New V8 Vantage - Manual
Discussion
Yes I know, mercedes engine, design issues, mx5, infotainment bad, facelift incoming, grrr...
But what is it like to drive? The merc v8 engine is a great engine despite what the naysayers think. I'm a little intrigued as it is the only time the mercedes v8 will be in a manual car setup which is rather unique and maybe special (for the wrong reasons?).
I read that the torque is reduced a little to deal with the 7 speed box.
Anyone had a go in one, got one?
Dealers seem to have a few knocking about...is there no love in the room for this particular manual variant?
But what is it like to drive? The merc v8 engine is a great engine despite what the naysayers think. I'm a little intrigued as it is the only time the mercedes v8 will be in a manual car setup which is rather unique and maybe special (for the wrong reasons?).
I read that the torque is reduced a little to deal with the 7 speed box.
Anyone had a go in one, got one?
Dealers seem to have a few knocking about...is there no love in the room for this particular manual variant?
Calinours said:
Thank you. Had not seen that.I could live with the engine, although it wouldn't have been my preference of unit for AM to use, there is no doubt that its a good engine and makes for a decent, if not slightly synthetic noise. But all that's been done to death already, so in summary the engine wouldn't put me off.
I think the major facelift is certainly an area of significant concern, because its likely to impact hard on resale of existing models if its anything like as radical and a return to beauty as we are being told it supposed to be. So I would wait and see what it actually looks like first at the very least I think.
The gearbox is stunning, I absolutely love it in my V12VSM. Ignore all the journos and people who only drove it for an hour or two and struggled finding the right gears - that include HC it seems too unfortunatly. All that melts away on day2 if its a daily driver and the gearbox is a delight to use and very rewarding. I can see it would take a long longer if you regularly drove manuals with conventional shift patterns also though. I wouldn't worry in the slightest about a drop in torque, its a small price to pay to enjoy the gearbox and as HC points out in the video above, you get a fairly decent weight saving as a result to offset the loss.
The gear knob however is an entirely different matter. I have absolutely no idea what on earth they were thinking when they decided to fit that knob. Its truly hideous and I would have to look at what was available to switch it out, maybe the old VH series knob. Just anything because no matter how many times you see it you can't help but go "WTF!" every time your eyes settle upon it.
All that said, I think an AMR manual is certainly the one I would go for, I simply couldn't forgive myself for buying an auto in a Vantage if there was a manual option available. Such a crying shame they discontinued it, but I can't help thinking the knob was a significant factor in poor sales resulting in the discontinuation.
I think the major facelift is certainly an area of significant concern, because its likely to impact hard on resale of existing models if its anything like as radical and a return to beauty as we are being told it supposed to be. So I would wait and see what it actually looks like first at the very least I think.
The gearbox is stunning, I absolutely love it in my V12VSM. Ignore all the journos and people who only drove it for an hour or two and struggled finding the right gears - that include HC it seems too unfortunatly. All that melts away on day2 if its a daily driver and the gearbox is a delight to use and very rewarding. I can see it would take a long longer if you regularly drove manuals with conventional shift patterns also though. I wouldn't worry in the slightest about a drop in torque, its a small price to pay to enjoy the gearbox and as HC points out in the video above, you get a fairly decent weight saving as a result to offset the loss.
The gear knob however is an entirely different matter. I have absolutely no idea what on earth they were thinking when they decided to fit that knob. Its truly hideous and I would have to look at what was available to switch it out, maybe the old VH series knob. Just anything because no matter how many times you see it you can't help but go "WTF!" every time your eyes settle upon it.
All that said, I think an AMR manual is certainly the one I would go for, I simply couldn't forgive myself for buying an auto in a Vantage if there was a manual option available. Such a crying shame they discontinued it, but I can't help thinking the knob was a significant factor in poor sales resulting in the discontinuation.
AdamV12V said:
I could live with the engine, although it wouldn't have been my preference of unit for AM to use, there is no doubt that its a good engine and makes for a decent, if not slightly synthetic noise. But all that's been done to death already, so in summary the engine wouldn't put me off.
I think the major facelift is certainly an area of significant concern, because its likely to impact hard on resale of existing models if its anything like as radical and a return to beauty as we are being told it supposed to be. So I would wait and see what it actually looks like first at the very least I think.
The gearbox is stunning, I absolutely love it in my V12VSM. Ignore all the journos and people who only drove it for an hour or two and struggled finding the right gears - that include HC it seems too unfortunatly. All that melts away on day2 if its a daily driver and the gearbox is a delight to use and very rewarding. I can see it would take a long longer if you regularly drove manuals with conventional shift patterns also though. I wouldn't worry in the slightest about a drop in torque, its a small price to pay to enjoy the gearbox and as HC points out in the video above, you get a fairly decent weight saving as a result to offset the loss.
The gear knob however is an entirely different matter. I have absolutely no idea what on earth they were thinking when they decided to fit that knob. Its truly hideous and I would have to look at what was available to switch it out, maybe the old VH series knob. Just anything because no matter how many times you see it you can't help but go "WTF!" every time your eyes settle upon it.
