Originally Posted by Falcon7
Well this is rare, I agree with just about everything thats been said here. i believe that the buyers on this kind of car can't drive a manual. Someone here can tell us what percentage of turbo's sold in 08 or 09 were automatics? My guess is that it was 70% or higher.
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Falcon:
My belief is that they can, but after trying a PDK, they'd rather not. Also, PDK holds up better than manuals on these high power cars. It's pretty easy to tear up a clutch with a couple of badly done hard starts. PDK can be wired so launch control only works so many times in a row and other schemes can be contrived to save the thing from abuse. Another advantage is that they're almost impossible to over-rev. Saves a lot of nasty arguments with high rolling customers.
That's the engineering side. The other side is that a lot of these customers don't drive the cars enough to care what sort of transmission is in it. The guys I know that can afford really high end cars like these new Ferraris are at the top of their ladders at work and aren't quitting until they drop. They make great money, have things paid off and can afford to spend this kind of money on a toy....and they know how to shift.
Don't confuse a PDK or Ferrari dual-clutch with an automatic. It will shift automatically, but it's direct like a manual and they're pretty fun to drive when you get used to them. I think there's a place for manuals, but maybe not in very powerful, very complicated and expensive to repair cars.
This dual clutch solves a lot of problems for the car makers and the dealers and gives the customer the ability to deal with the realities of congested roads better plus better performance and economy.
We all like a manual on a nice weekend drive or even in a little suburban traffic until we have to stop for a few too many lights or until we hurt the engine or clutch with a head-slapping mistake on the track. Doh!
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