OK, I'll admit it, the PDK kicks ass
09-25-2015, 08:21 PM
#1
OK, I'll admit it, the PDK kicks ***
Had the car for a few days. Started playing with the PDK today. Holy crap does it shift fast. I must say I could be a convert over a manual. And I still say maybe because there is something about shifting on your own. And having to shift every time. Keeps you more connected.
09-25-2015, 09:35 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
I love the PDK in the Macan and real paddles vs buttons. Love it. And it shifts so fast, it's unbelievable. I was afraid to switch to manual mode during the break in but afterwards I have used manual shifting on several occasions and love it. I don't do it all the time. I especially like it when you're about to merge onto highway and you downshift and it just flys.
09-27-2015, 12:19 AM
#5
My Macan is my first Porsche and my first PDK. Love it!
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10-05-2015, 11:05 PM
#8
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So much fun driving...I don't quite remember about shifting characteristics with SQ5. I test drove SQ5 way before I test drove Macan so I forgot...SQ5 pulled though.
I am glad that Porsche put PDK. Love it!
I am glad that Porsche put PDK. Love it!
10-08-2015, 03:17 PM
#9
Sure, PDK works well. But i'd still much prefer that Porsche offer a manual transmission option.
The manual is more fun to drive for many of us, plus it's more reliable, lighter, and less expensive. With the same gear ratios, I'd even bet that a manual transmission could be more fuel efficient as well.
If Porsche saw fit to offer a manual transmission and pass on the fun and weight savings to me, it could keep the cost difference it would otherwise spend on the hyper-complicated PDK.
The manual is more fun to drive for many of us, plus it's more reliable, lighter, and less expensive. With the same gear ratios, I'd even bet that a manual transmission could be more fuel efficient as well.
If Porsche saw fit to offer a manual transmission and pass on the fun and weight savings to me, it could keep the cost difference it would otherwise spend on the hyper-complicated PDK.
10-09-2015, 10:59 AM
#10
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Sure, PDK works well. But i'd still much prefer that Porsche offer a manual transmission option.
The manual is more fun to drive for many of us, plus it's more reliable, lighter, and less expensive. With the same gear ratios, I'd even bet that a manual transmission could be more fuel efficient as well.
If Porsche saw fit to offer a manual transmission and pass on the fun and weight savings to me, it could keep the cost difference it would otherwise spend on the hyper-complicated PDK.
The manual is more fun to drive for many of us, plus it's more reliable, lighter, and less expensive. With the same gear ratios, I'd even bet that a manual transmission could be more fuel efficient as well.
If Porsche saw fit to offer a manual transmission and pass on the fun and weight savings to me, it could keep the cost difference it would otherwise spend on the hyper-complicated PDK.
(I am aware that Peppers were offered with manual option but they are obviously extremely rare.)
10-09-2015, 04:24 PM
#11
Rennlist Member
I was driving and instructing in the rain at VIR this past week-end and, all the while, thinking that the Macan with its PDK would've been the perfect vehicle to have had on track...Only trouble, my wife would've killed me for having to drive with the windows down! 
10-09-2015, 04:40 PM
#12
Rennlist Member
yes it takes the clutch and stick shifter away, so one has less to do while driving
but you cannot objectively complain about how well it works... it's just brilliant
but you cannot objectively complain about how well it works... it's just brilliant
10-09-2015, 06:30 PM
#13
Rennlist Member
I think in the long run I would trust a PDK car more than a stick. Let me elaborate. PDK changes the gear, engages and disengages the clutch the same way EVERY SINGLE TIME. I can drive a stick shift really well and im very gentle on the clutch but I've seen others drive a stick as well and some people don't know how to shift worth sh*t. Will PDK result in over revs? Will it result in miss shifting and gear breaks? Any synchro issues? No. And it does all this in at least half the speed of manual shifting.
10-12-2015, 05:19 PM
#14
Rubik, you're missing the point. If one can't properly drive a manual transmission, then obviously those buyers need to opt for the automatic/manumatic/Tiptronic/PDK whiz-bang solution. Nobody here is saying that Porsche shouldn't sell the PDK. What experienced drivers such as myself request is the OPTION for a manual. A manual is less expensive, lighter, simpler, and more reliable. AND MORE FUN.
The more the auto industry, including Porsche, moves toward making the car an electronic gadget, the less that pilots who love to be fully engaged when they drive will be willing to pay the Porsche premium. All the infotainment crap that Porsche now offers really belongs in the Audi. Porsche should take a page from Colin Chapman and get back to building lightweight fun to drive cars. Mazda did so with its new MX-5 Miata. Why has VAG turned Porsche into overweight overpriced overcomplicated cars?
Don't even get me started with Porsche's lane nanny and electronic safety/self-driving aids. That's something that Audi or Lexus drivers might want. As a Porsche _sports car_ driver, I don't want any of that crap. Make those things optional.
