6M/T vs. 7A/T race with consumer advice
 

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:tup:
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:eek:
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 :shakes head: 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 :mad:
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... :driving:

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 ;)

Thanks for your opinion. However my opinion is the complete opposite having owned a host of vehicles from beaters to exotics. The 6MT (IMO) defines the fun factor of the Z. The auto feel slow, sluggish, and detached, coming most recently from a GR6 DCT so it's not quite fair.

But as they say...opinions are like a$$holes............that's why they make both for the Z! Happy driving! :)

Ibtl :rofl2:

I own a 7 AT and I can see both points. Yeah manuals and definitely more fun and yeah the Auto feels sluggish when it's in auto mode but there are just some days where I'm like thank god I don't need to shift (bad traffic or just lazy). But yes, the 7 AT is a kickass auto transmission and the paddle shifters work great.

Thanks for posting your experiences, now we'll just wait for the AT vs. MT war

I can understand the whole manual = more fun.

but saying that the AT is sluggish is...wrong.

it can feel sluggish in D but you arent going to tell me that it shifting in 0.5 seconds is slow :roflpuke2:

Well I don't want to start a useless MT vs. AT war. :roflpuke2:

I just want to warn euro car owners that switching to Z manual can be big issue and not at all pleasant experience. Especially if Z is second car to the daily driven manual BMW, MB or Audi. These are my 2 cents.

I test drove the Z manual at francorchamps and at the dealership.

it sure as hell felt rough compared to my old megane's MT.

but then again I like it rough :stirthepot::roflpuke2:

Basically wat it comes down to is I like charburgers and cheese fries. :yum:

I think manuals better because your wife and kids can't drive it!
Not only that but manual is faster if you are somewhat decent at manual driving.
Though auto would be nice if I did not have one arm but fortunately I do have both arms therefore I drive manual.

you should take some driving courses

This is the exact same reason I went into the dealership only wanting a MT and came out only wanting the AT.

The Z is my first manual, and I will never go back to an auto.

Oh boy another MT vs AT thread!

I'll guess I'll stir the pot a bit and put in my 2 cents.

6MT 370Z = more fun, takes more skill to drive fast
7AT 370Z = seems to be quicker with the average driver

IIRC, #1, #3, #4, #8 spots are 6MT. :stirthepot:
Nissan 370Z 1/4 Mile Drag Racing Timeslips - DragTimes.com

Didnt AT first start finding there ways in sports car to appeal to women??? Ouch I'm going to make alot of people mad LOL... When it comes to a car like the Z a stick is the only way to go I'm sorry. Then if you have an Auto and you put an exhaust on it, eww I hate that sound inbetween gear changes.

Yes! IBFTL!!




DAN

:rofl2: Maybe my 60.000 km a year is not good enough for you and you know we are wrong, because you've heavily tested both MT and AT Zs and you own first class german car to compare. Right? :p
But sure, I will do an advanced driving course as I always do with every new car. I do have feeling this will not improve quality of Z's manual transmission even a little, so for the first time in my life, I'll do it with an AT. Yes, I love Z so much. :icon17:

So if we buy AT's are we turning the Z into a chicks car? They already sell Boxters. :rofl2:

This is not MT vs AT thread. This thread is about difficulties of switching to manual Z from german cars with better manual transmissions. I don't say Z's MT or AT is better. I share my experience that for few of us Z's MT is just not feeling right.

i remember watching some tv show years ago, and at the time automatic trans were not as advanced as today. they asked a race driver which would fare better in the real world (manual or automatic). the race driver said automatic. he said it would take the skills of a race driver to offset the differences. so, i was not surprised to see the results.

True, but you can't gain skill driving an automatic.

what sound between gear changes. never noticed anything as the change is so quick that its pretty much a constant acceleration noise. :roflpuke2:

MT gear changes is ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAR....silence. ROAAAAAAAAAAAR.

AT is like ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAR.ROAAAAAAAAAAAAAR.

or something like that. :stirthepot:

So should I sell my other cars just to focus on improving skills with Z's manual? :shakes head: I don't think so.

