Much of the noise from us
manual 'Luddites'
as Autocar's Steve Sutcliffe would have us has been about the sudden redundancy of a hard-earned skill - namely the perfectly executed heel'n'toe downshift. Harris wrote about this most eloquently in his introduction to
his GT3 review
and, like him, having spent ages lurching about to learn it I'm gutted to think it might now be a useless skill.
Skills learned in an old-school Clio...
Begging the question, what to do to maintain your interest if gearchanging has, literally, been taken out of your hands?
Time to stir that left foot into action! As a suitable replacement for heel'n'toe left-foot braking has all the ingredients required for the keen driver to set himself apart from the plodders. Like heel'n'toe, it takes a while to learn and train yourself to do it. But, again, it brings a new level of interaction to your driving and helps wrestle back some control from the machines. Well, unless you've got one of those nannying DSG boxes that screams 'computer says no!' and cuts all power if both pedals are used simultaneously. Then you really are knackered. Sorry.
Years working on a Merc magazine meant the vast majority of my driving was in autos for a good period. Training my left foot was a natural reaction to this and it's a habit that's become instinctive in any two-pedal car ever since. And there's more to it than just giving your 'spare' leg something to do of course.
...can transfer to a new-school one too, auto or not
The first roundabout I meet on my commute is a big, open one with good sightlines and a fast approach from a 70 limit. If it's clear you can carry plenty of that speed onto it safely and the ability to cover brake and throttle on the approach, clip down through gears as necessary via paddles and, at the crux, pull up smartly or blend braking into trailed throttle around the roundabout as required is hugely satisfying. It requires planning, observation, dexterity, coordination and all the other skills 'proper' driving demands and this is just a roundabout on the way to work. On track the ability to play with fore and aft weight distribution through trailed brakes and seamless transitions onto the power all aid smoothness and speed. And, of course, offers opportunity to impress mere mortals with your god-like driving skills even in the auto age.
I've not quite got to the point of habitually left-foot braking manual cars yet but after years of track day instructors banging on about trail braking and not really getting it my epiphany finally came at Cadwell in my Clio 172 Cup. That car's knife-edge dynamics meant it was incredibly responsive to mid-corner brake and throttle inputs. A little too responsive at times but when it suddenly came together my braking point for Park was car lengths further down the track and a lightly trailed brake was like throwing a grappling hook out of the driver's window into the inside tyre barrier such was the sudden increase in front-end grip. Suffice to say, there's fun to be had getting busy with your feet even when there's no longer a clutch pedal.
Many on here will, of course, be natural left-foot brakers. For those who aren't expect progress to be jerky until your foot learns the necessary sensitivity. Once it's there it's there though. Meaning you needn't hang up your driving slip-ons/racing boots (delete as appropriate) quite yet.