would you prefer manual?

[jagseven]

Whilst a lot has been said about how good the GTR gearbox is I wonder if it will take some of the driving pleasure away - I say this after an enjoyable drive last nice in my manual Ford S-max 2.5T (great car btw!)

I realise you can drive the car in manual mode but pulling paddles is just not the same as the satisfying mechanical feeling you get with a good manual gearbox and clutch pedal. When I tried a Golf GTi with DSG it was very impressive but not as much fun as a manual GTi.

I don't doubt that a manual would make the car slower and auto is good for traffic jams, but how many would choose a manual if this was available?

[tokyogtr]

don't miss it and it's not an option so there you have it.

[Zoobcheck]

I would, if it were an option.

[robsm]

Have to say I would prefer a manual, as I've driven a DSG golf aswell and you feel really detached from the car in my opinion. It was a toss up between an R8 and the GTR but I decided I need to get away from the Audi brand as I've had 2 Audi's in a row now. This and the insane amount of hype around the GTR.

[Eric GTR]

I will never buy a non DSG car ever again

And I come from a history of owning most of the 4wd turbo cars made over the last 20 years (20v quatty, 4x4 cossie, integrale, S4, RS4, Celica GT4, Scoobys etc) and I hated auto's with a passion having driving just about all of them (volvo's, mercs, bimmers, audis, s tronic, tip tronic, m tronic, cvt etc)

I damaged my ankle a few years back and it was not healing as i have to ride the clutch for a couple of hours each day driving in london, I initially was after an S8 but in the end i went for a R32 DSG (mkV golf) it took a couple of months to get a good flow with it and for it to learn my driving "style" but 18 months in it is without doubt the best real world car I have ever owned, I still love it (S4 lasted a week before i ripped the suspension of...), nothing I have owned is faster point to point in the real world, not even my chipped RS4 (bi turbo), nore more fun. It punches well above its weight and is just so usable, wet bumpy roads just don't phase it even on full bore. If it had 400bhp i doubt I would get a GT-R

I cant face manuals now, they just seam so slow, clunky, old fashioned and crap.

[RSVFOUR]

The one thing that all the pundits and critics agree on is that the GTR gearbox is on a different level to pretty much all other cars. To change this would be stupid at best

Fitting a standard manual change would be like buying a ferrari and painting it pink - Theres always someone who will want to do it but it wouldnt be right.

[kpkpkp]

Manuals are just soooooooooooo gay, sooooooooooooo old skool - they don't allow you to spend as much time perfecting a corner, balancing the throttle or concentrating on the breaking and turn in points of a corner. You can get the car far more settled in for a corner far earlier in a car with a sorted DSG box - it is why F1 has used it for sooooooo long. Then there are full throttle gear changes . . oh don't get me started

Kp

[borat52]

Originally Posted by kpkpkp

Manuals are just soooooooooooo gay, sooooooooooooo old skool - they don't allow you to spend as much time perfecting a corner, balancing the throttle or concentrating on the breaking and turn in points of a corner. You can get the car far more settled in for a corner far earlier in a car with a sorted DSG box - it is why F1 has used it for sooooooo long. Then there are full throttle gear changes . . oh don't get me started

Kp

No doubt DSG is quicker, but which is more fun/involving to drive? The jury is still out for me on this one, I guess it depends on what your looking for in a car. A friend called round in a GT3 RS a few weeks back and comparing side by side to the GTR for a daily driver there was no contest, but if I wanted something track oriented that was going to be a real fun driving experience I have to say the GT3 would win me over on that count.

What I will say for the GTR is that its great to be able to plonk the car into auto for town driving.

[RSVFOUR]

ITS EASY

driving round town no contest auto or dsg is better than manual

round a track dsg is quicker - proven fact

standing 1/4 or 0-60 again no contest

So the only question left is whats more fun going faster or playing with a metal rod . ( and I did say a metal one )

[tokyogtr]

now that they've made the gearbox as good as this, manuals are pointless and in my opinion less fun. i cam over from a 290bhp lotus exige, about as manual as you can get. fun? yes. but it's a different type of fun. the manual gearbox makes sense in that car os it all works together as one.

a manual gearbox in the GT-R just wouldn't fit and if they did it you'd be sick of it in no time. the DSG is THAT good.

[sjc]

The thought of it being an Auto very nearly put me off, I went through all the cliche thoughts of "will it be involving, lose the pleasure of heel/toeing ( and getting it right 1/50! etc)"
However, having been on the Academy day driving the car, ALL negative thoughts about the box have been banished............never thought I'd say that.

[charles charlie]

Prior to driving the GTR at Silverstone I would have begged NIssan for a manual option.

But after driving the GTR I have to say I was blown away with the gearbox. Utterly sublime.

Now, I wouldnt want a GTR without it.

Dont comment without having driven it.......

[Eric GTR]

I think the problem is that over the years the car industry has tried many different types of auto's all going to be the best thing, all going to make manual control pointless and all to date have been crap

DSG is not an auto although it can swap cogs for you, im trying to think how to describe it hmmm brilliant thats about it really, I love it and I wont go back to manual ever.

Last night I was driving home late on wet deserted roads having some fun with 4wd drifts powering out of the corners, and what makes it more fun is you can change gear mid corner and it has never upset the balance of the car

Now along comes Nissan with an even better DSG setup woohoo

[sumo69]

Originally Posted by charles charlie

Prior to driving the GTR at Silverstone I would have begged NIssan for a manual option.

But after driving the GTR I have to say I was blown away with the gearbox. Utterly sublime.

Now, I wouldnt want a GTR without it.

Dont comment without having driven it.......

I concur with this - my thoughts exactly.

[Armed English]

Before the racing academy I too towed the popular line that a manual gear box is better than auto. I think that this is usually people living in the past with rose tinted specs, me included.

However after coming out of the GTR and getting into the 350Z I can say without a doubt I'd never go back to manual. The manual felt so so dated it was horrible. The GTR DSG is awesome.

It was like when I got rid of my 10 year old Marin mountain bike last year and brought a 2k Scott. Light and day difference and no loss of driving pleasure.