Quote:
Originally Posted by TJBarnes
Is the automatic still as fan to drive as the MT on this car? Will it make it dramatically more slow when hammering on the gas?
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In terms of performance the automatic is significantly slower in particular when getting off the line. With a small displacement engine and low torque, you need to use some clutch slip or an all out clutch dump to get the car off the line quickly. An automatic can't do those things. To make matters worse, the automatic transmission is tuned for fuel economy which makes it even slower.
However, once you do get the car moving, the paddle shifters on the automatic is very fast. As many have said it's not like a normal slushbox automatic or some piece of shit CVT. It has a very good manual shift mode.
And once you get into the corners, you have the same great handling whether your car is MT or AT, so it will still be fast in the corners. And that is the main purpose of this car.
As for what's more fun, I'm pretty sure the automatic can be a lot of fun with the paddle shifters but there are a few things it will never be able to do. You will never get some crazy tire squeal from an aggressive clutch dump. You won't be able to squeal the tires either by nailing a redline upshift. You won't be able to start a drift using a clutch kick. Even parking is more fun because I get to hear my N1 exhaust rumble when I blip the throttle instead of just releasing the brake and letting it move automatically. I especially love it in underground parking lots haha. All these things are a lot of fun and you should really try on a manual RWD car at least once. (Just don't go crazy on public streets of course)
As for traffic jams, I wouldn't worry. This car has a very light clutch. I drive to work in rush hour traffic. It never bothers me. Plus I get to hear my exhaust rumble when I move up just like when I'm parking lol