Thanks. :) I'm really passionate about cars. If I had the money, I'd build the Anderson A+CVT transmission and call it a day.

Haha. This might be a stupid statement, but I noticed the paddle shifters are separate from the steering wheel. I was testing out the paddle shifters + synchrorev match during a turn and yeah. Definitely different from my IS350, where the paddle shifters are attached to the steering wheel, so they rotate while turning.

:iamwithstupid:

Yep. I saw that too. Although, that's not different from many exotics. The Lambos have their paddle shifters on the column as well. I can't recall 100%, but I'm pretty sure Ferrari's are also on the column.

I just have to say, after going through the new new owners section I am shocked at how many people have chosen the 7AT. I can understand a few here and there but it seems like a large majority of the new owners here have gone with the automatic.

Staggering really.

Honestly, a while ago, people went with manuals because of their MPG. I'm SURE that since the 7AT gets the same economy as the 6MT, there's going to be a much bigger influx of AT drivers...

One of the things I didn't like about earlier ATs was that they didn't shift at the right time, or they didn't shift fast enough. If you let off the gas before the shift, the trans built up so much line pressure that the low RPM shift hurt the transmission, and eventually killed the clutch packs. That was a BIG reason that Auto Trannies died fast and manuals STILL ruled the road. But what I've noticed is that since the G35, Nissan seemed to figure out how to get around that by delaying shifting for a few seconds when you let off the gas.

The auto is a superior transmission now. But I just can't go with an Auto. It's manual or nothing for me.

At first I didn't like that they were on the column, but the paddles are very tall so it is easy to find them from different hand/wheel positions. Having them on the column means that they are always in the same place no matter what you are doing so in that sense it is a good choice. I like the BMW paddles a bit better. Actually, I like the Mazda (RX8) paddles the best though I'm guessing few would agree with me. Ultimately you will get used to whatever configuration you have very quickly and it won't really matter. I haven't yet encountered a set of paddles that I thought were actually bad.

(I'm talking paddles here, not transmissions.)

I wasn't seriously considering the 7AT since the 370z is a "real" sports car (my G is a "sports sedan" which is very different in my mind), but after following this thread and considering how good the 5AT is, I am starting to come around to the 7AT. The 10-15% of the time I really wish I had a MT really doesn't compare to the 85-90% of the time I am just driving casually. The ATs I have driven in the E90 BMWs and 2nd generation G35s are night-and-day better than what I had experienced just 5 years ago.