Quote:
Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague
It's the latter. I like the new RS6 a lot, but 5000 lbs is fairly ridiculous. The B7 RS4 was 3600.
What... what language is this? These words don't make any sense in that order. Are you doing okay? Should we call someone?
|
Hahaha, thanks for your concern.
I'm fine, but I'm just being honest - a manual transmission has its place in a car enthusiast's world, but the reality is that place is a smaller niche than the online cheerleaders would indicate (or admit). To be fair, it's not as pervasive in this thread as some of the automotive forums I'm on, but it's still a curiously persistent chant by the 'enthusiasts' that simply doesn't lineup with reality.
Case in point - when the new Bronco was first hinted at, there was a healthy dose of "it better come with a manual" or "I'll only buy it if I can shift gears" in all of the forums. Fast forward to when the order books are open and... nada. It varies from dealer to dealer, but manual orders are consistently well under 10%... Sure, you can't get it with the V6 and you might say that means Ford isn't really catering to the actual enthusiasts, but then there's Porsche - For the second 911 generation in a row, the vocal online enthusiasts have made enough noise to have Porsche acquiesce and add a manual offering... After an initial run up, all indications are it will work out the same for the 992 as it did for the 991 - minimal sales that simply don't match the volume (noise; not size) of demand and don't justify the R&D for Porsche... The same happens with wagons...
At least with the wagons, there are markets with legitimate and sufficient demand and I see less of an issue from a manufacturers standpoint of at least making the wagon models available, even if on an order-only basis for dealers.
That's not to say that there isn't a legitimate level of demand for manual cars (and wagons), but for every true and honest enthusiast that's actually willing to put their money where their mouth is, there seems to be 5 more that pile on simply because they think it boosts their "car guy cred", and that gets annoying.
In my opinion, a manual transmission has its place in the automotive timeline, but we're right near the end of relevance in new cars. There was a time when a manual was a simple part of a simple system, but now it's more often a simple part of a complex system that simply doesn't integrate well.
Give me a manual in an E39, or even E60 M5, but I'll take the new one with the auto.
Manual transmission in a 930, or 964, or 993 - yes please, but I'll take PDK in a 992.
My F355 or 360 would be a stick, but I'm sure I'd be fine if my Roma had paddles.
