Adding to the Perpetual Manual/Auto Debate
Discussion
Met up with one of my best friends the other day and after we'd chewed the fat on a couple of topics over coffee we headed out to the local Mercedes dealer for a bit of obligatory Saturday afternoon tyre kicking. Nick came along in his immaculate Gen 2 987 Cayman and as it was the first time I'd had a chance to drive it, he kindly handed me the keys and off we went.
Having owned a Gen1 Cayman I immediately felt at home - Same superb driving position, perfectly weighted controls and lovely howl from the engine at 4k+ helped somewhat by the optional sports exhaust system (why do they always make us have to turn this on as opposed to off?). Having had a Gen 2 Boxster on loan once I was accustomed to the new engines which just love to be worked hard; in such instances they certainly reward with ample performance and decent economy if driven otherwise.
Arriving at Mercedes I was keen to have a look at the C63 AMGs (forever tempted by today's competitive lease deals) and ask about the forthcoming A45 AMG. On the way in I'd spotted what I thought was an AMG sport diesel A Class but this turned out in fact to be the new A45 AMG. Expressing immediate interest and asking whether or not it was a demo vehicle, their Sales Manager Doug said I was welcome to a test-drive as long as I had my driving licence....... 5 mins later we were off.
Having driven and previously considerd buying an M135i, I was very interested to see how the A45 compared. The Mercedes certainly wins hands down in the looks department (easy contest with the purely functional looking 1 Series). Having squeezed 355bhp out of 2 litres and with 330+ ft/lb of torque above 2250 rpm it's not short of grunt and is more than a match for the M135i. Changing gear like Michael Schmacher with the die-cast paddles is ruthlessly efficient and the DSG box bangs through the ratios with a delightful pop/bang on full speed up-shifts. Talking of noises this thing and pops and crackles on the overrun and that's without the optional £550 AMG sports exhaust. It does however lack the sweetness of the BMW's straight six donk and is no competition noise wise for the 'real' AMGs. Nick asked the saleswomen why isn't it called an A20 AMG? Good question :-)
Cornering flat with nicely weighted and precise steering, this is a car which is fun to hustle along a B road as well as being capable of sitting on a motorway in 7th gear returning 35mpg. It felt more overtly sporting than the M135i and overall it is a very competent package. However it's one which I will have undoubtedly have to sell to my other half. Tempting her out of our XF is not going to be easy and the ball-park part exchange valuation didn't do enough to convince me that I need to spend another £20k to embrace this new breed of über hot-hatch just yet.
Jumping back into Nick's Cayman, three things struck me right away. The superb seating position, great engine noise (induction and exhaust) and most importantly that delightfully slick and satisfyingly quick gear change. Having watched a re-run of Top Gear on i-Player that same morning I recalled Hammond saying that he felt robbed by the lack of gear lever in the new Renaultsport Clio. As a driving tool the A45 is more than a match for any Cayman and most 911s in the real world performance wise but sometimes sheer performance isn't everything. I think the GTR is a good example of this; crushing performance and superb engineering but it's ultimately lacking soul and driver involvement - for me anyhow.
For a lot of us the act of changing gear will remain a skill which we enjoy practising and indulging ourselves in. Executing that perfect heel and toe downchange in my own pork feels great and is immensely rewarding (unfortunately it doesn't happen often enough - more practice needed!). In my XF however, all it takes is a quick flick of the 'flappy paddle' to match the revs like the very best of drivers. Not quite the same.
Personally modern automatics make an awful lot of sense on today's crowded roads, notwithstanding the gains in economy and performance, and as a daily driver an automatic car now makes perfect sense to me. However manual cars will continue to provide satisfaction for years to come for those of us who have grown-up changing gear and seek reward from driving*
Enjoy today's great weather whatever you're driving.
Having owned a Gen1 Cayman I immediately felt at home - Same superb driving position, perfectly weighted controls and lovely howl from the engine at 4k+ helped somewhat by the optional sports exhaust system (why do they always make us have to turn this on as opposed to off?). Having had a Gen 2 Boxster on loan once I was accustomed to the new engines which just love to be worked hard; in such instances they certainly reward with ample performance and decent economy if driven otherwise.
Arriving at Mercedes I was keen to have a look at the C63 AMGs (forever tempted by today's competitive lease deals) and ask about the forthcoming A45 AMG. On the way in I'd spotted what I thought was an AMG sport diesel A Class but this turned out in fact to be the new A45 AMG. Expressing immediate interest and asking whether or not it was a demo vehicle, their Sales Manager Doug said I was welcome to a test-drive as long as I had my driving licence....... 5 mins later we were off.
