I own a Mazda 6 with auto-stick (can be driven as a stick shift or an automatic). Today after owning it for two years, I finally had the urge to drive a stick. No, urge isn't strong enough. My body ached to become one with the vehicle. So, I slid the selector over to manual.
I have driven the 6 in manual mode before, especially right after I got it. But, it was always out of curiosity or novelty that I did so.
Let me tell you that when you want to drive a stick and want to "be" the car, the auto-stick just doesn't cut it. There is no clutch and there is no real shifting. You don't even have to take your foot off of the gas. Tapping the shifter up or down is really lame. The car will actually downshif on its own. I felt more disconnected from the car than anything.
If the urge is still there tomorrow, I think I may go to the Mazda dealership and test drive a 3 manual. Sticks suck in traffic but any other time they are driving at its best. The auto-stick is no substitute.
2 comments:
i miss driving my stick shift sometimes... automatic sure is convenient in traffic... but i miss really DRIVING.
My baby is stick shift, and there is no better feeling in the world. Shiftronic (auto-stick or whatever) doesn't even come close. I have a heavy duty clutch (stage 3 performance) and it gives ya a workout, but even in traffic, I wouldn't have it any other way.
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