It's a fairly made decree that the Nissan GT-R is one of the most hotly anticipated performance cars in a very long time. The Nissan's got credentials kilometers long and performance to back it up. So, it's a ballsy move when a company like Nissan goes for broke and makes a manual gearbox something GT-R buyers won't be able to spec.
Yup, that's right. No manual. The standard tranny isn't exactly a slushbox, it's a dual clutch sequential similar to the Volkswagen GTI's DSG transmission. The gearbox is actually sourced from the same OEM, BorgWarner, though is the first application that's a transaxle setup - front engine and rear transmission.
Even though only a priveleged few have driven the car, we suspect everyone and their brother will have an opinion on the new tranny setup. Let the debate begin... but bone up on the facts via text from BorgWarner before you weigh in.
This is unfortunate, but not entirely unexpected. I, for one, will lament the the loss only vicariously, but it will be interesting to hear from the hardcore Japanese GT-R faithful.
Hopefully Nissan will offer a 6-speed manual in the future.
Back in the U.S.
Quote, originally posted by Big Morgan »
Huh? Do you mean you know you're high so you pay better attention to the road, or do you mean it actually helps you focus better? As in, you have a big test this morning so you chief a fat blunt so you can focus.
On most sports cars I would bitch about this to no end, but on the GTR it just seems fitting. The car has always been about advanced technology, and this one is no different.
On top of that, the cost involved in tooling out two different trannys for a low volume car like this with a unique driveline layout probably played a role.
Rowing the gears yourself isn't fun for me. I get no sense of connection to the car, I get no gratification from shifting, it's just another distraction. It takes away from my enjoyment of flicking through a clean line and the environment I'm in. Driving an automatic has about the same impact on my driving experience as power steering or an LSD. I feel no less engaged, no less present - just less distracted, because I've got one less thing to **** with and fight against.
In the past, automatics have sucked enough that performance cars required automatics to shift quickly and cleanly. But in this day and age, automatics are capable of shifting quickly and cleanly, without hunting and clunking. DSG is the best example of this. Wanna shift? BAM. There it is. It even blips for you.
Speaking purely for myself, as someone who loves driving but HATES manuals, I got no truck with the influx of sporting dual-clutches and automanuals. The stick will never die - there will always be cars with them. But for me, a well-sorted DSG every time. The performance and economy penalty of automatics no longer exists, and the only differentiating attributes of manuals are negative in my book.
And like I said - I speak entirely for myself. Do whatever you like with your own car purchases. You may prefer manuals, that's cool, to each his own.
Damn straight! These automated manuals may have the potential to scrape a few tenths of seconds off a 0-60 time but these aren't race cars. They're road cars. The enjoyment there comes from the experience of driving it, not dry numbers that are, in the real world, completely irrelevant. Getting excited about how well these gearboxes perform is as pointless as getting excited about how well your climate control system can maintain a temperature of 68 degrees.
I don't freaking care about absolute numbers. Automatic cars are BORING to drive.
Before long, a road race will be nothing more than seeing who can be the fastest "clicker" on their pansy-ass little flappy paddles. I want to heel and toe downshift while on the brakes hard into a corner on my own. to the techno crutches of lesser drivers.
Modified by Toaster29 at 3:57 PM 10-24-2007
07 Red/black C6 Z06, stock (shocking, I know) -Past- -'07 E92 335: 380 whp/410 wtq, '03 Evo: AMS 35R'd, built and tuned by me, '00 Stage 3 A4: 13.2 @ 104
Damn straight! These automated manuals may have the potential to scrape a few tenths of seconds off a 0-60 time but these aren't race cars. They're road cars.
And if you think they'll never see a track, you're out of your mind.
Will there ever be a day when I think back on my GLX and it's notchy and weak 02A 5-speed with nostalgia, as manual transmissions have gone the way of the dodo?
Will there ever be a day when I think back on my GLX and it's notchy and weak 02A 5-speed with nostalgia, as manual transmissions have gone the way of the dodo?
Doubtful. But you might not be able to find one in a GLX.
one of the biggest reasons i dislike systems like DSG/SMGs in high end sports cars is how it pretty much makes the car accessible to any yahoo with money.
i've met too many rich idiots who think they're micheal freaking schumacher just because they own a high powered car, despite the fact they have no idea how to drive manual, let alone the dynamics of the car outside of flooring it in a straight line.
A DSG seems fitting enough for the new GT-R to me, honestly. It's the logical high-tech solution in a car that has had tons of tech packed into it in each of its modern incarnations. Essentially, it's a sports/GT flagship.
Michaelangelo - Team Post-Killing Ninja I never trust any grey-market car coming out of Florida. You could take a dead manatee, stick some wheels on it and title it at the Florida DMV." - VadGTI
A 450hp+, AWD vehicle that can lap the ring in under 7:40 with an automatic is boring. Let me just make sure I'm reading you correctly.
Yes, boring to drive. There's a lot of practice and skill that goes into driving a manual tranny fast on the track. When you nail it, its an absolutely amazing feeling, something you can't explain. You like automatic diesel cars, I wouldn't expect you to understand.
07 Red/black C6 Z06, stock (shocking, I know) -Past- -'07 E92 335: 380 whp/410 wtq, '03 Evo: AMS 35R'd, built and tuned by me, '00 Stage 3 A4: 13.2 @ 104
I like my DSG very much but I'm saddened at the thought of manual transmissions becoming extinct eventually.
Quote, originally posted by Turbodiesel! »
Rowing the gears yourself isn't fun for me. I get no sense of connection to the car, I get no gratification from shifting, it's just another distraction.
I respectfully disagree, rowing gears is part of the driving experience. IMO the older Porsche 911s would not have been as enjoyable if they were all equipped with DSGs. My project car for weekend enjoyment will definitely have manual.
Yes, boring to drive. There's a lot of practice and skill that goes into driving a manual tranny fast on the track. When you nail it, its an absolutely amazing feeling, something you can't explain. You like automatic diesel cars, I wouldn't expect you to understand.
Actually, I've driven on a track - several M3's of various generations, an Audi TT, a Nissan 350Z, and a Lotus Elise. I like driving a manual even less on the track than on the road. Best few laps I've ever run were in a SMG M3, mostly because I could ram a shift through in less time than it took to think and I could concentrate on hauling ass. IMO, that's the reason that F1 cars, WRC racers, and DTM cars (just to name a few) have manumatics.
I like diesel cars (and mine's a manual, actually, for the economy benefit only) for road-tripping and commuting. But don't presume to guess from that what my experience has been, or what I do or do not understand. I can drive a manual. I can probably do so better than most. I've nailed it, like you said, and all I felt was a sort of grumpy relief that the car was doing what the M3 did automatically.
For advertising information Click Here