Also, mechanically speaking, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of things that could go wrong in a computer-controlled dual-clutch setup. Setting aside the fact that the PDK is more expensive up front, look at the repair costs of a PDK versus a manual transmission. It's hard to believe that replacing a manual's burnt clutch plates could ever be as expensive as troubleshooting complex electro-hydraulic-mechanical systems. The younger generations seem to think that their cars should now be rolling cell phones to be rented instead of owned -- but they forget that cell phones have about a 2 year life span and if you spend all your time living virtually, then you never develop the human skills to so something for yourself ... like driving a manual transmission flawlessly. It's not hard, it just seems to take more practice than the lazy generation seems willing to expend.
The more the auto industry, including Porsche, moves toward making the car an electronic gadget, the less that pilots who love to be fully engaged when they drive will be willing to pay the Porsche premium. All the infotainment crap that Porsche now offers really belongs in the Audi. Porsche should take a page from Colin Chapman and get back to building lightweight fun to drive cars. Mazda did so with its new MX-5 Miata. Why has VAG turned Porsche into overweight overpriced overcomplicated cars?
Don't even get me started with Porsche's lane nanny and electronic safety/self-driving aids. That's something that Audi or Lexus drivers might want. As a Porsche _sports car_ driver, I don't want any of that crap. Make those things optional.
Also, mechanically speaking, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of things that could go wrong in a computer-controlled dual-clutch setup. Setting aside the fact that the PDK is more expensive up front, look at the repair costs of a PDK versus a manual transmission. It's hard to believe that replacing a manual's burnt clutch plates could ever be as expensive as troubleshooting complex electro-hydraulic-mechanical systems. The younger generations seem to think that their cars should now be rolling cell phones to be rented instead of owned -- but they forget that cell phones have about a 2 year life span and if you spend all your time living virtually, then you never develop the human skills to so something for yourself ... like driving a manual transmission flawlessly. It's not hard, it just seems to take more practice than the lazy generation seems willing to expend.
10-12-2015, 05:40 PM
#15
Rennlist Member
Rubik, you're missing the point. If one can't properly drive a manual transmission, then obviously those buyers need to opt for the automatic/manumatic/Tiptronic/PDK whiz-bang solution. Nobody here is saying that Porsche shouldn't sell the PDK. What experienced drivers such as myself request is the OPTION for a manual. A manual is less expensive, lighter, simpler, and more reliable. AND MORE FUN.
The more the auto industry, including Porsche, moves toward making the car an electronic gadget, the less that pilots who love to be fully engaged when they drive will be willing to pay the Porsche premium. All the infotainment crap that Porsche now offers really belongs in the Audi. Porsche should take a page from Colin Chapman and get back to building lightweight fun to drive cars. Mazda did so with its new MX-5 Miata. Why has VAG turned Porsche into overweight overpriced overcomplicated cars?
Don't even get me started with Porsche's lane nanny and electronic safety/self-driving aids. That's something that Audi or Lexus drivers might want. As a Porsche _sports car_ driver, I don't want any of that crap. Make those things optional.
Also, mechanically speaking, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of things that could go wrong in a computer-controlled dual-clutch setup. Setting aside the fact that the PDK is more expensive up front, look at the repair costs of a PDK versus a manual transmission. It's hard to believe that replacing a manual's burnt clutch plates could ever be as expensive as troubleshooting complex electro-hydraulic-mechanical systems. The younger generations seem to think that their cars should now be rolling cell phones to be rented instead of owned -- but they forget that cell phones have about a 2 year life span and if you spend all your time living virtually, then you never develop the human skills to so something for yourself ... like driving a manual transmission flawlessly. It's not hard, it just seems to take more practice than the lazy generation seems willing to expend.
The more the auto industry, including Porsche, moves toward making the car an electronic gadget, the less that pilots who love to be fully engaged when they drive will be willing to pay the Porsche premium. All the infotainment crap that Porsche now offers really belongs in the Audi. Porsche should take a page from Colin Chapman and get back to building lightweight fun to drive cars. Mazda did so with its new MX-5 Miata. Why has VAG turned Porsche into overweight overpriced overcomplicated cars?
Don't even get me started with Porsche's lane nanny and electronic safety/self-driving aids. That's something that Audi or Lexus drivers might want. As a Porsche _sports car_ driver, I don't want any of that crap. Make those things optional.
Also, mechanically speaking, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of things that could go wrong in a computer-controlled dual-clutch setup. Setting aside the fact that the PDK is more expensive up front, look at the repair costs of a PDK versus a manual transmission. It's hard to believe that replacing a manual's burnt clutch plates could ever be as expensive as troubleshooting complex electro-hydraulic-mechanical systems. The younger generations seem to think that their cars should now be rolling cell phones to be rented instead of owned -- but they forget that cell phones have about a 2 year life span and if you spend all your time living virtually, then you never develop the human skills to so something for yourself ... like driving a manual transmission flawlessly. It's not hard, it just seems to take more practice than the lazy generation seems willing to expend.
