Mike in CA

Chris, I respect your comments and am glad you are happy with your 6-speed. I must say there are still times when I miss the clutch and manual gearbox but overall I couldn't be more pleased with the PDK and would definitely make the same choice again.

My experience with the PDK, though, has been rather different than what you had on your one hour test drive. While I agree with you, normal auto mode upshifts too soon for my taste also, it's designed for economy, not sport and has it's place. On the other hand, I find sport mode perfect for my normal driving. Up shifts occur later than in auto but are not by any means overly aggressive as in sport plus, downshifts happen with lovely little blips of the throttle (sounds great through the PSE!), and the transmissions shifts in general are quick but quite smooth. Also, in my experience, which is mostly in sport mode, the PDK is very quick to adapt. If I am aggressive with the throttle and run the car fairly hard up through the gears then slow down, the next time I'm on the gas the PDK is already ready to shift at higher RPM than before, anticipating my next move. If I don't then proceed to give it more gas, the PDK will back off and upshift early again. All of this takes place within seconds.

Of course, if you don't want PDK doing so much of the work for you, you can shift it for yourself. Not quite as involving as a 6 speed manual it's true, but not bad at all. For me, the PDK actually doesn't feel like an automatic in the way it moves from rest, accelerates, decelerates on overrun, etc. It feels like a manual gearbox that just doesn't happen to have a clutch pedal, which is pretty much just what it is. And it does provide benefits in performance and economy over the manual.

So pay your money and take your choice. We both did that. It's great that Porsche, unlike some manufacturers, still gives us a choice.

aggie57

The thing that amuses me about these discussions is an assumption by some - car designers included - that using a 6-speed in traffic is somehow a burden. Makes me think of that scene in the WALL-E movie when people have everything done by machines. Surely it's not a huge hassle to actually use the left leg for a clutch?

Maybe years ago when cars had nasty three-speed column shifting crash-boxes with heavy clutches and your every day 6 cylinder mainstreet car engine produced 80-85bhp (because they did - really!) that made sense. But your modern manual car generally has a light clutch, seemless shift, reliable synchro's and an engine that produces 200bhp or more with a very nice flat torque curve.

My 6-speed .2 is my DD and I commute in it every day through the centre of a 4-milllion person city. Each trip is enjoyable. Last week I tried a PDK for an hour or so which was nice but just another auto. Yes, with revs on the changes were fun and smooth and all that but by then I was heading way over the speed limit even on a country road. And I really didn't like how it decided to go from 6th or 7th down to a rev-limiter 2nd when I accelerated firmly. All I wanted was a bit more go.

Da Hapa

Amen to that... Ferrari has decided to not even offer the new 458 with a 3 pedal gearbox. Apparently less than 1% of F430 buyers chose to row it on their own and so Ferrari isn't even worried about catering to that minority anymore.

SARGEPUG

I am all for the 6 speed, nothing beats that full driver experiance / input. However, make sure you get the short throw, it is a world of difference.

LlBr

What about double clutching with pre synchromesh gearboxes? Were there any guys who preferred the "driver involvement" of the more demanding non-synchro gearbox? All that extra work, err, involvement made the car slower. The power, punch, speed and upshift-downshift-anytime-balance of PDK is amazing compared to manual, make sure you try it first, then decide. Again: no offense, just trying to discuss with all my Porschephile brothers so they might get the equipment they will love most.

aggie57

Depends entirely in the car. In a 1960 Fiat 500 - yes!!

Just because you're going faster does not make driving more fun and sometimes technology gets in the way.

But my point in my previous post was that with current manual cars, particularly the ones we drive, I don't see any problem with the 6-speed for general everyday road use. That's all.

mdrobc1213

Okay drove a 997.2 S PDK car today with sports and sports plus chrono and it was a very nice drive. Amazing in that PDK seemed to anticipate my shifts and driving style with pretty good success/intuition. I recall slowing thu an off ramp and downshifting manually from about 6th thru the gears to 3rd as the traffic also slowed in frong of me and PDK already kicking down to 1st gear by the time I stopped the car due to traffic in front of me. Amazing. Also Sports Chrono changes the whole flavor of the car was like the sports button I am used to on steriods! Overall very impressed with the car. Have driven and owned the 6sp manual Porsches so an very familiar 6sp too and the PDK impressed me alot.

Only thing car did NOT have NAV or PSE...which I am told can be added later. So now time to think on it and see what the final choice will be. Thanks for all the advice and insights.

LlBr

Yup. Guys should definitely try it before they decide against it. It's really something. FWIW.

SARGEPUG

That is tooooo much involvement. Then we can take yuor point to the flintstones, where are those guys that want to use their feet!

rmccarthy1234

PDK with Chrono Plus Package is the way to go. In normal mode, it shifts great. In sports mode...it F1 baby. Get the sport exhaust as well. Sounds like a gt3 at 4000 rpms. Wish my CTTS had pdk vs the 6 speed but with 550hp...whose complaining

triode

Umm...not.

Mark618

FWIW the new Ferrari does not offer a manual, only F-1.

Targa Tim

that's why I'm not getting one.

LlBr

I wonder what Ferrari guys say about that. Do they have the same debate we do? Also, how did Ferrari make that decision?

While we're at it does anybody have any documented accounts of what Formula 1 drivers thought of paddle shifting when it first came out? Did they have the same debate? Seriously, I have no idea, just asking.

CC911

I test drove PDK and enjoyed it - best auto I've ever driven by far BUT quickly found myself sipping into autopilot. I should however note I drive a Gt3 and don't have any problems /complaints using it daily - in fact I find excuses to use the gears as every simple drive is an experience (possibly i've just not grown up yet ...and maybe never will tee hee hee :)