Having driven and previously considerd buying an M135i, I was very interested to see how the A45 compared. The Mercedes certainly wins hands down in the looks department (easy contest with the purely functional looking 1 Series). Having squeezed 355bhp out of 2 litres and with 330+ ft/lb of torque above 2250 rpm it's not short of grunt and is more than a match for the M135i. Changing gear like Michael Schmacher with the die-cast paddles is ruthlessly efficient and the DSG box bangs through the ratios with a delightful pop/bang on full speed up-shifts. Talking of noises this thing and pops and crackles on the overrun and that's without the optional £550 AMG sports exhaust. It does however lack the sweetness of the BMW's straight six donk and is no competition noise wise for the 'real' AMGs. Nick asked the saleswomen why isn't it called an A20 AMG? Good question :-)
Cornering flat with nicely weighted and precise steering, this is a car which is fun to hustle along a B road as well as being capable of sitting on a motorway in 7th gear returning 35mpg. It felt more overtly sporting than the M135i and overall it is a very competent package. However it's one which I will have undoubtedly have to sell to my other half. Tempting her out of our XF is not going to be easy and the ball-park part exchange valuation didn't do enough to convince me that I need to spend another £20k to embrace this new breed of über hot-hatch just yet.
Jumping back into Nick's Cayman, three things struck me right away. The superb seating position, great engine noise (induction and exhaust) and most importantly that delightfully slick and satisfyingly quick gear change. Having watched a re-run of Top Gear on i-Player that same morning I recalled Hammond saying that he felt robbed by the lack of gear lever in the new Renaultsport Clio. As a driving tool the A45 is more than a match for any Cayman and most 911s in the real world performance wise but sometimes sheer performance isn't everything. I think the GTR is a good example of this; crushing performance and superb engineering but it's ultimately lacking soul and driver involvement - for me anyhow.
For a lot of us the act of changing gear will remain a skill which we enjoy practising and indulging ourselves in. Executing that perfect heel and toe downchange in my own pork feels great and is immensely rewarding (unfortunately it doesn't happen often enough - more practice needed!). In my XF however, all it takes is a quick flick of the 'flappy paddle' to match the revs like the very best of drivers. Not quite the same.
Personally modern automatics make an awful lot of sense on today's crowded roads, notwithstanding the gains in economy and performance, and as a daily driver an automatic car now makes perfect sense to me. However manual cars will continue to provide satisfaction for years to come for those of us who have grown-up changing gear and seek reward from driving*
Enjoy today's great weather whatever you're driving.
- The truth is of course I have to console myself somehow because I can't afford a 991 GT3 ;-)
Great write up enjoyed that, I must say I am very tempted by the C63 AMG but can't make my man maths work at the minute!
I drove the wifes Boxster S yesterday and have to admit it reminded me of the joys of a manual gearbox, I am reasonably competent heel and toeing this car I think its due to pedal positioning as I havent been quite as good in other cars.
I actually said to 'er indoors that I would have ordered my 991 GT3 as a manual if the option was there, we then went to Costco (I know exciting lifestyle) and I took the Scuderia which after a little blast around some local B roads the experience of racing up through the gearbox with perfectly executed rev matching on the way down I can't say I once found myself thinking I wish this car was a manual.
So I guess this is the issue, for me anyway, yes I would have ordered my GT3 as manual given the choice, will I be dissapointed with it when I collect it, no of course I won't.
I drove the wifes Boxster S yesterday and have to admit it reminded me of the joys of a manual gearbox, I am reasonably competent heel and toeing this car I think its due to pedal positioning as I havent been quite as good in other cars.
I actually said to 'er indoors that I would have ordered my 991 GT3 as a manual if the option was there, we then went to Costco (I know exciting lifestyle) and I took the Scuderia which after a little blast around some local B roads the experience of racing up through the gearbox with perfectly executed rev matching on the way down I can't say I once found myself thinking I wish this car was a manual.
So I guess this is the issue, for me anyway, yes I would have ordered my GT3 as manual given the choice, will I be dissapointed with it when I collect it, no of course I won't.
i think a manual gear box is the most rewarding for those of us that have mastered the interaction between the pedals and the gearbox and even for those that haven't, the joy of rowing the gearbox is an additional interface between car and man.
Ultimately, with the march of technology and focus on outright performance, manuals in end end performance cars will die off (if it hasn't already). However, i think fun now is increasingly going to be decided by cars with less grip and HP but more fun so that even with a dual clutch gearbox, we can get all the fun we need and seek. It is already happening with new stability controls that are so good, manufacturers are increasing their fun quotient without compromising safety.
I think the new world is exciting from a chassis technology but the era of high performance manuals has died with the 991 GT3. That's why the 4,0RS is so significant.
Ultimately, with the march of technology and focus on outright performance, manuals in end end performance cars will die off (if it hasn't already). However, i think fun now is increasingly going to be decided by cars with less grip and HP but more fun so that even with a dual clutch gearbox, we can get all the fun we need and seek. It is already happening with new stability controls that are so good, manufacturers are increasing their fun quotient without compromising safety.
I think the new world is exciting from a chassis technology but the era of high performance manuals has died with the 991 GT3. That's why the 4,0RS is so significant.
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