aleks

[QUOTE=Craig-D;10873949]The term automated manual is an oxymoron. If it's automated, meaning you're not physically and mechanically disconnecting the tranny from the engine and rowing the gears yourself, then it is by definition not a manual. We should call double clutch trannies what they are: high performance automatics.
QUOTE]

But in sport mode it's doing exaclty that except with an aid of a paddle instead of a pedal, also there is no Torque converter in it so not really an auto.

Either way it's not available in the TSX so a manual is a better way to go for performance over automatic for sure.

JD23

I thought it might be a joke, but sometimes humor gets lost in writing.

espdollar

i bought my MT tsx a couple months back and had never driven stick before. EVER! The dealer drove it to my house lol
it was a rude awakening at first, But i have grown to love it.
Traffic does suck, but i barley drive on the major road ways.
You have more control over the engine with a MT.
More fun in the end

risc

I would have practiced on a non-new car first... kinda risky learning to drive MT on a 30k car. Didn't you have any friends who had an old MT beater?

ressling

same thing here. 2009 TSX is my first manual car I've owned. Sure I drove a few miles on some friends cars back in the day, but the 6MT on the TSX shifts smoothly in any case if you ask me.

CiViCKiDD

^^ agreed, I had a 5-speed EJ8 but that was stolen over a year ago. Just tried teaching my little sister how to drive stick again, and since then I haven't been able to shift my car "properly" (it's weird, the clutch's friction point is totally off). God knows how much wear I put on this pricey clutch.

As much as I love my car, I seriously hate DBW. My EJ8 shifted like a dream.

Craig-D

The paddles are for manually shifting gears. But the computer is handling the clutch, not the driver. The lack of a torque converter certainly indicates it is not a typical automatic, but the lack of a clutch pedal means it's not a true manual either. This is because as the name implies, a true manual offers manual mechanical operation of all functions by the driver.

kixo

Well, if you want a 2010 MT, Acura is limiting you to black, white, or shades of gray. Apparently, if you want a color color, then you must choose AT...

Acura is further alienating enthusiasts....

xmd5a

Either that or doing what they can to keep us at all.

hans007

This is one of those things that keeps me from buyin ga manual car.

I have driven manual once in a parking lot in my friends ford escort in college. Now that car was a POS but I figure given enough time i'd have gotten decent at it (i only drov eit for like 15-20 min).

And now that I can afford my own car, I can't practice on anything. I am from los angeles and NO ONE has a manual car (Except that one friend). The 2 friends I have who still drive manual , are the guy with the escort who wont let me drive his mazda speed 6, and another guy with a VW r32. ANyone who has manual now has some sort of sports car with a ton of HP that is not easy to learn on, and its not a beater.

I am actually thinking of BUYING a car just to learn manual on (I drive an 05 5AT TSX). I figure with cars all going hybrid etc, there will just be no manual cars in 10 yeras. I figure I want to have owned and driven a manual car at some point in my life until they all disappear (look at the new M5 / m6 originally no manua, the new porsche panamera has no manual in america etc). AM honestly looking at spending money to buy a used mr2 just to learn (well its a fun car i'm told too).

I figure staying on this topic, does anyone know of schoosl that will teach you or let you rent a car to beat on (i'm doubting it on that last one). I would go for it, and buy a 370z if I could get that figured out.

poser

Go ahead and buy the tsx manual you want. Then just learn to drive it. You won't ruin the car by learning. You will have a couple of jerky starts and a stalled engine, but it will survive. After about 20 miles, you will be driving it like a champ and will be happy.

JD23

Supposedly Acura only sells 4% of TSXs in the US with MT, so there is a logical reason for the restriction on color choices.

xmd5a

I agree, you can learn stick on a 30k without doing any damage unless you're truely the most ham fisted among us. Have someone who knows stick take you to a large empty office park on a Sunday in order to practice without having to deal with other cars (incidently that's where I learned to rollerblade also).

There are some good online tutorials for how to drive stick that are better than most average advice. Read one or two before setting out.

You definately want to learn though because it is a sign of virility. Particularily in thirty years when sports cars are all some sort of DSG and there are no manuals to be found expect at car shows you will want to boast that you had been there and done that in your life time. Any manual system that's reduced to pushing some buttons will never ever compare to the original.

nj2pa2nc

that is a shame-I am sure they would sell more if offered. When I was in the process of looking for a new car three years ago the acura dealer had 3 red tsx's with MT and 2 with automatic. The 3 with MT sold first and they tried to get me to buy one with auto. Finally found one with MT.

Colin

I'm sure manual adoption rates vary by region. If I lived with The Dragon in my back yard, I bet we'd sell more MTs. However, we face a situation where a 15 mile drive through town can take 45-60 minutes during rush hour. Our MT sales are following the national trend.

nj2pa2nc

We live about 360 miles away from the dragon. (we are on the east coast of NC)

Colin

LOL, Wolfram-alpha says I'm about 4680 miles away so consider yourself lucky!

