Getting a BRZ.. AT or MT?
 

I have always owned automatics, of course i can drive manual as i learned on one lol and have drove a few others as well, aside from my owning motorcycles the past 10 years. Anyway I'm kinda wondering if the BRZ would be more fun as the MT over the AT. I do a bit of traveling from time to time so I'm kinda thinking i may be worn out with the manual at some times. I test drove the AT BRZ a week ago. Can some guys with some experience chime in for me please? Is it a chore to shift? Is it nice and smooth?

Smoothly shifting my notchy gears.

I should have test driven an automatic, mainly due to the gearing of te car and getting better highway milage. But that's personal preference. For fun, I'd say get a manual.

Another benefit to auto is that my SO would have been able to drive it of need be.

Get the manual unless you live somewhere that has constant bumper-to-bumper traffic. And even then, I'd still probably get the manual...

The clutch is light and the gearbox is easy to work-- even when I'm stuck in LA traffic, it's really not the end of the world. Would an auto be lazier? Yes. Would it be worth not having the manual when I'm doing fun driving? Absolutely not.

regardless if I'd be living in a place with a lot of traffic or no traffic, as long as I have a passion for cars, I'll always choose a manual over an automatic due to a manual being significantly more engaging and fun. With a car this "slow" in terms of performance, having a manual transmission to stir around makes it so much more exciting, and really delivers the full BRZ experience the best

I bought the automatic and love it.

Thank you guys for the replies..

I got the auto, best of both worlds in my opinion. Stop and go, or running around town it's in auto. Wife can drive it if she needs to. Paddles for spirited mountain drives. If it didn't have the paddles, I would have been very tempted to go MT.

There's a lot of stop and go traffic here in Alabama during the summers. A lot of tourists come down here to the beach. I wouldn't have it any other way being in a manual. I never drove the automatic, but this was my first manual and I'm glad I made the transition to learn how to drive it. It's fun for me at least.

It's notchy, but it's also fairly easy to shift smoothly in my opinion. Clutch is light compared to the camaro I driven that was a manual at least.

I've driven both and I wouldn't want to own this car with the automatic. It's not fast, efficient, or comfortable enough.

If I was going to buy an automatic car, it wouldn't be this one. The automatic transmission itself is pretty mediocre in terms of feel and performance. If I was buying an automatic cheap performance car I would probably get a GTI with the DSG. That has an excellent automatic.

Nice information, thank u guys.

The auto is very good, buttery smooth and accurate, but doesn't have as much fun potential as the MT.

Manual for a little more fun, auto for everything else.

/thread

MT.

Does your routine commute include more stop-n-go traffic or freeway? if it's mainly freeway commute then I'd really consider getting the manual.
I went through this myself, and although the car's used for pleasure/spirited driving less than probably 10%, that 10% is where it counts, for me at least :)

Drove a manual civic, prelude, and del sol. They all got annoying to me after a while but on the BRZ I'm never bored. I love it, I thought by a year I'd get old of the manual on here but for some reason I'm glad I chose this over an auto. But if you have stop and go traffic maybe something else, I was stuck on a hill in stop and go traffic and I didn't like it one bit.

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The clutch is a lot lighter than my last car.

I agree with Havsie about the DSG. That would be cool. Besides the DSG farts :D

I travel A LOT, mostly on the highway. Just passed 18,000 miles since the end of January. Highway driving with the manual is not tiring at all. You're mostly in 6th gear, occasionally downshifting for traffic. It's really the only time driving the car is not really different from having an automatic.

Where the car gets exhausting is if you have stop and go traffic, especially if you're going uphill. I bloody hate the I-10 bridge over the Mississippi at Baton Rouge. Traffic inching along uphill for a couple of miles, and there's usually some prick riding your bumper.

The rest of the time, there's a connection with the car you get from the manual that you just can't get with an auto. That makes the occasional traffic jam worth enduring. The only reason I could see for buying the automatic is if you're missing a leg.

MT or shop for a different car. Sorry AT people. Unless you're amputees :)

One of my favorite things to do is getting the tail out at non frightening speeds.

Is the AT that good at holding a gear? Just hate when a car shifts without your input.

Manual all the way, the AT in this car is very good though. I just wouldn't have it.

