LimeyHoya

Ok. I'm still in the mid-stages of the buying process...and can't work out whether I ought to go with an AT or MT '05. No dealer's around here (SJ CA) have an MT to test - is it really worth the extra wait?

I must admit I'm an ex-pat Brit who has never owned an AT car, so doing so before I turn 50 seems a bit wrong....

Any thoughts?

Cheers.

Lore

How much do you like sitting in traffic? As I am also a resident in the Bay Area I am intimately aware of the traffic conditions here and would hate to get stuck shifting in stop and go traffic. I got the 5AT for convenience and wouldn't mind getting a 6MT for a weekend car, but not right now in my life...

TLNJ

Go with the 6MT...especially if that's what you've driven your entire life. This way you won't know the difference, whereas if you get the AT you may be kickin yourself down the road as to why you didn't go with the 6MT.

As for getting an AT before you turn 50...well I'm with you on that one.

LimeyHoya

Two TL's? Mmmmm....that sounds good. Not sure that the missus would let that one slide (I'm currently just about winning the "honey we really need Navi because I'm not a local" argument)

The traffic around here is the only reason I'm considering it though....

VTEC=happiness

I have AT...get MT for sure

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

I have an AT as well... I INSIST you get the MT ... biggest regret I have, that I opted for the manual. I would have dealt w/ the hassle of driving my MT in heavy traffic just so I could enjoy the true power of this engine and drivetrain.

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

Oh, and the MT is really worth any wait up to and including 6 months (or as much time as you're willing to wait for it, for that matter).

jazzpicker

My wife and I own both a 6MT and AT. There is no comparison, I love driving the 6MT much more than the AT.
The downside of the 6MT is possibly being worth a bit less at trade-in but it's a blast to drive.

mickey3c

The manual has been more trouble free in this model than the auto. Granted the auto has been around longer and they usually sell more.

Wait as long as you need to for the stick.

rifleman-cl

I like my AT - Oh well, I don't how to drive stick and not wasting 30k+ to learn. The autostick is pretty good too especially going from 2nd to 3rd and up. A bit quicker than leaving in D position. Get what you like....it's your $$, it's just personal preference.

captain

Mt!!!!!!!!!

terse

I have MT, some times when I'm driving really sh*tty, i wish I had the AT...but when I'm driving good...it's fun to have the MT....

I think if you've had MT cars in the past and they were "luxury sedan" type cars...get the MT...

otherwise...get the AT...especially if you just want comfort...

PPLAPW

Manual. No Questions

6mtV6

Get the 6mt. It's one of the best 6mt out there.

F23A4

After having driven the 5AT, I'd DEFINITELY recommend getting the 6MT.

DMZ

If you've only driven manual trannies, then stick with what you know.

I live in NYC/Manhattan and still went for the 6MT. I first test drove the 5AT, then the 6MT ......... and there was no turning back. I would have been kicking myself ever since if I did just like those here who went non-Navi and then regretted it.

6MT
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etirps

get the MT ... I got the AT bc i was driving alot to the city and cal but now that I dont go as much I really wish i had the MT ... traffic in the bay area isnt bad at all compared to LA ... and get the NAVI .... it just looks ugly without it

Hawhyen51

You should test drive a 6MT. I'm sure one of the several dealers within the Bay Area has one. If you're not perturbed by heavy traffic or shifting in stop and go traffic, by all means go for it. If you like the luxury without shifting, get the 5AT. Your situation should dictate what you get. Without a doubt, the 6MT is more fun to drive, and that is primarily the reason most of us get it.

golferboy1862

I got my TL 4 months ago and it was the first car I bought with a automatic transimission. I do agree you give up a little control but switch it to manual mode and there you go. I test drove 3 cars G35 Coupe AT, then the G35 Coupe MT cheapest sounding manual I've ever heard my 96 GTI VR6 was tighter and less clunky, and finally the TL. I did want the the G35 but trade-in was to low and the dealer sales reps were jerks at my 2 local dealers.

ensley696

Get what you want. The MT will be a lot more fun to drive, but if you don't want an MT get the AT. When I set out to buy a car I choose the tranny first, then look at cars with that tranny. Of course I give both MT and AT a try before I buy.

alvonchui

6MT!! Just change the time or route you take to / from work. I am in the south bay area also, and my commute traffic is fine for me and my 6MT TL.

cM3go

6MT, you won't be disappointed!

NBPTLBOI

Once you go MT you never go back!

Nodoze2004

Complete no brainer the 6MT!!


There is no other version of the car!!

boosteddsm

I test drove a 6mt and went back and bought a 6mt a few weeks later and never looked back. I've never even driven an auto TL! I knew if I got an AT (I've never owned an auto either) I'd regret it every day.

