Death of the Manual
Jun 24, 2012 | 10:29 AM
#21
Watch this space.
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 12,211
This is why my DD is not some crazy car. The Golf R is perfect for the role - I can drive it hard, often, and it still has creature comforts and decent fuel efficiency.
Jun 24, 2012 | 05:13 PM
#24
Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 7,647
From: Munich,Germany
^
must spread some...
Chris,
I agree with your DD philosophy...
the real raw stuff for selected days and the more real world oriented material as DD
the change of BMWs way to deliver "Freude am Fahren" also has to do with the change of their customers profile..
these days//Ms are increasingly often driven by rather young customers who tend to DD the cars since it`s their only car...plus the fact that it is the "generation Playstation" which prefers the latest and greatest gimmicks on the market.
This leads to a lower demand on manuals...to the point where a decision has to be made
oh and beyond all that talk here..
BMWs are no "real" sportscars..rowing gears in a multi tons heavy luxurious //M just makes less sense when looking at the car as a package
If I want a raw real sportscar for the nioe days with time and roads to haul ass,I go somewhere else and then opt for a manual if it makes sense there(wouldn`t mind a sequential in a production car though
)
must spread some...
Chris,
I agree with your DD philosophy...
the real raw stuff for selected days and the more real world oriented material as DD
the change of BMWs way to deliver "Freude am Fahren" also has to do with the change of their customers profile..
these days//Ms are increasingly often driven by rather young customers who tend to DD the cars since it`s their only car...plus the fact that it is the "generation Playstation" which prefers the latest and greatest gimmicks on the market.
This leads to a lower demand on manuals...to the point where a decision has to be made
oh and beyond all that talk here..
BMWs are no "real" sportscars..rowing gears in a multi tons heavy luxurious //M just makes less sense when looking at the car as a package
If I want a raw real sportscar for the nioe days with time and roads to haul ass,I go somewhere else and then opt for a manual if it makes sense there(wouldn`t mind a sequential in a production car though
) 
Jun 26, 2012 | 09:09 AM
#28
Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 31,976
From: Minnesota
in euroland you got sticks on lower end cars,..you learn it at driving school,..
every crap car is a MT
so here it`s nothing special,..and more of a luxury to have an AT to save nerves in traffic
in the US it`s the other way round,..AT is standard,MT is something special,..for the car guys and "good drivers",..you can set yourself apart from the rest by knowing how to drive a stick properly,..it`s cool,almost fashionable
how many times does one drive his DD at the performance level where a stick makes fun?
not all that often compared to the time on sits in traffic or rolls down the highway in a massive stream of cars
PDK,DCT etc are good compromises here,..offering both manual and auto mode
plus it`s faster and being faster equates to fun as well
a bit digitalized,less raw etc but it does the job,e.g changing gears(fast)
every crap car is a MT
so here it`s nothing special,..and more of a luxury to have an AT to save nerves in traffic
in the US it`s the other way round,..AT is standard,MT is something special,..for the car guys and "good drivers",..you can set yourself apart from the rest by knowing how to drive a stick properly,..it`s cool,almost fashionable
how many times does one drive his DD at the performance level where a stick makes fun?
not all that often compared to the time on sits in traffic or rolls down the highway in a massive stream of cars
PDK,DCT etc are good compromises here,..offering both manual and auto mode
plus it`s faster and being faster equates to fun as well
a bit digitalized,less raw etc but it does the job,e.g changing gears(fast)
Jun 26, 2012 | 10:06 AM
#30
Teamspeed Pro
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,595
From: ATL
Same for me - I enjoy shifting my 6MT everyday (even in traffic). I also actually enjoy rock hard engine mounts, gearbox chatter, even in traffic. It reminds me that I'm driving a true sports car with actual racing heritage, rather than a luxo GT.