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I re-test drove the auto last friday, even though I'm ordering a '14 manual.
The auto is surprisingly decent. I come from driving a 328i with paddles and I didn't expect this $25k car (which main purpose wasn't get the auto right) to have such a responsive shifting.
However, it's not worth it. Even if you don't know how to drive manual yet and you'll have to learn, do yourself a favor and go for the manual. The auto is "decent" but that's about it. Outside of the decently responding paddle shifting, the rest of the trans is just....lacking. The reaction is still bland and pretty much generic for any auto trans, (it's not like bmw's sporty feeling auto trans for example). You will still have huuuge reaction times when pushing the gas, and then you come to realize you are driving a 161 whp little car. Yes, the auto trans makes it more obvious (more often) the limits of this engine in terms of power. I mean you have those horrible mid 7 sec 0-60 times that some magazines are showing for this car, that's because they are using the auto.
It's a combination of having just a barely "decent auto" vs a really good manual trans for such a good sports car that makes it a no contest.
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