i can... i know its out of our price point for these cars, but porsche's transmissions are absolutely freaking amazing... along with most everything else on those cars

:iagree: I especially like Porsches' amazing total cost of ownnership.

I owned a Prelude and a HondaS2000, the 370 doesnt even come close to the butter smooth shifting of those manuals, however this car shiits on those cars when it comes to practical torque on the streets.

I dunno, i came into my Z from a 5 speed manual accord and fine my shifts to be just as smooth if not smoother in the Z :tiphat:

My biggest gripe with the Z is the engine. It doesn't sound good, and it feels like it's about to shake itself to pieces when you rev it up.

This is a fatal mistake in a "sports car" IMO.

I agree with the sound but its because Nissan restricted the motor excessively with the cats and catbacks. Throw some HFC's/test pipes and the catback of your choice and you'll be in love.

Yes!

The feel of the transmissoin and how well it actually performs are two different things. You can't compare a Z to an economy car. The transmission is more directly linked, and there is much more power in the Z. If you drive a manual Toyota Yaris, you may as well be driving an automatic it is so effortless and smooth. When you drive a manual 'Vette, it feels like you are trying to use the brake lever on an old roller coaster.

That's really not true. Tons of high power cars come with great feeling transmissions.

less and less every year though. Manual trans is a dying breed

My 2004 Mustang GT transmission felt way better. Sure the clutch was heavier but when I added a pro 5.0 shifter it was great. I'm sure the current 5.0 probably feels as good with a short shifter as well. No offense to the Z but the manual transmission is not good, sure it performs and holds up but when it comes to "feeling good" it fails.

TR3650 was a nice transmission!

Yeah I'm not saying power is the only factor that determines transmission feel. Obviously it's not. But transmission feel and transmission quality aren't the same. It sounds like people on here are quick to call a transmission inferior just because 2nd gear is rough in the cold.

I agree that, yes, there is more to a transmission than feel. But, when I (and many others) buy a sporty car, a slick shifting transmission is a critical area in deciding how fun the car is.

The z's transmission has no negative impact on things like lap times, and it doesn't appear to functionally inhibit the car at all. It just doesn't put a smile on your face the way an rx8 transmission does.

So true, it is an integral part of the driving experience, and nothing could really compensate for an unpleasant gearbox. Thinking of that RX-8 transmission always makes me happy.