Jen emailed me this article that’s an argument for why automatic transmission vehicles are better than sticks. Of course, having bought my WRX earlier this year — and never for a moment considered not getting a stick — I completely disagree. Why? As the author with the opposing viewpoint puts it, “The plain truth is that sticks rule.” And are simply more fun to drive, which is the point that the automatic tranny author just glazes over at the end of the article. The second article also makes a good point about automatics making people lazy, which, of course, is the American way. So it’s no surprise that more people prefer automatics.
But that doesn’t make it a better driving experience. With 227 horses under the hood, why would I harness those stallions with an automatic?
1 response so far ↓
1 James Griffin // Dec 23, 2002 at 9:28 pm
Automatic or manual ?
Automatic transmissions are geared and programmed to keep an engine
within a “safe” range well bellow the engines peak horse power
producing RPM coupled with the fact that the majority of
japanese/european cars low cubic inch dissplacement engines require
nosebleed high RPM to make any real power, a manual or stick
transmission is the only way to go for a performance oriented driver.
Granted most drivers purchasing import cars are looking strictly for A
to B economical transportation and therefore are not ineterested in in
performance or driveing agressively (other than when flying into your
parking spot at the local mall/resteraunt) What about Automatics
transmitions that offer a manual shifting mode ? Even in its tiptronic
or “manual shifting variants” Auto tansmitions with the manual shift
option still are slaved to a computer and valvebody regulating shift
points, which are again set keep the engine well within its “safe” RPM
range thus are intrusive to a performance oriented driver who prefers
generally will shift by ear or touch when he/she feels the engine has
reached the nirvana like level of maximum power for that particular
gear. choosing between manual and automatic is a personal decision that
you will have to make for your self weighing both your proficiency at
operating the kind of vehicle you are seeking to purchase and how you
intend to operate that vehicle. Personally in a small disspacemet
dominated genre of import vehicles I prefer to row my own gears and
leave the automatics to those shutling children and crusing in the fast
lane at 45 mph and the poser rice boys with more stickers than actual
performance parts attached to their ride of choice.
James