Me and my friend did race 6 M/T 2009 silver (with 7000 km on it ) against 7 A/T 2010 euro black edition (2500 km) on the closed track yesterday
We switched both cars frequently, races were always neck to neck close, however, there is one important factor that with one exception led always to A/T close victory
We both are used to drive crisp and perfectly built euro cars with M/T - bmw 3er and audi a5, that's important to mention.
After switching to Zs, we quickly come to conclusion, that 7 A/T in manual is first-class transmission, one of the best we have driven so far (I've definitely liked it more then a dual clutch S-tronic in Audit TT).
The manual however is not. We hated it. As a huge Z fan I'm really sorry to admit it, but the manual quality is average at best and SynchroRev cannot compensate for extremely hard and not very precise shifting with stick violently shaking all the time
And results are clearly visible in a race conditions or under stress when you try to do shifts as fast as possible - you will miss a gear. During our testing, we both did. For the first time in at least 2 years
When I drove my A5 home, I missed the power and agility of the Z, however I was so happy to be back with my audi's M/T...
Yes, we are both spoiled and not pro racers, but if anyone there is like us, the 7 A/T is to way to consider
