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Ask the Best and Brightest: Dual Clutch or Stick?
by
Edward Niedermeyer
(IC: employee)
Published: May 15th, 2009
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Ruwen Hess writes in:
What’s been going through my head is 2 trade-offs: Cayman S with or without PDK (with Chrono Plus either way) and BMW M3 Coupe with or without DKG. Beyond the obvious (cost but better 0-60 for PDK/DKG vs. more driving experience on a stick…), what are folks taking into consideration when making that trade-off? Would love to hear people opinions…
Commentator stephada picked PDK when he recently bought a Carrera, but our man Shoemaker was disappointed by the system. Twice. Lack of consensus? Whatever shall we do? More importantly, what say y’all?
Edward Niedermeyer
More by Edward Niedermeyer
Published May 15th, 2009 4:06 PM
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Personally I prefer 3 pedals and 5-6 speeds. Not the double-clutch transmissions don't have a thrill all their own. But after driving a DSG-equipped '06 GTI off an on, I pretty much just left it in D most of the time. The convenience is there, but the driving experience became hollow (the GTI's responsiveness sorta made up for it).
PDK is the best dual clutch gizmo i have ever encountered. although a lot of people speak highly of the M3 DKG i have yet to see if it's better. with respect to the Stick, as fun as it can be, i'm an auto generation driver, and i prefer to handle the car and flick through the gears rather than shift it. i have found that driving fast with a stick is deeply rewarding but to the determent of my smoothness in driving (fast). and then when you slow down and get stuck in traffic, there's nothing like a PDK or DCT to give you the comfort. I would go for a Cayman S with PDK with Chronosport package...
Repair for manual transmission - change the clutch. $500-$1000. Repair for DSG transmission - remove the entire system, scrap it, and purchase an entire brand new system. $3000-$20,000. /end argument.
Driving stick is simply too much fun. Even in horrendous traffic it is better than any sort of auto. Especially on a hill, when you have to constantly engage and release the handbrake, take care not to stall on launches, especially if the disk is getting hot and starting to chatter, etc. Plus, you don't have to pay a premium for the privilege. If you think otherwise it's probably because you're not very good at it.