DAVERUBINO

Well it sounds like the overwhelming majority like the 6MT. I bought the 5AT and it's the first auto I've ever owned, but I did it for a different reason. I was getting into too much trouble with my 6MT '98 Vette. I find I drive alot saner with the auto and I never shift it. Now that I've had it, I don't think I would go back to a manual again. Realize that this is a speed freak talking. It's for my own good. If you want performance and can keep that right foot under control, I'd definately go 6MT.

AcidHorse

6MT fer sure. Driving in traffic shouldn't even influence you to get an Auto. You won't regret it.

slavka

I got a chance to test drive both .. 6MT (to me) felt much better.. and therefore I got it.. and LOVE IT.. Although AT has the sport shift, I still felt the delay in gear shifting.

I'm sure u know pros and cons.. i.e. traffic, reseller value, nobody will be able to get you home when you're drunk ('cause not that many know how to drive MT), etc.

One thing that I am a little uncertain about, though. This car is so quiet when I drive, I can bearly hear the engine. Hard to listen when to shift. Especially if I have the music on, I can't hear engine at all.. Something I have to get used to

6 speed is definatelly fun, and the car is so powerfull that when you downshift and step on it, it puts you back on the seat

Anyways.. good luck and buy what makes sense to YOU!

ONAGER

manual all the way!!!! its a blast to drive. if your fluent with a stick get the manual. not only do you get a slick shifting unit. but you also get brembos and an limited slip diff as well... that alone is worth the hassle of city driving

PeterUbers

iTrader: (1)

The MT feels like it's got a totally different engine it in when you compare it back to back to the AT ... almost like you have another 50hp...

SouthernBoy

I have only bought one automatic in a personal driving machine in my entire life and the only reason I did was because I thought I was going to be towing a boat with it. As it turned out, we towed the boat with my wife's car. I would NEVER even consider the purchase of a personal driving machine that didn't come with a manual transmission. The arguments of heavy traffic and such simply don't fly with me. I've never been bothered by this nor have I ever wished I had an automatic under those conditions.

That being said and my very strong bias out of the way, I will be a bit more objective now.

The TL with the manual transmission is wonderful. This is a very good manual (double cone synchros and all). The car's personality is capable of wearing two hats. I have never driven the automatic but I can see where it may fit the car. But the manual does this so much better. It brings out the beauty of the design. And rowing the gears with this baby is such a joy. Besides, there's the economic factor. Manuals last SO much longer than automatics and are SO much less costly to maintain.

The old adage; if you have to ask, you're probably not convinced, applies here. So test drive both then you'll know what you're giving up.

sedgett

If you commute in heavy traffic, it is hard to argue against the automatic transmission. If you enjoy driving, its hard to argue against the six speed. Don't forget that you don't get the Brembos (with built-in squeaking) with the automatic. I've had the six speed for a year and wouldn't trade for an automatic.

LimeyHoya

Wow! I thought I might get a couple of responses...but this was pretty swift and emphatic!

Thanks for all your input. I'll definitely try both, but I'm 99.99% sure that the MT will get my money. I just like being involved in the driving experience too much! As for getting a ride home when I've been on the bevvy's....thankfully the missus is an awesome stick driver!

Thanks again!

harder99

I also have a 2002 TL-S (of course AT). I purchased a 2004 MT after test driving both the AT and MT - BIG Difference. It is a blast to drive. As one thread mentioned, if you have a lot of stop and go driving get the AT. My wife picks up my daughter in a carpool line and the MT is a pain and would quickly wear out the clutch.

hypertech

I've got the AT and I like it for my driving situations. C&D actually recommended the AT because it does a better job suppressing the torque steer.

Its a personal preference, get what your used to and you want. Despite all the complaints I think both are a good transmission.

wavshrdr

LimeyHoya- keep in mind that asking this question on this forum you are likely to get a bias of MT owners as I'd probably bet as a group MT owners are more vocal about their transmission preferences. To put it another ask what car someone would buy on the Lexus forums and even if they are comparing to a car that is vastly better than a Lexus the people on the Lexus forum are going to choose the Lexus. That is what I noticed on this forum as well as they MT owners are more vocal about their preferences than the AT owners.

If you look at the TL sales the AT version vastly outsells the MT version. I personally bought the AT tranny rather than the MT even though I was at first strongly considered buying the 6MT to the point that last year I wouldn't even consider driving the 5AT version. When I bought one this year there were several reasons I bought the 5AT rather than the 6MT.

If the car were RWD or AWD I would have bought the 6MT without even blinking but with the FWD I didn't think it was such a "spors" type car but more luxury than sport. This car is not the ultimate backroad scratcher regardless of what people think. The main performance advantage (in acceleration) for the 6MT vs. the 5AT is truly at higher speeds. I can tell you that in the average street race my 5AT has beaten most 6MT TL's I've run.

Yes the 6MT gets more power to the ground at some RPMs but it is much harder to launch. From about 80mph on up the 6MT will pull my car but I didn't buy it to be a race car and how often will I ever notice the advantage in acceleration.