All that said, I think an AMR manual is certainly the one I would go for, I simply couldn't forgive myself for buying an auto in a Vantage if there was a manual option available. Such a crying shame they discontinued it, but I can't help thinking the knob was a significant factor in poor sales resulting in the discontinuation.
Thanks for the feedback. I'm not concerned about the dogleg at all, I've had less than compliant gearboxes in the past and a big part of the experience is learning how to use them correctly. Bits in bold completely agree! Facelift is a big question mark. That knob really is terrible. I think Q do an alcantara replacement?...I think the major facelift is certainly an area of significant concern, because its likely to impact hard on resale of existing models if its anything like as radical and a return to beauty as we are being told it supposed to be. So I would wait and see what it actually looks like first at the very least I think.
The gearbox is stunning, I absolutely love it in my V12VSM. Ignore all the journos and people who only drove it for an hour or two and struggled finding the right gears - that include HC it seems too unfortunatly. All that melts away on day2 if its a daily driver and the gearbox is a delight to use and very rewarding. I can see it would take a long longer if you regularly drove manuals with conventional shift patterns also though. I wouldn't worry in the slightest about a drop in torque, its a small price to pay to enjoy the gearbox and as HC points out in the video above, you get a fairly decent weight saving as a result to offset the loss.
The gear knob however is an entirely different matter. I have absolutely no idea what on earth they were thinking when they decided to fit that knob. Its truly hideous and I would have to look at what was available to switch it out, maybe the old VH series knob. Just anything because no matter how many times you see it you can't help but go "WTF!" every time your eyes settle upon it.
All that said, I think an AMR manual is certainly the one I would go for, I simply couldn't forgive myself for buying an auto in a Vantage if there was a manual option available. Such a crying shame they discontinued it, but I can't help thinking the knob was a significant factor in poor sales resulting in the discontinuation.
Having heard from two people one a former Gaydon team member and an AMR owner, don't bother was their summing up of it.
The owner really began to dislike the gearbox after a period of time, the Gaydon team member was involved in the AM6 development and hated it due to how bodged it was to get it in. There is equally some interesting service bulletins about poor shifting or inability to get gears due to how the shifter is actually mounted.
End point really being, the car whilst capable of it, the AM6 was brutally bodged to get a manual in there to appease purists.
Equally, during development, the ZF 8HP was never the box either for the AM6....but it was better designed for it really.
The owner really began to dislike the gearbox after a period of time, the Gaydon team member was involved in the AM6 development and hated it due to how bodged it was to get it in. There is equally some interesting service bulletins about poor shifting or inability to get gears due to how the shifter is actually mounted.
End point really being, the car whilst capable of it, the AM6 was brutally bodged to get a manual in there to appease purists.
Equally, during development, the ZF 8HP was never the box either for the AM6....but it was better designed for it really.
Ninja59 said:
Having heard from two people one a former Gaydon team member and an AMR owner, don't bother was their summing up of it.
The owner really began to dislike the gearbox after a period of time, the Gaydon team member was involved in the AM6 development and hated it due to how bodged it was to get it in. There is equally some interesting service bulletins about poor shifting or inability to get gears due to how the shifter is actually mounted.
End point really being, the car whilst capable of it, the AM6 was brutally bodged to get a manual in there to appease purists.
Equally, during development, the ZF 8HP was never the box either for the AM6....but it was better designed for it really.
Interesting as I have heard elsewhere today about issues with the manual box in that car, with service bulletins to help resolve shifting issues.The owner really began to dislike the gearbox after a period of time, the Gaydon team member was involved in the AM6 development and hated it due to how bodged it was to get it in. There is equally some interesting service bulletins about poor shifting or inability to get gears due to how the shifter is actually mounted.
End point really being, the car whilst capable of it, the AM6 was brutally bodged to get a manual in there to appease purists.
Equally, during development, the ZF 8HP was never the box either for the AM6....but it was better designed for it really.
Thanks for the input.
I had a test drive in one of these AMR Hero cars today.
Ok so the 7 speed manual gearbox isn’t silky smooth by any means and I did miss 2 and go into 4, and 3 into 5 a couple of times. It felt a bit agricultural but, I enjoyed it, and got more accurate as the drive went on. Makes one think about what is going on that bit more, anticipating gear changes, having to use the noodle instead of auto pilot. For a ‘drivers’ car it makes for a lot of fun and engagement. Not sure I could live with it as a daily but as something to go for a drive out in, yes. I can see why some like the manual box.
Ok so the 7 speed manual gearbox isn’t silky smooth by any means and I did miss 2 and go into 4, and 3 into 5 a couple of times. It felt a bit agricultural but, I enjoyed it, and got more accurate as the drive went on. Makes one think about what is going on that bit more, anticipating gear changes, having to use the noodle instead of auto pilot. For a ‘drivers’ car it makes for a lot of fun and engagement. Not sure I could live with it as a daily but as something to go for a drive out in, yes. I can see why some like the manual box.
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