What's funny about it to me is that although the driving experience is superior with the manual, they charge you $1,100 more for the automatic. I can't believe that it costs Toyobaru anywhere near $1,100 more to build the car with an automatic than it does to install a manual plus the clutch system. What you're actually paying for is the "privilege" of having the car do the work for you. That might make sense on an Outback or a tC, but pricing-wise I don't think their marketing people understand the market for this car very well at all.

Just save the money. The experience is better with the manual, but the price difference kind of makes it a no-brainer.

The automatic provides more flexibility and more shifting modes to meet different conditions.
- full auto
- full auto sport mode
- full manual
- full manual sport mode

I drive 46 miles each way to work and literally every day I hit stop and go traffic for at least 20 minutes and I'd still rather be driving a manual.

I bought an automatic after my S2000 sold and thought I could live with an auto but I couldn't. Its definitely not for everyone but I love having more control over the car/powerband.

Full manual w/sport mode does nothing different than full manual.

Snow mode is actually quite cool. Starts in second gear only and has buttery smooth shifts.
I like my AT. But to be honest, I got it because of the gas mileage bonus and because i'd rather drink my coffee in traffic than shift gears. And here in Nashville....You're always in traffic...unless you're really late! LOL

I don't live in much heavy traffic like at all. I got to some pretty traffic heavy cities sometimes but mostly not much traffic for me.

Is there even an option? This car was made for 6mt only!

Fixed!

Haha we will see what happens tomorrow. Ill drive the MT and then the AT again. My mom says get the AT, ill get tired of the MT. My brother says..he won't buy anything that isn't a MT haha.

This car isn't very powerful. It's not going to smash you into your seat with a full G of acceleration. Instead this car gets its hype and attention for having an amazing feel and great handling. It has the steering feel of an Italian sports car at a common consumer price. It corners like a go kart. Its a car to have fun in, plain and simple. Nowadays, all the highest performance cars have a AT (automatic-manual) because it's faster. But this car isn't fast. So if you skip the manual tranny you're missing out on half of the "feel" of the car, and this tranny is praised to no end.

I've been driving stick for about a year now. My first learning experience consisted of a daily 40 mile commute to school in stop and go traffic. I was thrown to the wolves. Now I really don't think highway traffic or city driving is that bad. There are tricks and techniques you use to make it not so annoying.

Get whatever you think will be more enjoyable.

I think only manual car Allows you enjoy communication of the true character of a car. I hated drive automatic car, it is so boring just step on pedal and go. I love to rev matching when I get into a turn and down shift whenever without worry about damage my transmission. A sports car like this, manual transmission usually more value retaining. And don't forget the manual mode is 1 second faster 0-60mph

Its really down to preference, test drive both see what you like. For me Ive driven manuals all my life, thought about getting AT at first but went with a MT as they only had them in stock at my dealer. Safe to say I made the right choice, every time I drive my GF's AT Civic or my parents Odyssey I yearn for the MT each time.

Honestly if you're getting a BRZ or FRS, please get it in a manual. Do yourself that favor. The clutch and gearbox in this car is stupid easy to adjust and use. I drive over 60 miles a day, commuting in bumper to bumper traffic for about 20 miles. I have no problems whatsoever clutching and un-clutching driving those mileages. Once you get the car in a manual, you won't regret it- you'll be having so much fun driving 'em back roads & tracks. Go manual or go home

After I drove my friends's FRS AT, I would say the AT in this car is very smart! Gears shift very fast and you can cruise at freeway speed at lower RPM (which means less engine noise in the cabin)

For MT if you drive over 70MPH, it is a little bit annoying for me since the RPM touches around 3000+ but I'm telling you, I'm having a lot of fun in MT and this is my first MT car

Alright, thanks for all of the great replies you guys. Im kind of excited.

No manual, no BRZ for me.

Your Mom!?

Haha yea. Me and my mom are close. I told her i was buying a new car and getting rid of my camaro. She said to not get a stick..whats so crazy about that?

A slushbox automatic no matter how awesome marketing wants to tell you is nothing like a fake automatic double clutch gearbox. The performance is just in another league when driven in manual mode.

Then again I wouldn't want to be stuck with a DSG/PDK/DCT when the computer gives you the PRNDS flash of death. Slushbox is much more reliable.

For something like a VW/Audi, their manual gearbox shift throws and pedal placements suck balls I would rather go DSG.

For the BRZ, my opinion is in my profile pic. :D

I learned MT on this car. I had a 400hp automatic challenger.


My advice, test drive other cars if you want the AT, This car is MT or get something else