Only a good manual transmission > good automatic trans for me.

If the manual transmission is a pain to use or annoying, I'd rather just get the automatic. Example: I would only get the manual versions of the MX-5, RX8 and TSX, but I'd get an automatic in the 335i or G37 because I dislike certain things about the manual transmissions in those cars.

We already have infinite-gear auto transmissions-- CVTs.

However, CVTs seem to suck as a rule; I didn't like the one on the Nissan Rogue rental I drove for a couple of days.

 

normally mt's are better that at, but as others have mentioned, more gears in the at will help mileage.

I had a subaru outback that was mt and the at got better mileage.


My 02 frontier that i had only got 15mpg no matter what i would do. At 70 mph it would tach 3500 and it screamed, i hated that part of the truck.

 

I'm actually in the market for a G37 and was focusing mainly on the manuals, I haven't even driven one with an auto yet. Could you tell me what you don't like about the MT's in the G37s? Thanks!

 

The G37 shift lever and knob vibrated incessantly, whether the car was idling, traveling in 3d gear or in 6th gear on the freeway, when I test drove a new one. I've never driven a car with that type of shifter vibration before, so I asked about it here in Car Talk-- members who owned 6M VQs (Gs and 350Zs) said the vibration occurred in their cars too.
The vibrating shifter would be such an annoyance in rush-hour and slow-moving traffic.

Otherwise, the G37's clutch and actual shifting action felt pretty good-- better than the 335i clutches and shifters.

 

Try my 93 Explorer..... The shifter will vibrate your watch off.

 

Say what?

Modern automatics have had an option for overdirve ratios and have been that way since at least the early 80's a prime example would be a GM TH 2004R. Ford's AXOD series is another example, not to mention the 4AT/5AT used in the accord for the last 25+ years

Given identical setups with the variable being the transmission (and boh having a similar final drive ratio), a manual will typically give better gas milage due to less weight and power loss through the transmission. Compare a 5MT accord vs the 4AT one and the milage is in the corner of the 5MT. The CLS 6MT is an exception since the car is geared for performance vs economy....with the gears being much closer than those of the 5AT (and lower overall). The top 2 gears on the CL 5AT are < 1 (.67 and .49 I believe). The transmissions betwen the CLS and CLP share the same gear ratios.