Topic: New 911 - First road test...

[loser40]

Hi...

Car Magazine UK have just driven & reviewed the new 911.

Porsche says of it's new twin clutch 'PDK' gearbox - "Porsche engineers confided that it could completely replace the six-speed manual on Porsche's within five years" it's that good.

The C4S can now hit 100 MPH in under 10 seconds - true super car territory !!!

Read the full article here - http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Drives/Search-Results/First-drives/Porsche-911-Carrera-2009-CAR-review/ .

M.

[jcon]

Porsche says of it's new twin clutch 'PDK' gearbox - "Porsche engineers confided that it could completely replace the six-speed manual on Porsche's within five years" it's that good.

Just because they can, does not mean they should.


Car looks hawt!

[loser40]

jcon - I think the manufacturer's, Porsche included, will pretty much forever give the buyer a choice of gearbox.

But I favour the dual-clutch g'boxes, it's called progress, and by most accounts these types of gearboxes improves a driver's abilities & prowess behind the wheel 'cos driver's have more time to focus on driving lines and the road ahead while getting a perfect, swift gear-change at the flick of a paddle.

Thinking about it, it is a bit bizarre that Europeans who preferred manual transmissions for decades tend to favour this new technology, but North Americans who tend to favour auto's has a hard-core group who insist that traditional manual is best ?

Surely there is a case for progress & choice, if we didn't have it you'd still be starting your car with a crank handle, double de-clutching and indicating using your arms (which incidentally, would be incredibly strong due to the fact you wouldn't have power assisted steering).

Agreed though, the new 911 is a stunner 

M.

[Mitlov]

jcon - I think the manufacturer's, Porsche included, will pretty much forever give the buyer a choice of gearbox.

I disagree.  Nissan GT-R?  No manual, just dual-clutch.  Volkswagen R32?  Same.  Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart?  Same.  Audi A3 3.2 Quattro?  Same (only way to get a stick is the 2.0T FWD).

Looks to me to be a recent trend of performance cars only offering a dual-clutch automated manual.  And I don't like that trend.

[evil_twin]

Amazing car, but I too am concerned about the tranny comments.

No doubt, DSG (or whatever technology comes next) will yield the best performance in all of these cars.  But that really only matters if you're driving your car at 10/10th around a track, doesn't it?

Some of the enjoyment of driving comes from selecting those gears yourself, playing with the clutch and your revs.

Of course DSG's and the like are "progress".  But at this point, they could download the coordinates of a track into the control computer of a Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, etc and have the car bang out absolutely perfect laps.  That's not some futuristic idea...the cars of today could easily do this with some new software.  That's progress too isn't it? 

The stars of F1 could be whiz programmers coming up with better and better algorithms to perfectly react to changing road, weather, and equipment conditions. 

They might look out of place on the yachts in Monaco however...

[initial_D]

jcon - I think the manufacturer's, Porsche included, will pretty much forever give the buyer a choice of gearbox.

I disagree.  Nissan GT-R?  No manual, just dual-clutch.  Volkswagen R32?  Same.  Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart?  Same.  Audi A3 3.2 Quattro?  Same (only way to get a stick is the 2.0T FWD).

Looks to me to be a recent trend of performance cars only offering a dual-clutch automated manual.  And I don't like that trend.

Seems like a new tech-trend. from 5 speed to 6 speed, now to eletronic clutch with fully auto mode. Of that list, most of the cars (if not all), are small volume production cars. Maybe Mitsu will sell 1'000s of the RalliArt. Won't be long before it will be hard to hunt down a good old fashion manual shifter.

[loser40]

Mitlov...

Being based in the UK I didn't realise that Canadians were sometimes denied gearbox choices, here in Europe, generally speaking, there is a choice if a choice exists.  If my memory serves me right the R32 for example, is available in many markets within the EU with the standard manual gearbox option.

But you're right, the GTR is dual clutch only - I guess if that bothers you you'd simply choose another car !  Whilst it would be nice to always be given a choice of gearbox, I don't think that we as consumers can seriously consider it obligatory.

M.

[safristi]

...LOser...Miltov lives in OREGON    ...Canada's 57th State according to Barack Obama

[loser40]

Ooops, my mistake, I assumed he was Canadian.

[safristi]

..we often make tha same assumption..... ...since we beat them badly 2 Centuries ago.....