Dumb idea to get auto tranny?
 

I'm a manual guy, don't know how to drive an auto;), unfortunately it's wife's turn to get a new ride and frs/brz is one of the cars we're considering, along with 370z/g37/miata/TT/328i. Need a car that both of us can drive, pretty enough for her and fun to drive for me.

Is the auto going to kill the driving 'fun' out of brz? Should brz even considered with it? I know working the clutch and shifter is big part of the driving experience, and reading that one in the brz is s2000/miata-like, so really a shame.

Is the unit in the brz a traditional, dual, or single clutch?

Here are the vids of me & Moto-san driving AT tranny & we can tell you, we had a blast driving them!

Me driving
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSndiN24Wxk"]SCION FR-S AutoX 1 - YouTube[/ame]

Moto-san driving
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWyUo7caicY"]SCION FR-S AutoX 2 - YouTube[/ame]

Traditional at with lockup and good electronics. "Dumb"? It's a preference and only you can answer that.

I don't think it's a dumb idea at all. If your wife is going to be driving the car at least as much as you will be, it only makes sense to suit her tastes, too. I always see paddle shifters as more of a gimmick than anything else on automatic cars, but the transmission appears to have a very sporty personality which befits the car.

ichi-san, vids look good! Guess need to drive one to be convinced.

Yeah, vids & reviews, just take it as a grain of salt... But just let you know, it's worth it! Loved driving both MT & AT of this car

I'm in the same boat, need to share the car with my wife. (I've had too many car projects of my own, haha) And I've always considered MT to be the "only correct option" for a sports car. But in this case I'm thinking of getting the AT for these reasons:

1) It locks up the torque converter in gears 2-6. This should make the drivetrain feel as direct as the manual.

2) Manual shift mode holds the selected gear. (This is a must for me)

3) It blips the throttle to rev-match downshifts. (Also a must for me)

4) Gear changes are (reportedly) very fast, faster than typical "manual-matics".

5) Full auto mode seems very intelligent and I'm curious to see how it reacts to my driving style.

6) I want to teach my wife to control vehicle dynamics but she doesn't drive manual. The AT will allow us to share this hobby while she learns, and the manual mode will help teach her about using the proper gear before she needs to worry about clutchwork.

7) I've read great things about how the AT feels to drive. In spite of the lack of a clutch, I suspect it will be almost as engaging as the MT. At least it's not as much of a sacrifice as most AT cars.

Notice I didn't list mpg or less noise at highway cruising. Those are not factors in my decision for a sports car, although they are additional benefits.

The gear ratios are taller in the AT, so not as much torque to the wheels in each gear. On the other hand, you can stay in each gear longer before upshifting. Depending on how/where you drive, the MT ratios may or may not be ideal. For example, the mountain roads I drive contain many curves that would force me to constantly dance between 2nd/3rd gear mid-turn in the MT, whereas the AT would allow me to stay in the top of 2nd gear through most of those twisties.

If I was building this car up to be the ultimate competition beast I'd get the MT for sure, that's just me being set in my ways. But for shared duty with the wife, I think the AT is likely to work very well and still live up to my expectations for sporty performance driving. I'll make my decision after a thorough test drive but I'm leaning toward AT (hell must be freezing over.)

Second that.

It's absolutely not dumb to get the automatic transmission. Often these days the automatic performs as well as the manuals, especially when comparing speeds for the most of us, and let's face it, we are not professional track drivers. Also, with the paddle shifters and sport mode, this makes it much better than many automatics. Tell the haters to STFU and get the auto if you want to.

Top of 2nd is a ~3mph difference. You don't downshift to 2nd for a 3mph difference, just leave it in third.

I'm in the same boat. I've driven nothing but manuals the last 10 years and have not considered anything with an auto until now. Never thought I would be ordering this car with an auto but I did. I still have second thoughts about it, but every time I read accounts from people who drove one with the auto I am reassured.

Teach the wife how to drive stick. BAM! Now you both win :)

Finding a new wife shouldn't be too hard in your new (manual) frs/brz ;)

On a serious note, to me the different gear ratios in the AT is an issue. The car is already lacking in torque, and on top of the extra weight and torque converter of the AT, they sap more power by giving it longer gears. I'm sure the AT is still fun but I think the increased torque of the manual will be noticeable.

^^ That's my ultimate plan. :D