Hi, got a question about the manumatic in the new P5s. Basically, any of you have any experience with it compared to the manual transmission?

I live in Socal and would love to get a stick, but sitting in rush hour traffic everyday has me considering the manumatic. I hear the automatic is sluggish especially with the small engine. I'm wondering how the manumatic/sportshift performs. Any problems or comments welcome.

 

I've only read one review regarding the manumatic on the Protege's and it basically said that the shifting was a bit delayed. I can't remember where I read that article though, damn. I'll see if I can find it, it was on the web.

It's interesting that I hear that from a lot of people regarding being stuck in traffic with a stick and it's a pain to be always shifting. I've always driven a 5 speed and I get stuck in daily traffic, changing gears has become such a habit that sometime I don't even realize that I 'm doing it. There are times that I go to shift gears and I'm already at the gear that I want.

Now driving my 79 RX-7 is a different story. With 250HP and a racing clutch it is so heavy that you start to feel it after holding down the clutch for more then 10 secs.

 

Jezz,

its STILL an automatic...and its performance is not any better than a regular auto....the only real difference is you have the choice to be shifting it yourself.

Just remember....a 5 speed is so much more fun in a sporty car than an auto, and you are not going to spend ALL your time in traffic going to work and back.....you need to think about the times you will have out on the open road or running some nice twisties on the way to the mountains or whatever, when you are out on your off time enjoying your car and the wide open spaces, relaxing....

 

The sport automatic does have a delay in the shifting and it can be a pain when you put it into sport mode and it downshifts to first at a light and you forget that you put it into sport mode. lol
many red lines or you leave it in sport and your crusing along and slow and it stays in 4th gear and you stomp on it and it does nothing.
It is nice since the wife drives it around but when I get into I wish it was a stick, otherwise it is fun and hell it keeps up with traffic and can take most lights from other traffic. It really fun to be driving and throw it into sport mode around a corner and downshift it but you have to slap it in gear i have found otherwise it might not shift up or down. It also has a speed sensor that will not allow you to throw it into 3rd going 70+ or something close to it.
Soon as money gets better I am getting my own with a stick

 

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Hellbreed: I see your from Toronto, "daily traffic" in SoCal is on an entirely different planet altogether.. My experience was from a 86 Suzuki Samurai i drove all through high school and college, I detested that clutch.

I guess I'll go do some testdriving at the dealer to see how the P5 clutch feels.

 

You have to remember the 'manumatic' still goes through a torque converter. The TC is the single most lossy part of an autmoatic drive train. A true manual *basically* has a direct connection between the crank and the gear box, thus, a better power transfer

 

I LIVE in traffic! I only been driving MT for about 9 months. I didn't start driving MT until AFTER I got the car. What I am trying to say is, don't let traffic hold you back. If you don't know how to drive one, don't worry. I live in SF, there are hills everywhere! Now i drive up the hill in traffic without having to think. Just do it!!

 

heh...driving a manual does tend to become second nature after a while....sooner or later, you don't even think about it.

 

I'm 17 and all I drive is manual, and I've only driven automatic about 3 times now, in friends cars.

At first I saw where you were coming from about shifting in traffic, but I don't feel the thrill of just pushing down the accelerator and it speeding up the whole way....

Manual is everything to me...and for the last month, I haven't even thought about when I shift...I just do

the only actual time I have to think about when I shift, is when I'm racing and I redline the car.

the clutch is really easy int eh proteges, my old 626 had a little harder clutch, I think maybe only twice in the whole time I've been driving I might of had to put it into neutral at lights and let go over the clutch, those were when I was tired and stopped at lights which take really really long.

I'd prefer manual over the manumatic anyday...even though I've never tried the manumatic...but if there is a small delay, then I'm saying there is no point, and if it has a limiter which won't allow you to downshift and blow your engine , then there is no point there either.

I'd say learn and get the manual

 

huh? um, i already know how to drive stick... I don't really care about "racing" or anything like that, i'm not in high school anymore and i don't need to burn out my clutch and scrub my tires at every red light like a stupid rice boy. I'm just interested in how responsive the accelerator/car is in either transmission when i need to pass a big rig on the freeway and downshift.

kcbhiw: could you elaborate what the torque converter does? It sounds to me like the consensus is that since it's still an auto, it'll still have that lag when accelerating even in sport shift mode, right? Thanks.

 

well, ill tell you, the automatic in general in the p5 sucks..... when i went and test drove p5s originally i was looking auto (i had yet learned to drive a stick)... i got in and took it directly on the interstate, sadly to say i was very unimpressed! thankfully my father was along and drives like i do, and could drive a stick, so i let him take me out in the 5 speed, and from there on i could tell you, nothing was better than having it in the stick! oh speaking of which, learning on this car was great! really i have only driven two autos since i learned to drive, and then all manuals...

i started a trend among all my friends and i starting to get more people driving sticks, its really fun,a nd worth the extra few dollars of gas it saves you occassionally. and the fun factor is all there

seriously, go for the stick, drive all 3 then decide, but iim sure you'll be unimpressed by the auto or sportmatic

 

well if you knwo how to drive stick then I'd say go witht he 5 spd
and if you look at my car in the sig....I wouldn't say I'm a rice boy

I try to put a little humour in my posts
like the blowing of the engine hehe

oh well I was just trying to post my opinion on the manumatic

 

As a general explanation of how a torque converter works, think of two table fans or box fans, one placed in front of the other. When one is turned on, the other will also begin to spin because of the air flow that is being pushed through it. You will also notice that it takes a bit of time, if ever, for the second fan to match the speed of the first (transfer loss). Basically a TC uses the same principle through fluid dynamics (the tranny fluid).

for a more detail explanation, check out http://www.howstuffworks.com/torque-converter.htm

Yes, the manumatic is still an automatic. It just has the added feature of allowing you to tell it when to shift. There is, as others have mentioned, a reaction delay.

HTH

 

You actually should be putting it in neutral when stopped for a long time, or else it wears out the throwout bearing faster always holding the clutch in like that.

 

cool....I've been putting it into neutral allot more lately, but its jokes when I put it into neutral and then 2 secs later the lights go green hehe