So first time MT drivers (or been a while). hows your daily commute experience?

[firl21]

does the car have a hill hold? im getting a mt one next year.

[Xdragonxb0i]

Its effortless, you just have more physical wear. And u can't multi task. But the hardest thing to do in a Manuel is the stop and go on a uphill

[MrJesse]

I don't know about you guys but the clutch in this car is so light that it doesn't even tire out my leg.

[Myv]

Originally Posted by firl21

does the car have a hill hold? im getting a mt one next year.

I don't believe there is hill hold assist for this car.

[bdub85]

Originally Posted by MrJesse

I don't know about you guys but the clutch in this car is so light that it doesn't even tire out my leg.

The clutch is really freaking light. When I go to drive my Jeep, I press the clutch and I'm like damn it takes a lot to push it in compared to my FR-S.

I don't mind driving the manual at all, and I deal with traffic on a daily basis. To me driving a manual is like second nature. I've been driving manual cars since I got my license. Plus, I just really enjoy driving a manual. It's fun to rev-match and double clutch. It just makes you feel more in control of the car.

[df.dima]

I just got stuck in traffic 3x on my way to work, not heavy, but a bit. Its an everyday occurance, since we have construction going on. No problem. I started driving manual last year in June.

[Mikem53]

Not a first time manual owner.. Been driving sticks for 45+ years...
The FRS is fairly easy to drive and get used to.. It's not so easy to drive smoothly however.. Takes some getting used to.. Many, including myself adjusted the clutch take up to grab at a lower point... Which helps taking off more smoothly.. A good car for first time manual drivers... IMO..

[frslee]

First manual trans for me. Of course it is a bit annoying in heavy traffic, but my leg doesn't get tired that much. Clutch is so light compared to other cars. I tried my friend's WRX and it is really heavy.

[nodeal]

Originally Posted by chickdigger802

So I'm preeetty much setup to get one of these babies as soon as 2014 ones hit (thanks for all the insight and what not in the other topic!). Still a bit iffy if I should go MT or AT. My daily commute to work consists of stop and go traffic down 1 local highway and literally 2 lanes shift before I reach my destination.

I know people that always drive MT say that traffic is overrated, curious about what y'all people that this is your first MT or first in a while think.

my experience with manuals is limited to like a few months of my dad's old mazda before he sold it. I did take a refresher drivers course recently though, and from the short test drive with a mt fr-s, the clutch and stick does feel like another tier beyond the crappy mazda and the chevy something during the drivers ed course lol, so is it safe to assume that this is probably about as good as it gets for a MT you can buy with mortal money?

GET A MT. YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

This car was my first stick shift EVER. I only drove my friend's maxima which was manual transmission a couple of times for 15 minute intervals before purchasing this car. Besides that, no prior experience. Basically, I was a total noob.

This car was easy to learn on. And now that I have learned, I do not look back one bit. It is absolutely thrilling, and once it becomes second nature, traffic and hills aren't too much of an issue.

I was stuck driving an automatic transmission from the time I get my license to now. That's about 7 years. Making the transition to stick, I now realize I wash't REALLY driving all those years. You really lose a crucial element to driving with an AT that I really don't think you'd want to lose that when purchasing a car like this, since the FRS is indeed built with an emphasis on the driver-vehicle connection.

Timing your shifts, popping into gears, engaging the clutch... it's like your avatar synching with your car (if you've ever seen the movie, you know what I mean). AT is just bleh... step on gas and go. Go for the MT.

[dirtbike250x]

I'm a first time MT owner, but only have owned the car for roughly 2 weeks now. The experience I've had with a clutch is about 15 yrs of motorcycles and one 10 min drive in a parking lot in a MT car. I'm still getting used to it, but i think I'm progressing well. My morning commute has some mild-light traffic and for the fun I have on the way home and just about every other time I drive the car, I can't say having a MT in traffic is at all a problem. Sure it's not fun to drive a manual in traffic, but how fun is traffic in any vehicle. I say go with what ever you can have the most fun in.

Just because the majority of fr-s/brz owners drive manual doesn't mean its the best route for everyone.

[Dazza]

This is one of the best questions I have read on this forum.

I haven't driven a manual as a DD for about 7 years, not that long comparatively, but I agree with a nunber of posters here in saying the clutch is soooo light it should not present as a problem for anyone.

I disagree with some of the sentiments above and elsewhere....I do think the automatic (unless you constantly use the paddles) takes quite a lot way from the driving experience of this car....as it does with most cars.

The reality is; that if all you drive is city start stop traffic, then perhaps this isn't the right car to buy anyway. This is a drivers car and by its vey definition is for ......driving (not for crawling along in bumper to bumper traffic). For that purpose I would recommend something quiet, luxurious, automatic (full) with a fantastic sound system. You may have noticed this is not a great description of our cars.

[BClark]

I just purchased the 6MT last month after driving nothing but automatics for 5 years. When I got my new car prior to college I made sure to get an auto because I was nervous about DC and I-95 traffic. The amount of times it took me 4+ hours to go a few miles in bumper to bumper rush hour, I'm glad I didn't have to worry about anything other than a brake pedal.

With the FR-S I've already encountered quite a few traffic situations that made me nervous, especially dealing with the bridges and tunnels that are on an incline around me now. I've found that it's really easy to work with though, especially if you leave a little room in front of you, keeping the car in 2nd has pretty much taken care of everything. I've only managed to stale it out one time, and that was when I was coming home late one night and was probably too tired to drive.

The clutch is super light, I'm not the biggest fan of that, I prefer the pedal to be a little firmer and the catch point to be closer to the floor, but I've yet to find any real complaints about the manual in this car.

[Rougenite]

There is no hill assist....least mine didnt come with one....but that is what your ebrake is for :P.

Car in first, clutch to the floor, ebrake on....light turns green, let the clutch out slowly as the engine bogs or moves the vehicle(depends on how well adjusted the ebrake is!) put the ebrake down....and bam no more hill problems!

[kthxbai]

The FR-S is my first M/T car; my fiance was nice/brave enough to spend the last 5 years teaching and letting me practice how to drive his M/T '05 tC. I am coming from an A/T '96 Mustang and I have to say that although I was really nervous (ok lets be honest, scared $hitless) when we first brought the car home, after a couple of weeks it was as if a M/T was all I ever drove. The clutch in the FR-S is very easy to learn vs. the clutch in the '05 tC as it was not as forgiving.

I lived in Atlanta for almost 10 years and I know what you are talking about when referring to traffic in the city. However, driving a manual has made driving more enjoyable and once you have gotten use to the clutch the traffic will not seem to matter much at the end of the day. I have not gotten a chance to test drive an A/T FR-S but the gear box on that machine and just watching youtube reviews of people test driving the A/T, I'm pretty impressed still. Either way you can't go wrong, but for the sake of choosing between the two, I choose M/T.