Andy says manual stays!
Discussion
V8 Vantage GT said:
That's great. But no dual clutch transmission is a reminder that Aston operates on a shoe string.
...or that Audi engineers have too much time on their hands. Surely its time for every car to have windscreen wipers with an aditional flick, especially so it smears the now clean windscreen...V8 Vantage GT said:
t0s said:
In these latest series of quotes from Andy Palmer is one where he says that there is really no difference between a DCT and a well-tuned automatic...
But there is a difference. And in a car in this price range, it should be available. There is no question that the gap between the best DSG and the best auto boxes has narrowed. There is also no question that to a large percentage of the buying public, they neither know nor care whether their 'auto' box is torque converter or DSG - I bet barely any F type owners know for instance, certainly it would surprise me if as many as 20% know.
THere are also many unanswered questions before one can judge too much. For instance, will Aston offer a 2 pedal option in Vantage and if so, will that be conventional auto or an advancement of sportshift ? It's one thing to state they won't go DSG because the best autos are just as good and another to suggest torque converter auto will appear in next Vantage, expecially as they've indicated new vantage will be more raw than typical current vantage
jonby said:
Much as I was scathing when it launched and I still don't quite get it, the fact remains it seems to have done Jaguar no harm whatsoever to have a conventional automatic box in their F type
There is no question that the gap between the best DSG and the best auto boxes has narrowed. There is also no question that to a large percentage of the buying public, they neither know nor care whether their 'auto' box is torque converter or DSG - I bet barely any F type owners know for instance, certainly it would surprise me if as many as 20% know.
THere are also many unanswered questions before one can judge too much. For instance, will Aston offer a 2 pedal option in Vantage and if so, will that be conventional auto or an advancement of sportshift ? It's one thing to state they won't go DSG because the best autos are just as good and another to suggest torque converter auto will appear in next Vantage, expecially as they've indicated new vantage will be more raw than typical current vantage
Your probably correct. Aston dealers have all told me it's easier to sell the automatic Vantage over a manual. Lot of buyers these days don't know how to drive a manual.There is no question that the gap between the best DSG and the best auto boxes has narrowed. There is also no question that to a large percentage of the buying public, they neither know nor care whether their 'auto' box is torque converter or DSG - I bet barely any F type owners know for instance, certainly it would surprise me if as many as 20% know.
THere are also many unanswered questions before one can judge too much. For instance, will Aston offer a 2 pedal option in Vantage and if so, will that be conventional auto or an advancement of sportshift ? It's one thing to state they won't go DSG because the best autos are just as good and another to suggest torque converter auto will appear in next Vantage, expecially as they've indicated new vantage will be more raw than typical current vantage
dhallworth said:
In the Auto Car magazine article about new Astons coming along in the next few issues there's a quote from Andy Palmer saying he really dislikes the dual clutch gearboxes, doesn't go on to elaborate as to why though unfortunately.
David.
Andy Palmer wouldn't be the first automotive executive brought in from the outside to ruin an automotive brand. David.
I'm normally quite scathing of company management teams (and don't get me started on Dr Bez). But so far I've been very encouraged by what Andy Palmer has said and done.
He's engaging with the customer base (eg joining AMOC, hopefully attending Burghley) - something Bez never bothered to do. His comments about wanting to be the last sports car manufacturer to offer manual gearboxes is brilliant. Yes 99% of buyers won't go manual but I think it sends a strong message that the guy is a petrolhead
He's made cuts, but he's also investing. And i have far more confidence that he will avoid the vanity projects of Ulrich (cygnet, UB-DBS)
He's engaging with the customer base (eg joining AMOC, hopefully attending Burghley) - something Bez never bothered to do. His comments about wanting to be the last sports car manufacturer to offer manual gearboxes is brilliant. Yes 99% of buyers won't go manual but I think it sends a strong message that the guy is a petrolhead
He's made cuts, but he's also investing. And i have far more confidence that he will avoid the vanity projects of Ulrich (cygnet, UB-DBS)
RDMcG said:
Genuine question :
what percentage of AMs are manual? On this side of the pond they seem to be mainly auto.
I don't know exact percentages but where there has been an option on manual/paddle shift it looks like 90% are paddle (just based on looking at db9/Dbs for sale). There is a reason why AM stopped offering manual...what percentage of AMs are manual? On this side of the pond they seem to be mainly auto.
On the dual clutch I think Andy cites weight and complexity as the negatives. Not enough of an expert to know how true that is, whether dual clutch has a shorter lifespan etc
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