What skill?

MT fanatics are so funny.


you do know that the only difference is how you change gear.

MT = clutch and move stick.
AT = pedal click.

its not because your driving a AT that you automatically stop learning how to drive a car. :roflpuke2:

My next car will be a MT but the Z changed my opinion about ATs.

Stop it, its not a dual clutch tranny its not that fast, you still get that lazy slip sound into the next gear, sorry if I upset anyone but I always compare automatic trannys with a person who is maybe a little slow.

nah. with today's automatics, even a race car drivers can't offset the difference
the other day, i watched 'battle of the supercars' and the host asked the race driver what gear he was in when he passed the other guy. the race driver said 'i don't know, the car was doing the shifting and it was doing much faster than me' (he was driving a porsche 911 twin turbo :)

oh yes that sound that you hear for about 0,4/0,5 seconds.

:roflpuke2:

Thats enough time for me to say ouch an auto womp womp

stop bullshitting mate :stirthepot:

MT guys just want to use every single little thing to diss on us AT guys.

complaining about a sound you hear for less than a half second :roflpuke2:

MT guys are always so anti-AT instantly calling us slush boxes and how we cant drive.

We ATs are a peaceful group.

:stirthepot:

http://static.funnyjunk.com/pictures..._7a81_10f2.jpg

Easy there buddy. I just meant you can't improve on how to drive a manual by driving an automatic. I don't mean driving techniques obviously. You can't improve on something without access to it. I have nothing against automatics. I just prefer the MT. And yes I do know the difference.:roflpuke2:

well its pretty logic that you cant improve MT driving skills with an AT :roflpuke2:

well I still drive MT pretty much every day of the week so I don't have to worry about my skills getting rusty.

I've always driven a manual until this car. 7a/t, no regrets.

manual, automatic, doesn't matter they are both Z's but everyone knows yellow is the fastest color lol

Nope.......Blue is faster!

nice.
me, i don't think i could ever make the switch.

yes 0.5 seconds feels slow. Like I said, "IMO". Especially when you like to play with the gears like I do....up up down down up down up upup down down down down up up up up down down up........the repeated use of torque converter makes it feel very laggy. You might not feel it driving normally, but with repeated use within a short timeframe, you would.

But it's just what you like...we're just all stating our opinions. You will never change my mind, just like I will never change yours. To me, the AT is slow, boring, disconnected, and incapable. To you, the 6MT is a hassle, slow, and tiring. We have different priorities when driving. We just need to enjoy our own cars that we spent our own money to buy.










oh and 7AT are for girls. :stirthepot::p j/k

Nope, Red. Cops said so. :stirthepot:



Also, in the interest of Manual vs Auto: I will take an E-gear Gallardo or Murcielago over the Manual counterpart any day of the week. I am a firm believer of Sports Car = MT. However, the Italians with their silly gated shifter can make even me wish for the E-gear.

:iagree:

I owned an '04 Gallardo E-Gear....wow what a horrible transmimssion to drive in the city! Sold the car in a month. You're either taking off snapping your neck or you're burning the clutch. Takes quite a while to drive smoothly. The new E-Gears on the LP550/LP560/LP570's are a lot better I've heard...but I haven't tried it yet.

The s-cam e-gear on an LP560/LP570 are a night and day difference from the 04-08 Gallardo e-gear. Take one for a test drive. They make the little Lambo a feasible daily driver.

Also, I had the misfortune of driving a 1994 Diablo recently. Let me just go ahead and not recommend that to anyone.

I've driven that extensively too unfortunately. I share the sentiment. :icon17:

Also, the traditional use of the Lambo Doors were DEFINITELY needed. (Backing up).

The way to drive an early e-gear car is to always take off with more than 80% throttle. The RPMs should stabilize between 2300-2700 and allow for a smooth take off. If it's jumpy or outside of that range, take it to the dealer. There are a number of adjustments that can be done.