Ferrari have offered semi-auto or double clutch gearboxes since the mid-90's, to link their F1 campaign to their road cars. Fair enough I guess. Their boxes are meant to be insanely quick as well (my main issue with Renault's EDC) as Ferrari like to see themselves as a race team that also make road cars. I'm not sure that's a good strategy going off the last ten years in F1.
Ferrari also have a habit of doing whatever the hell they want because plebs will hoover it up. Ferrari aftershave, anyone?
Porsche have just announced the Gen2 991 GT3... which after people moaning about the PDK-only Gen 1, they now offer a manual option! That was pretty much the only downside in specialist reviews was "...it'd be nice to at least have the option of a manual for the purist" We all know that a dual clutch is faster, but where's the interaction? Where's the satisfaction from completely nailing heel and toe into third, chucking it in and then left foot braking around? (another thing Renault's EDC gearboxes/management don't like, they just cut ignition!)
Porsche listened and then we had the manual 911R and later the 991.2 GT3 and GT3RS manuals. A great example of a manufacturer really knowing their customer base...
Over to you, Renault. I'd love a manual RS Megane Sport Tourer in Oyster Grey. Perfect daily.
I'm not saying that it should be manual only, just that we should be given the option.
Some people are just stuck in the dark ages!
Time has moved on. The obsession with interaction by some of the motoring world baffles me to be honest. We used to have to turn our cars over by hand. Would you rather that too? Would you still rather send post instead of email?
Heel and toe is something for people to boast about on the Pistonheads forum I guess but in the real world, it's an outdated skill that machines can do much better than us now.
Not only is it faster, there's no doubt that you DO feel more connected to the car. Taking the time and thought to think about what gear you're in, what gear you need, oh now I need to come off the gas and push the clutch and then move the lever around and select a cog, off the clutch, back on the gas...eventually... Where as in a paddle shift car it's just woosh, next, woosh, next, woosh. All flat shifting. It's a far more immersive experience. And as for downshifts, throttle blips are awesome and perfectly matched every time. Never miss a gear, always perfect. Fair enough, you may enjoy doing that yourself but personally I'd rather be focused on making progress and getting the best lines and nailing my braking points. You can do all that better without worrying about gears. Oh and left foot braking is MUCH better with two pedals. No question.
I've driven back to back manual and paddle shift versions of the same cars from BMW, Porsche and Lotus. Even taking into account the "auto" software on the Lotus is terrible, the paddle shift versions all gave a more connected experience every time.
As for the Porsche example, for the GT3, it's a option. Not a change back. And the 911R, firstly, none of us on here can afford one, secondly the vast majority of them will end up in a collection and not getting driven at all. Porsche will do whatever they need to for marketing purposes. Including going back on their 911 will always have the engine at the rear stance. Nothing is sacred over there and the only reason there is a manual option is to gain a few more sales from the folk who want to arse about with gears.
Dismissing modern technology because you like doing things the old and slower way and taking yourself away from actually driving because you're focusing on selecting cogs... I mean, you're entitled to your opinion but, honestly, it's old hat and we can do it better now. The interaction you're craving takes away from the base driving experience and the focus on what you're actually trying to do, concentrate on driving fast.
However, what I do agree with is that we should be given an option. If you really need to swap your own cogs, fair enough, you should be able to do that. And hopefully you still will for some time, however, it's all a moot point anyway because in your life time all cars will be electric and just go/stop.
Don't fight the change mate, it's pointless!
