One of the most common dilemmas among car lovers is the transmission type. Especially when buying a sports model or certain benefits is concerned. Manual sports car or automatic sports car? You have to think carefully about the decision because realizing that you were wrong after the purchase is not pleasant at all.
My advice is that it is best to really follow what our feelings tell us. Even more so if it is a very passionate car. But you have to think about all the circumstances and the use that is going to be given to the vehicle. On the other hand, it is no less true that there are more and more sports cars and supercars that are only marketed with automatic transmission.
As a general rule, a purist driver will recommend a manual gearbox. It is true, it is much more emotional and offers greater pleasure if your touch is good. However, an automatic gearbox is by no means a bad option. In the following paragraphs I explain the advantages offered by an automatic transmission in a sports car.
Keep in mind that there are many sports and of many types. We have sport utility vehicles, like a Ford Fiesta ST; sports compacts, like a Renault Mégane RS; small sports coupes, like an Audi TT RS; sports sedans, such as a BMW M3; as well as supercars, such as a Lamborghini Huracán or a Porsche 918 Spyder.
In my view, as we climb towards a faster, more powerful and efficient car, the automatic transmission is more recommended. That if there are doubts. If you are totally clear that you want a manual sports car, buy a manual. On the contrary, if you are sure that you want your automatic sports car whatever its category, don't think about it.
I said the above because It's usually a safe bet. Compact and sport utility vehicles tend to be more satisfying with manual transmissions. They are cars that do not demand so much from the driver and that, although very fast, are not extreme in their reactions. On the contrary, sports saloons or supercars, speaking of cars that exceed 400 hp, are always more reasonable with automatic transmission. They are difficult to push for a long time to their limit.
In addition, it must be taken into account that the automatic transmissions from a couple of decades ago They left a lot to be desired in terms of performance. They weren't too quick in gear changes, not smooth when maneuvering at low speed, not entirely reliable either, and besides reduced the performance of the car compared to a manual gearbox.
But in recent years everything has changed. automatic gearboxes they have improved a lot. So much so that they are becoming increasingly popular in Europe even in conventional mid-size cars. Now they are more efficient, more effective, faster and, of course, more comfortable both on the streets and on the open road.
Let’s see below the advantages offered by the automatic gearbox compared to the manual gearbox in high-performance cars:
Efficiency and speed at a high rate
One of the great advantages that the automatic gearbox gives over the manual gearbox in a high-performance car is Its speed. Years ago a somewhat experienced driver could shift in a manual car even faster than an automatic car of the time. But over the years the automatic boxes have been improving and have gained speed.
This greater speed in gear changes translates into a greater effectiveness, always referring to sporty driving. Note that currently the jump between gears can be seen in the sound of the engine due to the change in revolutions, but inside there is hardly a change of pace or a jerk.
If we take into account the data on paper when valuing a car, this is very much in its favor. Automatic gearboxes in high-performance cars are faster and therefore help stop the clock before. Current automatic sports cars are faster in maneuvers such as 0 to 100 km/h and also in time for a lap on the circuit.
Especially if we are going to roll in circuit with our car, the automatic transmission will be a good ally. We won't enjoy it as much emotionally as with a car with a manual gearbox, but our times will be faster and we'll be able to focus more on other aspects, such as the braking reference or cornering, for example.
Reduces driver stress, prevents work from piling up
And since we are talking about totally sporty driving and riding in some other track day, we have to talk about driver stress. If we are riding on a circuit with a very fast car, or if the sports car is not as powerful but the track is very twisty, the driver puts himself under a lot of stress if he wants to go really fast.
Accelerate fully as soon as possible, correct an oversteer, reach the braking reference, do not sneak into the curve, bite the apex, overtake quickly and safely, control the temperature of the coolant and the oil, be careful not to be hindering another driver, keep the line… It's a lot of things, right?
The faster the car, the more stress we are subjected to for having less time and margin of error. The corrections have to be much faster and more precise if we don't want to end up in the gravel. Do you want to add to all of the above a manual gear change?
If you are a very experienced driver or you have done your "first steps" in the world of competition, surely it is not so hard for you to add a manual transmission. But you'll still recognize that a fast sequential gearbox in a sports car is more efficient.
On the contrary, if you are not a pilot or directly do not have a great experience riding at a really fast pace, a manual transmission may choke you. To everything we have said before, add long braking in which you have to drop three gears. You have to brake hard without losing references, make a good three times heel tip, control the engagement and disengagement well so as not to unbalance the weight distribution...
Of course, now you don't see it as simple as hitting a key three times without taking your hand off the steering wheel, right? You will notice that the work begins to accumulate and you may be overwhelmed. Obviously, with the passage of time and practice you will improve your performance with a manual and sports car, but you will hardly outperform an identical automatic model.
Comfort at normal pace
On the other hand, we are talking about sports cars and high-performance cars, but also about cars that are going to circulate a lot on the streets. Much more time and kilometers than on circuits and on twisty mountain sections. In all those moments of paths from point A to point B, don't you think it's preferable to be more comfortable and forget about the clutch pedal?
Practically all pure sports cars before the year 2000 they were uncomfortable cars at all times. Very heavy steering with little turning, hard clutch and brake pedals, engines that jerked at low speed and revolutions, hard gearboxes... Not to mention the suspensions. Few cars were minimally comfortable if one day you had to make a normal journey through the city.
All this has been polished in recent years. Now you can take any aggressive sports car anywhere with comfort driving mode. It looks like you're in a sedan. I don't want to imagine doing the ordeal of wandering around for 15 minutes with a Lamborghini Countach, a car created in the mid-70s. Today, 45 years later, you can perfectly go shopping with an Audi R8 or with a Mercedes-AMG GT. You just have to be careful with the low in the parking lots and curbs.
Since you have such a comfortable car when you want it, the last thing you want with the aforementioned R8 or AMG GT is playing with the clutch on the supermarket parking ramp or in a traffic jam, right? If instead of an AMG GT I talk about a BMW M4, surely the answer is the same. In those situations give me all the comfort in the world.
And the same thing happens when facing a trip by highway. It is worth that in those situations the transmission is not used as much, because if sixth and practically we only change gear when going through a toll, in case we find a retention or when we stop to take a break. But, in any case, everything is not always so calm and we can find a long delay or that on our route we have to cross towns or travel on slower roads.
Summarizing
In short, a car sports car with manual gearbox will always be more emotional and passionate than a similar vehicle with automatic gearbox. However, there are many other things to consider.
Do we really know how to drive a car with a manual transmission? Are we agile enough behind the wheel to get the most out of a sports car with a manual gearbox? What does our heart tell us? You have to take stock of everything explained during this article and see what compensates us more.
If you wonder about my personal opinionI am by no means a pilot. However, I think that if I bought a sports car I would associate it with a manual gearbox. I prefer to lose time but enjoy the pleasure of driving more. I also don't mind fighting with the clutch while wandering around and I'm not looking for the best lap on the circuit.
Of course, it would always depend on the chosen model. For example, (again, personally), I would always buy a BMW M2 or a Civic Type R with a manual gearbox, but I would always prefer an automatic, dual-clutch or torque converter gearbox in Volkswagen Golf R-type models. when it included cams for change. If I had to buy one supercar (and could), almost certainly, I would buy it with a manual transmission for the simple fact of owning a really special car. If it were not for that detail, of course I would bet on an automatic transmission.
One big problem is that those cars don't exist on the new car market, but the biggest problem is that I can't afford to buy a BMW M4 (neither automatic nor manual). I also cannot access a manual Ferrari 360 Modena on the second-hand market (or automatic). a pity We will continue working to try to reach them one day.
