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Unlike the years of yore, modern automatic transmission reduces the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times, as well as increases the MPG, in the same car. Moreover, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic for an hour in a manual car can be a pure torture to your leg. Not to mention getting yelled at by a spouse who cannot (and won't or can't learn how to) drive a stick.
Having said that, I don't think the paddle shifters can replace the fun experience of driving a stick. The level of engagement and involvement in the driving experience in a car with the idiot box cannot possibly compare to those of a stick. You rarely see a distracted driver in a manual car. Why? Because you constantly have to keep track of so many different details involved in driving a stick, Moreover, putting on the makeup, eating a Big Mac, texting, etc. is exponentially more difficult with one hand (well, manual drivers wait until they are cruising on highway speeds. lol).
Just about every person I know with paddle shifters just keep their car in "D" mode all the time. Paddles are fun while test driving, but most people don't remember or bother to shift to "S" and then paddle up or down.
It depends on the car. Most of the cars with paddle shifters are mated to an electronically selected automatic transmission. That's not the same at all. The "gear" you've selected is basically the maximum gear the vehicle can be in. It's not different than the old style automatic shifters that had all of the numbers on the column below D. Newer transmission like the DSGs actually shift a gear instead of changing the max gear when you use the paddles. Those are really fun to drive IMHO. Real 3-pedal manuals today are less efficient in pretty much every way compared to an automatic or DSG but I still prefer manuals.
It depends on the car. Most of the cars with paddle shifters are mated to an electronically selected automatic transmission. That's not the same at all. The "gear" you've selected is basically the maximum gear the vehicle can be in. It's not different than the old style automatic shifters that had all of the numbers on the column below D. Newer transmission like the DSGs actually shift a gear instead of changing the max gear when you use the paddles. Those are really fun to drive IMHO. Real 3-pedal manuals today are less efficient in pretty much every way compared to an automatic or DSG but I still prefer manuals.
Yep, paddle shifters on my Lexus is basically a gear limiter. So if you are in 4th gear manual "mode" it will still shift normally from 1-2-3 but max out at 4th gear. Pretty useless
Keep in mind that Ferrari doesn't sell any cars today with a manual transmission. From what I read, Porsche hardly sells any cars today with manuals although they still offer them.
It still doesn't replicate the feel of a true manual. You can have high tech autos that shift in 0.000001 second and get 55 MPG....there's still nothing like popping the clutch in, banging a shifter down to 2nd and letting the clutch up and getting the rear tires loose!
Keep in mind that Ferrari doesn't sell any cars today with a manual transmission.
Keep in mind that you're wrong.
As I've already written earlier on this thread, Ferrari's F1 transmission is a true manual transmission with a clutch. It just happens to shift gears using paddles instead of a stick.
You're making the same mistake that most everyone else on this thread has been making: You're equating a manual transmission that uses paddles with cars that have an automatic transmission, but also allow quasi-manual shifting via paddles.
It still doesn't replicate the feel of a true manual. You can have high tech autos that shift in 0.000001 second and get 55 MPG....there's still nothing like popping the clutch in, banging a shifter down to 2nd and letting the clutch up and getting the rear tires loose!
And my guess is that you've never driven a car with an F1 transmission.
No, but nothing beats the feeling of a stick shift Geo Metro
My grandparents bought that car. My dad constantly berated it. I was fortunately too young to drive. They got rid of it a year or two before I was 15. Then the only clutch in the family was my dad's 05 Acura TL. Not a bad car to learn on!
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