Manual trans essay

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2013/02/todays-strangest-manuals/

Written by an on-again-off-again friend of mine. I thought you guys would be amused.

There's nothing too strange about the Discovery and Insight being offered as manuals, when you understand the kind of cars they are, or at least the manufacturer thought they were.

The Discovery is a cushy SUV with light offroad capability pretending to be a serious offroad vehicle, created by people thinking they were making a serious offroad vehicle, and owned by people who think it's a serious offroad vehicle. Therefore, manual. It probably seemed just as sensible as a manual Defender to the people building and buying them.

The original Insight is one of the geekiest cars ever made, and I mean that in a good way, like how Linux is geeky. They weren't going to make this a simple appliance with stop and go pedals, it was like some kind of university project that was made to be experimented with and they had no problem throwing complexity at the driver to give more options. It's like it was aimed at hypermilers harder than the Toyobaru is aimed at performance driving enthusiasts, before hypermiling was a thing.

If they went back in time for the disco, why not the taurus.......most people seem shocked to see a lever and 3 pedals in an old taurus.

I had one guy at a discount tire literally get back out of the car and go to the back just to make sure the badge said it was a taurus.....

I don't get it. Why are those strange manual transmissions?

Yeah, most of that made sense to me, especially the disco. After all, doesn't it share a lot of running gear with the defender?

foxtrapper wrote: I don't get it. Why are those strange manual transmissions?

They're in cars that don't appeal to, what is today, the niche market of manual trans. drivers.

GameboyRMH wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: I don't get it. Why are those strange manual transmissions?

They're in cars that don't appeal to, what is today, the niche market of manual trans. drivers.

This. Not that they weren't awesome cars - most of them, anyway - just that they were cars where the predicted sales volume of a manual trans version (if not the car itself) was probably in the triple digits.

The guy is kind of odd, I admit.

When we looked at SLKs for my wife, we found two manuals. I liked it much better, but my wife decided on an auto. It was the right call for her. Long commute in stop and go traffic.

I have to say, though, that it's the best auto I've ever driven. Computer controlled, I guess. It will stay in the lower gear when you "get on it". It makes it better, but not the same. The manual shift mode thingie isn't so hot. Takes too long to actually change gear. All in all, I'd much rather have the manual. It's a shame that people just aren't buying them.

In reply to fast_eddie_72:

Is it the slk 350? If so, it should have the 7sp autobox, which oddly has 2 reverse gears.

GameboyRMH wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: I don't get it. Why are those strange manual transmissions?

They're in cars that don't appeal to, what is today, the niche market of manual trans. drivers.

Ferrari owners aren't supposed to want manual transmissions?

Not these days, Paris Hilton needs the free hand to operate her cell phone.

GameboyRMH wrote: Not these days, Paris Hilton needs the free hand to operate her cell phone.

I heard it wasn't for that reason, it was because she liked giving handies to hobo's

foxtrapper wrote:

GameboyRMH wrote:

foxtrapper wrote: I don't get it. Why are those strange manual transmissions?

They're in cars that don't appeal to, what is today, the niche market of manual trans. drivers.

Ferrari owners aren't supposed to want manual transmissions?

Not modern Ferrari owners. Note that no one is discussing going back in time to replace all the F40s with flappy paddle gearboxes.

yamaha wrote: If they went back in time for the disco, why not the taurus.......most people seem shocked to see a lever and 3 pedals in an old taurus.

The original Taurus had a manual in the cheap, stripped, no options model, and for the late 80s/early 90s that wasn't too unusual. Accords and Camrys were available with manuals with the 4-cylinder base engine in those days too. They also had them in the SHO, which was an unusual car, but not just for the transmission!

They mention the IS300 in the article, but that was originally automatic-only, the manual came later.

yamaha wrote: In reply to fast_eddie_72: Is it the slk 350? If so, it should have the 7sp autobox, which oddly has 2 reverse gears.

No, 230.

In reply to codrus:

During that period, ALL Accords were available with 5 speed gearboxes. None were available with a V6, though. I have an 89 Accord coupe in the second to highest trim level, and I have a manual.

They don't mention Dodge Caravans with manuals? Really? I've ridden in one, it was weird. That's way way weirder than half the stuff on the list. I did like the article though.

There was not one vehicle on that list that wouldn't be improved with a manual transmission.

But then, my list of cars improved with an automatic is pretty darn short.

codrus wrote: The original Taurus had a manual in the cheap, stripped, no options model, and for the late 80s/early 90s that wasn't too unusual. Accords and Camrys were available with manuals with the 4-cylinder base engine in those days too. They also had them in the SHO, which was an unusual car, but not just for the transmission!

see my sig line....I currently own a pair of 5sp sho's.

The 4cyl taurii were perhaps the slowest cars on the road in the mid 80's.....the 5sp in those made them just as slow.

mazdeuce wrote: They don't mention Dodge Caravans with manuals? Really? I've ridden in one, it was weird. That's way way weirder than half the stuff on the list. I did like the article though.

My buddy towed our ChumpCar Shelby CSX to the track with his 5-speed turbo Caravan. It was loaded with tools and spares too :)

I kind of figured the Thunderbird would make that list to. I get asked all the time how hard it was to put a 5 speed in mine.