neanicu

There's also a very simple reason people might like PDK more....BECAUSE THEY CAN'T DRIVE STICK!!!!
There is nothing more fun in a Porsche,than when you're driving on a nice winding road and you need to pass someone or even to come out of a corner and you drop from 4th to 3rd or from 3rd to 2nd and you floor it,making even the wheels to spin and you're out of there...See Ya! In a few words...you're in total control of the car!

neanicu

There you go :
http://www.zercustoms.com/news/2010-Mercedes-E-Class-price.html
Mercedes has the manual transmission for these cars,but I know you have to special order to be built with it. It will probably cost a little more too.
I'm sure your E 350 4matic wagon would be a smash hit in the US with a 6 speed in it!

cole328

[QUOTE=jumper5836;9357580]Manual is the most engaging aspect of owning a sport car. It's also the most manly man thing. PDK are for girls and for those who lack skill and need an advantage.


ha...now that is some funny sheat. I had a manual in my 997, and it was indeed awesome. however, for a DD, rowing the gears is a pain in the ****. PDK is an amazing piece of technology, and I am sure that it will only continue to get better. My next car 10000% will be PDK, as I am a daily driver, and you have the bnest of both worlds (without any of the inconvenience that comes with a stick in traffic)

Anyway, there's a reason they still make chocolate AND vanilla ice cream.

Storm Trooper

Amen.

TSpyder

I'll be ordering a 991 with PDK. The car will replace my 650 as a DD in LA traffic, so a competent auto mode is a must. OTOH, having developed skill with a manual, I'd never be w/o one. In this case, the stick is in my 21 yo NSX which is driven when and where traffic is not a concern.

With track experience in an SMG-equipped M6, I was blown away with how much better the dual-clutch setup is in the 991. Seamless shifts in auto mode, with flawless paddle shifts when needed.

Spyder

Storm Trooper

Absolutely agree . . . I have a 2007 350Z Nismo, manual 6 speed and drive that when I want to have a "full body workout" in a car.

I will always have two cars, although if my financial recovery stays on track, I will be getting back into a 3 car lineup, which is what I had before the recession. Variety is the spice of life, and my goal is to have the following:

991 PDK - already have
350Z Nismo, Manual 6 Speed - already have
2013 or newer Boxster S, Manual 6 Speed - the third car in the lineup, for top down, full body experience in a light, tossable car

I realize that not everyone can have a multi-car lineup. If I was in that situation, and I could have only my 991, I honestly don't know which I would prefer, 991 in PDK or 7 Speed manual.

Rushman71

Another one of these threads? The manual transmission is dead and as one magazine writer professed, "the only people still whining about it are old men in Hawaiian shirts." There is NOTHING engaging about a manual transmission. You are simply selecting a gear. As a percentage of what goes into hustling a car precisely down a road or around a racetrack, it's 1% if that. If you think shifting gears is this hard engaging experience, yes even with using the heel/toe technique, you probably shouldn't be trying to drive a car quickly anyway.

Time marches on. Keep up or get left behind.

TSpyder

Well Trooper, along with the 991, NSX, and 650 (to be transferred to Wifey as her DD when the 991 arrives), I still need a vehicle that can transport two Dobermans that regard headrests as rawhide bones. A new Toaureg TDI fills that role quite well.

Spyder

Storm Trooper

Agreed. I got my wife a new DD, and I took her DD, an 11 year old Nissan Pathfinder, as my "hauling stuff" car for firewood, supplies for the office, etc.

As for the detractors on the joys of driving a 6 speed or 7 speed manual, I would like to say something, and I hope this does not violate the rules of this form. If it does, I would ask that the forum minders please delete this post.

To me, it's the difference between a massage with a happy ending (PDK) and really good sex (manual). The former is a bit more of a passive experience, the latter is a full-body experience. Both very enjoyable, but one is very, very different from the other. I'm not trying to be funny here, but just trying to make a point that I've made many times before to my driving enthusiast friends and it seems to resonate with them when I say it.

sapman

Utter rubbish.

Show me a single 458 that has a manual. You can't because they don't exist. There is no manual transmission developed for it.

Yes, Mercedes sells some of their lineup with manuals, but they are not all available to the US market. You can't just order one.

Seriously, where did you come up with this stuff???

sapman

It is really not that hard.



You can't drop a gear in PDK? Again, it is not that hard.

sapman

What does this have to with availability of the e class with a manual Gearbox in the US?

superquant

Uhmmm no. You can't. The last manual available was on the 430 and that was 3 years ago.

neanicu

You're being a little drastic.
What I said it's from my general knowledge. I might be wrong,no problem. Ferrari has plenty manual transmissions,I don't know about the 458,but at the price tag it's coming with and how exclusive their clientele is,I don't see why they wouldn't build a custom special order for more money.
If you know a case in which someone tried to get one like that and couldn't,please share. If not,let me believe what I want.

neanicu

You're right,it's not hard.
Good thing we all have a choice.
Enjoy!