I'd like to have the Brembos but my past experience with them on other cars is there is a lot more upkeep with them and rebuilds are much more expensive. I also noticed that on the crappy roads where I live the 5AT handles the potholes and frost bumps better than the 6MT version.

Another big plus for me is almost across the board the 5AT gets better fuel mileage than the 6MT. The 6MT is turning a lot more revs at crusing than the 5AT. It also is noisier at cruise. I have also found that the tranny in sport mode is quite entertaining to drive.

I hadn't bought a new car with an AT tranny until I bought my AMG Benz and that car opened up my eyes to what a good AT could really do. If it wasn't for that car I wouldn't have even given the 5AT TL a shot but now I am quite happy. If/when they make an AWD version of the TL I'll probably go with a 6spd but with the current chassis arrangement I personally like the 5AT. It was a practical decision for me rather than emotional. I like how much easier the 5AT was to drive in the snow.

Since I only planned on keeping this TL for maybe 2 years or until an AWD version is out resale was important to me. I have been buried in other MT sport/luxury cars where I took a huge beating on resale for the "benefit" of driving the MT version. Now I am a little more cautious about it. I also factored in that how much of the time could I truly enjoy the 6MT especially if I was just driving to work and stuck in traffic.

I think you should look at what role the car is going to play in your life. My TL is a daily beater for me when I don't want to drive something else. For that purpose the 5AT was a great choice. I can let it shift itself when I want to relax and unwind. It is still fun to open up and a lot of fun on backroads. I don't have to drive the pi$$ out of it to appreciate it like I felt I needed to do with the 6MT. If it were to be my weekend car and I could take it out and flog it on the backroads and then put it in the garage for the rest of the week; then it'd be great to go with the 6MT. However if I did that I should really get my head examined if I was buying the TL to do the backroad bashing instead of a Honda S2000 or something with a more definite sporting bent.

Enjoy whatever you buy. They are both grear cars. If I had bought my TL a year ago I would have been one of the rabid 6MT owners like most of the others here on this board. A year later I am no longer rabid but appreciate both of them. This chassis is really short changed by it's drivetrain. It should have been AWD or RWD and without it I just don't find it as much fun as it could have been when coupled with the 6MT.

bluenoise

I got the AT and I've always driven MTs. I didn't even try the MT because I knew it would make my decision to get AT that much harder. I commute in the Bay Area and have wanted an AT for those mornings/evenings when I'm in stop-and-go traffic or I'm holding a cup of coffee in those conditions. In my old car, my crappy knee would get too sore working the clutch.

I miss the MT, though, for control in turns. For instance, keeping it in a lower gear around a cloverleaf allowed me to modulate my speed and shift more weight to the front wheels to reduce the oversteer. I'm just learning to do this with the sport shift, but it's a different animal altogether. In spite of being called "sport shift," there is a tremendous lag between your request for a shift and the actual shift. It seems not much different than any other AT I've driven where I can shift into a lower gear.

Still, I'm very happy with the car's performance and locking into 2nd or 3rd when entering a freeway can really put a grin on my face. I imagine the grin would be even bigger with the 6MT!

Is it me, or are the shift points on the AT a bit low in the RPMs? I'm surprised, sometimes, when it decides to shift when I'm trying a 0-70 run in full auto. I'd expect it to go nearly to the redline before shifting.

slavka

Wavshrdr,

your points are very valid and true. I am sure that AT is a very fine choice for an outstanding vehicle such as TL.

For that reason I find that these questions (Which should I get? or Which looks better?) may not be as helpful as the author hopes

What is dirt for some, is gold to others. There are both lovers and haters of either trannies provided by acura.

I think what LimeyHoya may be looking for is a positive reinforcement towards that decision he already made. Although 6MT folks seem to be more vocal in this thread, you are right that AT sells much better and at much larger quantities.

To LimeyHoya.... I don't think that anything in this thread can possibly make-it or break-it for you at which type of tranny to get, as you will hear both positives and negatives about either

I'm sure you know that you will have to sit down and figure out what the car will mainly be used for. Is it a weekend, fun car? is it a commute car? Like most said.. stick will be harder to sell .. so if you're buying it you should think forward about that too..

This is my analogy.. Automatic is for commuting.. and Stick is for driving

what is your HEART telling you??? 'cause at the end you're (and your wife who is an awesome stick driver ) stuck driving it..


Once again.. good luck.. and whatever choice you make.. you won't go wrong

terse

let me add something..

if you want to drive it like a sports car...get a stick...it you want to drive it like a nice car...get auto...

simple

bluenoise

I'm trying to sell my old car, which is a MT Mazda sedan, and I've had three potential buyers so far tell me they'd buy it if it had an automatic. I can't imagine an auto in that car so I'm bummed I can't sell it yet.