Dr.Bill

I wonder - were people as excited when the Tiptronic was first introduced?

Now, it seems to have fallen out of favor. Makes you think. . .

saltydawg

I suspect there was initial excitement with Tiptronic, though to a lesser degree. The Tiptronic was never thought of as a replacement to a manual transmission in race cars while the Formula 1 type transmission seems to be the standard as opposed to a manual transmission in Formula 1. The PDK thus offers performance advantages on the racing circuit while the Tiptronic with its torque converter would always be disadvantaged.

As far as I know, the Tiptronic never gained any real popularity in the U.S., except for the Turbo's it seems. Whether the PDK will ultimately gain market share is anyone's guess.

There is no denying that as cars evolve and improve, the transmission choices will also evolve and hopefully improve. For Porsche, today it is the PDK. In the future, possibly some variant of the Continous Variable Transmission.

I don't follow the car racing world closely, but you can bet the current technologies of the Formula 1 cars and Indy cars will give you a glimpse into the future of the consumer performance cars.

inactiveuser1

Depends on ones preference.Some drag cars also and want launch control and pdk.
How many have ever missed a gear and lost a race?
Ok noone may not admit that
think about that next time when a car with pdk walks past you.
Next car will be with PDK as into drag racing more than road race track use.
May also see gt3's with PDK in the future?

rijowysock

i will start by saying i hate tiptronic and have yet to buy a cayenne because of tip being the only option as of yet.. hate hate hate the trans.. feels like crap.

i always drove 6speed and my first 997 was 6 speed.

that being said, when i bought my second, 6 speed was no longer an option and pdk was a "for sure" on my checklist..

havent regretted a damn thing..


love my pdk

DRJMK

I love my PDK especially with SCP on. I owned a 997.1 with tip and SC. It was ok, but did not deliver the performance I have found with the PDK. There are many reasons why one buys the PDK and it is here to stay. it would be interesting to see the numbers of PDK cars sold vs 6 MT now and years from now!

larrytrk

Had a few regrets initially, but, after a stint in heavy traffic and after playing around in manual sport and sport+ mode, I absolutely love it.
I was impressed on the first drive.

mdrums

You can get a 6 sp manual in the Cayenne GTS. Other than that the Tip in the Cayenne drives like any other SUV with an automatic....which serves the purpose for this type of vehicle.

StanThePorscheFan

IMO, when buying a sports car, if the absence of a manual shift does not "kill" the feeling of driving a sports car, then go for the PDK. For me personaly, the PDK test drive was very non-sports car like. I felt I am missing something, control maybe. Manual is what I've got this time and what I will get again and again.

russo

PDK is awesome; however, as previous posts mentioned, if you are passionate about driving a sports car, the manual is the way to go. Heel to toe is a skill, like any other skill, that must be learned. My next Cayenne will be a PDK, a 911 will always be a manual. If I drove my 911 as a daily driver in dense traffic I would consider a PDK, but then again, my everyday car is a Honda and my 911's are for pure fun.

DJ23

What needs to be remembered is that PDK can also be driven manually by moving the shift **** forward or backward to select the appropriate gear. No you do not have the capabilities of using a clutch or performing heel-toe, but I think it's the advanced technolory and efficiency that makes this so attractive. In fact my sales rep has told me that the sensors involved with the PDK are so intricate that they can actually detect how much pressure you are exerting on the accelerator in order to know which gear to preselect for you. On paper it appears to be an exicitng piece of new technology that for some will be great to try. For others who love the visceral feel of the manual stay with it. To say that a PDK Porsche isn't a sports car seems unjustified. Let's face it a Porsche will alwasy be one great car whether it's a manual or PDK. I test drove a 997S PDK and it's one heck of a ride that is quick and efficient whether I chose to shift the gears myself or with the computer.

Jay

OldGuy

they arent even close and it never did make me think. I would have bought a Volvo minivan before I bought a Tiptronic. I have driven the tips in turbos and others and they were HOORRRRIBBLEE as Jim Rome says. I liked tranny in the AMG I had that was a 7 speed -speedshift auto with paddles. I thought the AMG tranny was almost as good as the F1 in the Ferrari F430. But not quite.
To that point I would have stayed with the wonderful 6 speed manual in the three 911s I had before. My TT and the 996 and 997 GT3s I had. But one morning in April I drove the PDK. Pete Stout of Excellence Magazine had emailed me and told me how great it was. Pete's as knowledgeable as they come for a Porsche enthusiast and his enthusiasm for the PDK caught me off gaurd. So I had high expectations for the PDK. That usually means my high expectations are let down. But not this time. Everything the PDK did was amazing. The way it shifted, the way it anticipated what I wanted and how much fun it was to shift was just great. I think its one of the biggest leaps forward in auto technology in years. Its better than the Ferrari box. There are more options with the PDK than the 6 speed.
Its just a fun way to drive.

Todd in PA

I drove both and even though the computer can shift better than I can, I get tremendous pleasure from shifting and matching the revs. I practice heel and toe downshifting all the time and enjoy the satisfaction from using my SKILL to make a perfect downshift. I also like the added involvement and the complete control that I have over gear selection. I will sometimes gently accelerate to around 4000 in second and then dump it in 4th to continue. I like the choice that a manual gives me. If i was going to track the car and every fraction of a second was important to me I would choose a PDK. It makes perfect downshifts and lets the driver concentrate on throttle application and the line w/o upsetting the balance of the car. My 997.2 is a manual

Bob Rouleau

My C4S DD is PDK and I love it. Complete manual control and a nice smooth auto for traffic jams. On the track, PDK is a dream, super fast shifts up and down with no interruption of power (constant torque) so I can shift in the corners as needed. Love it. If the RS offered it, I'd take it in a heartbeat.

ATX

Love my PDK thus far as noted in other threads..... Still low mileage for me, so waiting to post a longer review until I can really drive it. Drive both and choose what you like.

Key word is "drive." It always strikes me as strange when folks have negative things to say about a technology that they have never experienced (that would also include the launch control feature naysayers that have commented in this thread).

rijowysock

tip gives me nightmares... never will i ever.. and i think the cayenne isnt a proper platform for manual.. ill get a pdk one.


to the OP:

i would feel that pdk would be better with an option to set default=auto or manual.. as when i pull the lever down.. i just go to auto and stay there more often than id likee.