Second Impression with a Manual Transmission
 

I'm pretty sure most of you have felt, driven, or even own a manual transmission FR-S or BRZ by now. But for those who haven't and for my own documentation sake, I wanted to make a post.

My initial test drive impressions are here: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7511

Today the nice sales guy I was working with gave me a call and let me know they got a manual in so I got to take a quick drive. First of all though, I moved the manual climate controls around again and this one seemed to be much lighter and smoother compared to the last one I messed with - although still not great. But this car as a whole really does feel very solid. Better than any other Japanese or Korean car I've been in aside from maybe some Honda/Acura and Toyota/Lexus cars.

Anyway, the clutch feels very good! It's medium-short length and in my opinion, not too hard but not too soft. Not as hard and shorter than a new WRX for example but harder than your typical newer non-performance car. The transmission also feels nearly perfect. The throws are very short but it's very clear as to what gear you are in compared to many newer vague short throw shifters (WRX IMO). There is a lot of mechanical noise and feel but it moves around with little resistance. It was easy to shift and use the clutch how I wanted and the gears really do fall into place. And when you lift up the little lever under the knob, it's very easy to put it into reverse. So I like it a lot!

One disappointment though was the stitching on the shift knob was actually really sharp! I found myself trying to avoid the stitching section because it kind of hurt, LOL. I guess that's why Subaru went with their classic shift knob in the BRZ instead.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-...47933606_n.jpg

I got the same problem with the gearknob of many cars.
Usually I just replace them with a cheap Richbrook alluminium gearknob, they look great even if they get a bit hot if they are left in direct summer sunlight:

http://images.esellerpro.com/2347/I/975/0/lrg100289.jpg

Thanks for the review. Personally, I like being able to hear and feel the shifter work. I've also read other people say the clutch is soft, I guess it depends on what your previous clutch was like. Haha, when I first looked at the picture I was like, "wtf is wrong with that wheel?" then I realized it was turned...

Yeah, a lot of people like metallic knobs but personally I can't stand them. They burn you in the summer and freeze you in the winter and I always notice the layer of sweat between my palm and the knob. I definitely prefer leather and I like the looks of the stock one but I may order the BRZ one if it's annoying enough.

Yeah, back in the day I didn't like the clunky mechanical feeling transmissions like the S2000. But now I don't mind it and I think it's appropriate for this car. But what's more important to me is the directness and accuracy of the shifting and for that I found no faults. It should be pretty fun.

I don't think I would want the clutch to be any harder or softer. It's pretty much at the sweet spot for me.

And yeah, I also thought WTF when I first looked at it on my computer but then I remembered it was tilted/locked when I took that pic. :bellyroll:

I just LOVED the S2000 gearbox.

Yeah, it is good for sure. This is pretty similar to it. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I like the FR-S box a little better. It seems to click into place more easily. But I think that will vary from person to person.

But my conclusion with this car is that it may not be the best in the world at anything in particular but it is very, very good at everything. I would be surprised if anyone disliked something about it enough to not want it anymore if they were truly considering it in the first place. There just doesn't seem to be much room for complaining. And believe me, I can be very critical of cars. If there is something I dislike, I will notice it right away. :D

Does that work with the BRZ?

I want that XD

http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/775...1094304825.jpg


Not the prettiest of solutions, but temporarily solves the "stitching against palm" nuisance.

LOL... nice! But couldn't you have shown a bit of class and found a sock with red accents instead of blue? :w00t:

it matches the blue on the climate control knob... :D

Looks a bit like a condom:)

Just buy the one with the correct type of reverse, it's easy to fit.