Considering an AT

[B-R-Z]

I tried to switch to an AT and I instantly hated it (BMW 328i). I don't like having a device making gear decisions for me, I will probably never own an AT again. Then again, I'm sure the quality of AT's get better as time goes on. Good luck with it

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by mrg666

Too late, tcoat We just converted one to our side. Slowly but surely winning

LOL. You misunderstood. I am the Switzerland of the shift debate since both are actually outstanding in their different ways. I am just surprised that the normal "but you bond better with the car, the feels, you have more connection they should only make it in MT you are less of a driver and not as focused only real men drive MT" crowd has been so silent.

[leevanf]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

LOL. You misunderstood. I am the Switzerland of the shift debate since both are actually outstanding in their different ways. I am just surprised that the normal "but you bond better with the car, the feels, you have more connection they should only make it in MT you are less of a driver and not as focused only real men drive MT" crowd has been so silent.

I thought about this too. I guess the bond and feel is very important especially during backroad/spirited driving. Whereas convenience would be more lovely in traffic. And since 90% of my driving is in a 10kph crawl, the AT made better sense to me my initial impression on ATs were lame but after trying this one out - boy is it a whole new level of AT!


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[zizon93]

Mine is an auto and I sometimes wish it was a manual. but I had my reason to go with an auto. Autos are more reliable and offers better mpg so that's good. I just had to deal with MT twin drivers looking at me like an idiot when they see mine is an AT.

[LudwigMiles]

Do the AT cars have some kind of Steptronic/Tiptronic override to control gears?
Paddles?

[tose86]

Congrats on the new car! Sport mode does pretty good in traffic.

[Ernest72]

Love my AT - this tranny is good even just letting it do its thing. Way better than the 4EAT in my 04 WRX. But with the levers its pretty much MT without the clutch and probably faster shifts. For me only a dedicated weekend car could be MT.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by LudwigMiles

Do the AT cars have some kind of Steptronic/Tiptronic override to control gears?
Paddles?

First86 AT with over 100,000miles.

If you put the 86 AT in manual mode it only shifts when you shift. The only exception is at the extreme low end where it will downshift to keep the engine from stalling. This happens somewhere below 1,500RPM in any gear above 1st.

At the high end it will bounce off the rev limiter until you change it.

Other than that, it acts like a manual, only shifting when you tell it to. and it shifts quickly, no lag.

You can also up and down shift multiple gears by double clicking the paddles. I do this all the time, even in auto mode.

[perryair]

Originally Posted by leevanf

I thought about this too. I guess the bond and feel is very important especially during backroad/spirited driving. Whereas convenience would be more lovely in traffic. And since 90% of my driving is in a 10kph crawl, the AT made better sense to me my initial impression on ATs were lame but after trying this one out - boy is it a whole new level of AT!


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congrats on the car, first of all - youll love it whether at or mt.

for the philosophical part of the debate though - i'll still maintain that if youre daily driving this car, its that 5% of the time that you find yourself alone on a curvy road that makes the car worth what you paid for it, and for those moments i'd personally rather have the ability to completely control what gear im in at all times without having to change a mode, press a button or otherwise have to remember to do anything other than change my mindset into 'aggressive driving mode'. [for example, despite the widespread availability of paddle shifters, people dont really USE them - 2/3 of people that have them use them less then 2x per year]

if it were me, if i had to both daily and have an auto id rather get something more comfortable that had the pep to make stoplight to stoplight runs more enjoyable as a tradeoff for the immediacy and visceral connectedness that my mt brz gives as is. i realize that because my car is a weekend one its a LOT easier for me to live with a manual because my dd is an auto - so no hate on anyone who does have to make that call, but its just not the one that i individually (or i imagine some others that frequent here as well) would make.

[nitro_alltrac]

I test drove an automatic and I have to say that I was impressed. The shift logic is good and it performs a lot better than your average automatic.

I still ordered a manual but if I had to take an automatic, I wouldn't kick it out of bed for eating crackers.

[NOI]

It's the best auto trans in any car under 30 Grand, period...for a new car anyway. Acceleration suffers over the MT (which is reapairable with a final drive swap), but the paddle shifts are faster than a manual. In manual mode you have essentially complete control.

And on the used market, they are cheaper...like $1500 for similar mileage. Which can buy a good set of wheels and tires, or headers and exshaust, or whatever.

I love mine.

[Side]

I've had an automatic BRZ for almost two years now. I bought it when it was my daily driver and only car.

Over time, the appeal of a manual snuck up on me and now that my girlfriend and I have a second car I'll be trading mine in for a manual (BRZ tS) next year.

[Silver Supra]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

I tried to switch to an AT and I instantly hated it (BMW 328i). I don't like having a device making gear decisions for me, I will probably never own an AT again. Then again, I'm sure the quality of AT's get better as time goes on. Good luck with it

Maybe it was just the BMW. The AT in the twin is very good. BTW, you can manually shift with the paddle shifters, so YOU make the decisions (and shift faster!).
.

Originally Posted by Dadhawk

First86 AT with over 100,000miles.

If you put the 86 AT in manual mode it only shifts when you shift. The only exception is at the extreme low end where it will downshift to keep the engine from stalling. This happens somewhere below 1,500RPM in any gear above 1st.

At the high end it will bounce off the rev limiter until you change it.

Other than that, it acts like a manual, only shifting when you tell it to. and it shifts quickly, no lag.

You can also up and down shift multiple gears by double clicking the paddles. I do this all the time, even in auto mode.

Excellent description.

Originally Posted by perryair

congrats on the car, first of all - youll love it whether at or mt.

for the philosophical part of the debate though - i'll still maintain that if youre daily driving this car, its that 5% of the time that you find yourself alone on a curvy road that makes the car worth what you paid for it, and for those moments i'd personally rather have the ability to completely control what gear im in at all times without having to change a mode, press a button or otherwise have to remember to do anything other than change my mindset into 'aggressive driving mode'. [for example, despite the widespread availability of paddle shifters, people dont really USE them - 2/3 of people that have them use them less then 2x per year]

if it were me, if i had to both daily and have an auto id rather get something more comfortable that had the pep to make stoplight to stoplight runs more enjoyable as a tradeoff for the immediacy and visceral connectedness that my mt brz gives as is. i realize that because my car is a weekend one its a LOT easier for me to live with a manual because my dd is an auto - so no hate on anyone who does have to make that call, but its just not the one that i individually (or i imagine some others that frequent here as well) would make.

With an AT you can manually shift with the paddles for that 5% and enjoy fully auto 95% of the time!!


In the end, get what you want (but try the AT in manual mode first!!).

[Submarinesonce]

I tested the AT, it wasn't bad as ATs go, but there's no way I'd own one in a car like this. I commute almost 100 miles a day, I'm not bothered enough by the clutch to even consider an AT. YMMV. Still, what a great problem to have, choosing what trans to get in your new sports car.