Automatic and manual in the same car?

[vexed]

I'm a believer that the only geabox for fun driving is a proper manual box with a clutch. Automatics are good for traffic jams and the motorway though. Are there any cars that have a true manual, but have an automatic alternative box you can engage?

[Phunk]

No.

Nearest you will get is a DSG box

[mrmr96]

Would be cool to have a robot that moved the gear stick and did the clutch though!

[busta]

What you describe does not exist, but think how cool it would be to watch the gearstick change all by itself!

I'm sure there's a way to rig up a semi-automatic gearbox to work with a dummy gated gearstick and clutch pedal if you paid an engineer enough to do it though.

[Piepiepie]

Didnt renault once do a Manual clio with no clutch pedal once?

[GestapoWatch]

Is the type of transmission in say an M5/M6 'good enough' for manual purists?

[kambites]

Piepiepie said:

Didnt renault once do a Manual clio with no clutch pedal once?

I believe the original Beetle was offered with a similar gearbox. However, that could be said to be the worst of both worlds.

[homerjay]

Piepiepie said:

Didnt renault once do a Manual clio with no clutch pedal once?

i thought saab did too?

[AT]

We can call it "manumatic"

[NotKenBlock]

I had a similar quandry, but ended up with an MX5 and an auto passat CC for the miles!

[Rawwr]

homerjay said:

i thought saab did too?

Yeah, the Saab Sensonic (or something like that) and it was utter balls.

[JonnyFive]

mrmr96 said:

Would be cool to have a robot that moved the gear stick and did the clutch though!

What would you do? Sit on its lap or something?

[johnpeat]

There was a spate of manual boxes touted (and a few models released IIRC) with automatic clutches (activated by moving the lever) - horrible idea and no 'automatic' option, just no left pedal...

Only 2 ways to do 'fully automatic' really - torque converter (slushbox) or a computer controlling the clutch and gears (DSG, PDK et al) - some of those systems are, effectively, "full" automatics and "full" manuals but with paddles or a sequential shifter and not an H-gate...

[ShaunTheSheep]

Having owned 2 identical cars, one a manual (~10 months) and the current a DSG (~5 months) I'm a believer the manual box's days are numbered, since the introduction of boxes like the DSG.

Does leave a problem with what to do with the clutch foot though, feels a bit silly just sitting there, needs exercising on longer journeys. Maybe i could learn left foot braking.

[Hasbeen]

There was a Hondamatic in the early Preludes.

It was clutch-less with a manual only gear shift, & a torque converter, or a fluid flywheel.

Sporting it was not.

[homerjay]

ShaunTheSheep said:

Having owned 2 identical cars, one a manual (~10 months) and the current a DSG (~5 months) I'm a believer the manual box's days are numbered, since the introduction of boxes like the DSG.

Does leave a problem with what to do with the clutch foot though, feels a bit silly just sitting there, needs exercising on longer journeys. Maybe i could learn left foot braking.

i, for one, have no interest in driving any type of auto car.

the day they disappear (if ever), i'll be a very sad man.

[kambites]

homerjay said:

i, for one, have no interest in driving any type of auto car.

the day they disappear (if ever), i'll be a very sad man.

They wont disappear, there will always be second hand ones.

[otolith]

Double clutch type transmissions are going to get cheaper.
The emissions testing cycle has a systematic bias in favour of automated gearboxes.
The cost to manufacturers of higher emissions on the test cycle is going to increase.

I can only see the manual gearbox gradually dying out. I guess the tipping point will be when driving schools stop teaching in manuals and the Americanism of needing to ask "can you drive a stick shift" gets imported.

[mrmr96]

JonnyFive said:

mrmr96 said:

Would be cool to have a robot that moved the gear stick and did the clutch though!

What would you do? Sit on its lap or something?

I said Robot, not Android!! Dunce!!

[kambites]

otolith said:

Double clutch type transmissions are going to get cheaper.
The emissions testing cycle has a systematic bias in favour of automated gearboxes.
The cost to manufacturers of higher emissions on the test cycle is going to increase.

I can only see the manual gearbox gradually dying out. I guess the tipping point will be when driving schools stop teaching in manuals and the Americanism of needing to ask "can you drive a stick shift" gets imported.

Of course it's possible that they'll at some point change the test to remove the bias towards automatics.