Sad News - new V70 not to have manual transmission

The skill is in knowing when they should do it and actually doing it.
Unfortunately many people that know they can do it never do, and some
don't even know they can do it. I feel that I have been a lousy driver
if I have to replace rotors and if the front pads don't last at least
50k miles and the rear pads at least 80k miles. Usually I achieve those
modest goals. I keep my cars 180,000 miles typically and never have any
engine problems and only had transmission problems on a '93 850 and my
transmission lasted 145,000 miles, much longer than most on that model.

You need to drive a modern automatic. They have had lock-up
transmissions for many years, at least all through the 90s. They have a
down side, sometimes they jerk slightly when they shift, but they are
very efficient and definitely feel connected.

In some countries, when I rent a car I get a stick shift. I have a lot
of fun driving them if the clutch isn't shot. I respect a person's
liking sticks, but I find I can get all the things I look for in a stick
in my shiftronic and my wife who doesn't drive a stick can drive it
also. I used to hate driving the old automatics which didn't really
have a low gear one could select, or they did and your head hit the
windshield when it kicked in. Now I really hate getting behind someone
with a stick. They slow down every time they shift. It is like 2 steps
forward and 1 step backward, 2 steps forward and 1 step backward, etc.
No stick has as smooth acceleration as a good automatic.

 

No great loss actually given that automatic transmissions are so good
at what they do. As with unassisted steering and brakes there comes a
time when a feature is demanded by so few people that it makes sense
to stop producing it.

Have fun with the BMW, although from what I've seen an increasing
number of BMW's come equipped with automatics. Indeed a tour through
the parking lot at the BMW plant revealed a lot of Z3 and Z4 cars
with a automatic gearbox. Porsche doesn't emphasize their very
popular Tiptronic is an automatic transmission but it is. Times they
are a changin'.....

 

Can't fault your logic Roadie.

The only BMW wagon offered with a 6 speed is the ix - small engine,
and awd.

I also own a Carrera 993C4, and know that the Tip is very popular when
you buy the car, but less desirable when you sell it.

If traffic were worse here in SAT, I wouldn't want to deal with bumper
to bumper hassles and a clutch either.

Volvo just lost one customer, but, as you said, probably could not
justify the clutch economically.

V70 T5M

and formerly 745TGM

and formerly 164M

and formerly 144M

 

In a way you are preaching to the choir. We drove manual transmission
cars (a lot of them) and had no reason to switch. Once we drove the
1996 960 it was all over and it's been automatic trans ever since.

Interesting that in other parts of the world that the manual
transmission is still preferred, or at least very popular.

 

But they're just not the same. Without a stickshift and a clutch, it
just doesn't feel like I'm driving. I've driven a few modern automatics
and they do indeed drive pretty well, but that doesn't change the fact
that it doesn't *feel* right to me, I *need* a clutch and conventional
gearbox to really enjoy the driving and I know there's others like me
out there. No amount of refining the slushbox will change us.

 

Mostly I think we agree. It certainly takes skill to be able to use a
clutch and manual transmission effectively. And I'd have to say I do
feel a bit smug because I'm among an ever smaller number of drivers
with that skill who can enjoy driving a car with a manual
transmission. That said, I don't miss using a manual transmission
enough to seek one out. But differences of opinion like ours make
driving interesting.

 

I definitely think it's important to KNOW how to drive a manual. I
think that it's an irreplaceable part of learning how to drive a car.
That said, I sit in rush hour traffic on I-95 around Baltimore every
morning and evening, and I couldn't stand a manual out there every
day...so personally, if I could have my dream garage, I'd have a nice,
comfortable automatic (leaning towards the new S80 V8) to take to work
every day and a sporty manual (C70 or maybe the new C30) for the
weekends.

 

I agree, but finding a new car with a stick shift to learn on is a
challenge any more. When my kids were new drivers I made it a point
to train them on a stickshift. And when they went off to college I
got lots of thanks for sending each one off with a stickshift car.
They never had to worry about refusing a school buddies request to
borrow the car because none of them could drive a stick!