I dropped my 6MT at Acura this morning for Service "B" with about 7700 miles on the car. Interestingly, on the service ticket it says "7500 mile service" not Service "B." Anyhow, I got a loaner car...'03 RSX AT. So I put the tranny into sport shift mode and start driving. I was pretty impressed with the sport shift and began to wonder about the real differences between a manual tranny and a good sport shift (as some are crap). I know that the sport shift has a torque converter and it will shift for you if necessary. Also, I know it is not the same a a true sequential shifter a'la Ferrari F1, BMW M3 and Audi TT 3.2. Can anyone talk about the differences between the true MT and the Sport Shift.

 

I also had an 04 RSX AT as a loaner for servicing. I was impressed by the power delivery with just the auto.

Main differences:
-SportShift is still an automatic with a manual feature.
-Won’t allow you to downshift if you are in danger of over-revving the engine.
-Slight lag between when you move the lever and when the transmission actually shifts.
-No clutch, (yes on the torque converter, as seamg mentioned).
-Can be driven as an automatic when needed.

Similarities:
-Won’t shift up for you even at redline (this is the RSX SportShift, not all auto-manual trannies)
-The car responds in a much more sporty fashion when using the SportShift.

Bottom line: The Acura SportShift to me, can provide just enough sport for most people. However, what annoys me the most about the system is the lag in the system that makes you feel like you are not in control (especially on those aggressive downshifts).

As seamg had alluded, there are new transmissions coming out that are manual transmissions with robotic clutches. Examples such as the BMW Sequential Manual Gearbox (SMG) and the Audi DSG. They are actually manuals, with an automatic feature. They can shift much faster than a regular manual (the BMW has different settings even for the speed of shifts), since the computer is controlling the clutch.

I have heard that these new manual trannies (well new to the consumer market, its been around in racing), can be jerky in automatic mode, since they don’t have a conventional torque converter to smooth out the power delivery. But the technology is improving in leaps and bounds.

 

I hope you got a price quote for the B service. Many people report getting ripped off by some dealers with excessive charges. They charge for a "7,500 mile" service, which is different for the TL than other cars.

You might want to check and see what they are going to charge and maybe get it straightened out beforehand, unless you have already done that.

 

I got this "7500" service for my very first Service "A1". The piece of paper that dealer showed me had "03 TL" on its letterhead.

As we stated in other threads, dealers just use whatever they have to service your 04TLs. There apparently isn't any official 04TL service standard yet.