it, the DSG kicks the 6 speed’s ass.

Unless you’ve driven a DSG you cannot know what it’s like. It damn sure ain’t no fv*king automatic.

But when it comes down to it, I care more about performance, and when it comes to swapping cogs around, which is what a gearbox is supposed to do, a well-sorted and designed semi-automatic will always be faster. Some of them aren’t as smooth at low RPMs as they should be, and that’s something that you have to decide whether or not you’re going to put up with, but since DSG doesn’t have that problem, I fail to see the downside. If you’re really attached to sticking your hands in the trans and shifting yourself, and for the really purist-focused cars, like the new Z4 M, I think it should be a manual. But for other stuff, why not a semi-auto?

I drive a manual everyday in LA’s finest traffic. It is really not that bad. And the clutch on a WRX is heavier than a Honda Fit. Not a Honda Fit’s; a Honda Fit. I think most people hate manuals in traffic because it is challenging to drink coffee, smoke, yap on the phone and eat a bagel while shifting. But, once you master that….

Anyhow, today at lunch, C. Weir’s article fresh in my mind, I climbed in the WRX and blasted around for a bit, shifting gears for the sake of shifting gears.

I have to be honest: Manuals rule.

I love to drive. I simply couldn’t fathom directing a car with only steering, brake and accelerator inputs. I need to be connected and engaged with the engine, with the full driving experience.

As cars come with more and more driver aids, the driver becomes less connected with his responsibility as a driver. Radar and braking technology that automatically speeds up or slows down a car in cruise control mode by determining distance and speed of adjacent vehicles is useful, but takes a critical evaluation process further away from the driver. How about that technology that automatically checks your blind spot? Crazy I say. The driver should be responsible for a quick shoulder check, not relying on some computer.

The same holds for these fancy shmancy gearboxes. Sure they’re a great innovation, they can shift faster than me, perhaps there’s better fuel economy and ease of use, but again they leave the driver numb and distant from what the car is doing and his ultimate responsibility for driving.

And don’t get me started on all these MMI technologies the German’s especially are obsessed with…

I had a BMW 118d for a weekend in the Dolomites recently. Oh My God, what an utterly amazing experience. I composed a masterpiece of epic sensory proportions. Quick shifts here and there, heel-and-toeing galore, sprinting to the redline, hard braking and double-downshifts for maximum passing oomph. At one point, it was a full physical and mental workout driving 30 km of cliff-hangers, hairpin turns, vertical undulations that would impress even the most jaded thrill seeker, carving the ‘line’ within my single lane of mountain passes amongst the most spectacular scenery in the world, all while rowing about in mostly 1st and 2nd gears. This driving demanded my unreserved attention, it was in essence, the ultimate driver’s delight.

I could not imagine driving anything but a manual, even when I spend over an hour a day in bumper-to-bumper rush hour hell. Automatics and their derivatives simply do not engage the driver. Like other technologies, they seek to absolve the driver of the responsibility of being engaged with what the car is doing. Indeed, it gives them free time to yak on their cell phone, check their make-up and unwrap that mass of a Snickers bar. A manual demands your attention.

I will always be a manual kind of guy.

Damn it! I’m inspired now. That’s it, I’m off for a long drive in my M3 (yep, none of that SMG tomfoolery for me!) :)

I hear everyone’s yammering about it’s not a real car with an auto and blah blah blah. I’m sorry…I like manuals, but as an everyday driver, a manual would make me lose my mind in 40 minutes of traffic and mostly city driving. Until I can afford a weekend car, an auto is all that will be in my driveway…

Paddle shifting is sublime. Driving a paddle shifted M3 is pure fun – you never have to take your hand off the wheel. a quick flick and it’s done.

I’m sure there will always be purists, but viva la revolution! Bring on the DSGs and paddles…

I’ve been driving autoboxes for… well, too long. My wife’s new Malibu Maxx has a manual shift capability that doesn’t impress me (no implementation of them has so far) and I couldn’t stand it any longer. We both can drive sticks, but you can’t find them in mainstream cars (often) these days.

However, what sealed the deal for me on the 11 year old car was a brand new clutch. I have a 16-year old daughter about to learn to drive and I want her to know how to drive a manual.

As a long-time drummer, the analogy between a manual car and drumming is spot on, and both give me sensations that I just can’t get anywhere else. Until I can get the opportunity to drive a DSG, I will stay with the manual trannys.

That said, a well-executed Heel-und Toe feels better than almost anything else in Cardom — that is except changing gears without using the clutch… my new favorite pastime.

Yes, both up and down.

Mr. Farago. Mr. Elton.

I’m disappointed.

Manuals give you so much more connection to the car, the road. They help you focus on the driving experience, and make you more involved and in tune with it. Driving a manual is so much more pleasurable. I’m surprised that you, being car guys, would feel otherwise.

I refused to take any autos for my first car, my only real requirement was that it had a stick. I couldn’t be happier with my Supra. I’ve had this little thing where I’ve been trying to convince a friend, who has a 91 Camaro w/ an auto that manuals are so much better. He just got a 5spd Mustang GT. After really spending time with a manual, he says the Camaro-that he loved and bragged about, and even said “I wanna keep this car forever”-he now says its BORING to drive with the automatic.

Personally, I feel DSG is just a glorified auto that gives the driver pseudo-interaction and only partial control. But, everyone’s entitled to their opinion. I’m just rather suprised at the two of you.

As Mr. Elton said, DSG is a poor attempt at a true auto. But its an even worse shot at a manual.

Comments thing still not working right. If it helps Redwing, I’m runnning Firefox 1.5.0.4 on Mac OS 10.4.6. (This comment worked using OmniWeb 5.1, can’t get it to work with Firefox.)