LuvMyTSX

Try calling one of the drivers ed schools (if you have them there) and see if they can teach you MT. I thought about doing that back when I was buying my car.

23109VC

I have a 2000 boxster 5 speed. Boxsters are AMAZING cars for hte money. more $$ to repair than an S2k, and not as reliable - but in terms of overall fun and driveability - the Boxster wins hands down. I test drove several S2ks and boxsters. even the base 2.7L like mine, that has only 217hp, feels faster than the S2k b/c it has quite a bit more torque. the sound of hte boxster is better. the boxster turns heads whereas the S2k does not. the boxster holds TONS more stuff - you have front and rear trunks - so if you take hte wife on a weekend gtrip, you can actually fit ALL your stuff with even rooom to spare. the trunk in the s2k is super small. boxster is smoother and notg as buzzy. the s2k is very tight/confining in the cockpit. the s2k to me, woudl be perfect if the ONLY thing you used it for was track days and taking it out for a weekend spin - treat it like a motorcycle with four wheels - you don't use it to commute, you just use it as a toy. the boxster you can use as a toy, to get to work in, and to take weekend road trips.

i am a honda/acura fan -own a 2007 MDX and am looking at TSX for my next DD. i'm debating stick vs auto. i already have a boxster for weekend fun so part of me is like - why get another stick, but then i am a car guy - and woudl rather have a stick b/c it's more fun to drive. i wanted a TL-S but just don't want to drop $27-30k for a used car, when I can picku a lease on a 09 pretty cheap and just dump it in 3 years when I"m bored iwth it and get another car. my local dealer has two MT bases - which woudl be the cheapest way I can go. all their autos are techs, and i don't want/need nav in my ar. i can buy a frickin garmin for $300 at costco...

maybe i'll check out the sticks...i test drove ONLY the auto TSX and liked the look/feel and handling. but felt it was kind boring and hnderpowered. maybe the stick woudl ber the answer.

i test drove a lot of stuff - even the new TL. too big and spongy feeling. the TSX felt sportier.

anyway...as far as teh boxster goes - it's an awesome car. you have to drive one to experience how the motor soundss as you wind it out and listen to it wail. it is probably one of the best sounds I have ever heard in a car. although be prepared to pay to play. my water pump just went out at 75k miles and it will cost me about $700 to fix it at an independent mechanic. the S2k water pump woudl probably not even break.... so the s2k has it's stgrong points - better bang for the buck if you focus on repair costs, reliablity...but for driving pleasure, I found hte boxster way way more fun. fyi - i have 18s and the "m030" factory upgraded suspension. very stiff, my rears are 265-35-18. for a car that is as small/light as the boxster, these things look FAT on the back. way fatter than an s2ks stock tires. so it handles really really well.

anyway, back to the TSX.... is the MT substantially more "fun" to drive?

Summer

I test drove both, and to me they were like 2 totally different cars. The auto felt "boring" and the manual felt much zippier. That's just me, though - every dealer I've talked to says 99% of people go with the auto and love it, so I'm not bashing the auto, just personally way preferred the 6MT

ressling

+1.

Craig-D

It's not just you. I went in with the intent to buy an auto and drove off with a manual for just that reason. The difference between auto and manual was most noticeable on a start from a standstill on hills during my test drive. If you raced the manual and auto TSX side by side, the manual would embarrass the auto. That's not meant to bash the auto either, it's merely a fact.

TMQ

Hail to those who buy a manual. and for those who didn't buy a TSX because of limited choices available with manual, make sure you complain to the Acura headquarter.

BMW didn't offer a manual on the current M5 initially in the U.S. People complain loud and clear. Then the manual showed up.

Do your part to keep the manual alive and fun! Try local driving schools/clubs to improve your skills. buy good driving shoes.

Crissaegrim

If we leave the Acura stable there are plenty of manual options. I've been brand loyal since the late 90's but it's been clear since the early '00's that Acura is abandoning the BMW minded people in favor of the Lexus buyers, and the low manual sales are a reflection of close to a decade worth puting enthusiasts off. First by killing the NSX and then the RSX and then not offering anything sporty in AWD or RWD. I think the charge that Acuras are nice Hondas is more true today that it was in the past.

nj2pa2nc

I wrote them a letter last week-hopefully more letters will be sent by others.

gwickes

I have driven manual cars for... well for lots of years... since I was first backing up my dad's car in the driveway when I was 13 or 14 years (back in the days when it was fun to wash the family car, 'cause you could drive them up and down the driveway! :-)

Includes manuals that were "3 on the column", and various sticks including Honda vehicles ('82 Prelude, '90 Integra GS, and recently my son's '99 'Teg). Suffering with automatics in recent years (Odyssey, RX300), it was time for some fun with a manual.

I must say, driving this TSX 6sp manual is pure joy! It’s tight, quick and just fun. Glad I could find a manual (since there sure weren't many around town in late May/early June '09).

HeavyDuty

I love my 6MT 09 TSX 10 times better than my 6MT 07 Si, 06 6MTAlti SE-R & my 95 5MT Nissan combined.