Hey guys I am looking into getting a 350z and I am trying to figure out whether to get a manual or an auto. My current car is a manual(wrx) and its lots of fun when doing "spiritual driving" but in traffic its sorta annoying and when your trying to do something(drink/eat/phone/whatever). But I keep thinking that if I get an automatic I will be disappointed at some points. So my question is for all of you automatic owners out there do you ever have regrets about getting an automatic 350z? And also how is the 6spd is it nice and smooth?? the wrx is not that smooth(it would be great if someone that has driven both cars could reply) And what are the average 1/4mile times for auto vs manual

thanks

 

Well, I have actually driven both cars. I do not own either, but I am in the market for one of the two and have test driven quite a few. (I know I know, they are two completely different cars and such, but I have my reasons). The WRX tranny is definitely rough and feels a bit long compared to the 350Z. If you are looking at a new 350Z, you will probably be quite pleased with the shifting and the ultra sporty feel of the tranny. On the other hand, if you are looking for a used 350Z, don't be discouraged if you come across a really rough tranny. I've come to realize that the transmissions on the used Z's vary quite a bit from car to car, obviously due to the different wear among them and the possible tranny issues I have heard about. As far as choosing, well, I have never had a manual transmission before, but that is all that I am shopping for. Auto's need not apply here, and that goes for the WRX and the 350Z, whichever I end up with. That being said, I understand where you are coming from with the "inconvenience" of the manual tranny. I guess the biggest thing for you to weigh in your mind is whether or not you like the involved feeling and more performance oriented aspects of the 6spd or if you are perfectly satisfied with the convenience of the automatic. You are going to end up in an awesome car either way you go, so take some comfort in that.

 

Its preference. I went from a 6spd to an auto and couldnt be happier. Manual mode is fun. Once in a blue moon I wonder what it would be like to have the 6spd, but factors say no.

I use it for daily driving, traffic sucks, and with my driving habbits cost factor and more maint sucks. Replacing your clutch, etc.

 

I'm the same way, i love my auto, with manu mode. Sometimes i miss the manual, but still very happy. The new '05 has rev matching with the auto which makes the manu mode even more realistic.

 

Just my opinion, I can't fathom the idea of an auto trans in one of these. The Z is a real sport car, not a cruiser. Again, just my opinion.....I'm sure there will be other's also.....just watch.....very opinionated group of folks here.......:-)

 

There was just a 100 +/- response thread on this topic with lots of flaming .........eithor on here or 350Z motoring.

Bottom line is you need to drive both & come to your own conclusion.

From other posts there is not much difference in 1/4 times............maybe a tenth or two.

 

Where did you find out about this rev-matching feature? I had both ..and looking for an 05 and a bit undecided, however this revmatching may surely tilt the decision balance...???

 

Never mind, I just found this on this page:

http://www.autospies.com/article/ind...articleId=3295

 

Can someone explain rev matching?

 

I'll do my best here.

Basically, when you are driving a manual and you down shift (i.e. 4th gear to 3rd gear), you should blip the throttle so that when you engage 3rd your car doesn't jolt you forward as the transmission engages the gear. The jolting forward occurs because you should be at a higher rpm for the lower gear and if you let go of the clutch semi-fast you will technically be slowing the car down for a small moment while the RPMs move up to the correct area for that gear. This is well known with good manual drivers. Novice manual drivers simply release the clutch slower allowing the fricting of the clutch to move the RPM up for them.

With the auto transmission for 2005, this makes things a little interesting (I have had both -- originally I had a 6sp pre order, and then switched to an auto in 2003 -- which unfortunately was in an total-loss accident a month or so ago) so now I am in the middle of the same decision again for my 2005 Z (Auto or Manual).

With the new auto in the 2005, things are interesting because now I can approach a corner while breaking hard and flip the gear down from say 4 to 2 by tapping it twice while the car automatically blips the throttle for me (i.e. the equivalent of double clutching for the advanced manual drivers out there). This is really important for my decision since I was always afraid of downshifting the gears on a wet corner ...due to the shift shock of the automatic which can make your back end break loose very easily, however with the new 2005 this appears to no longer be an issue.

I soon as I get out of this leg brace, I will be test driving an auto to see if I'll continue with an Auto or switch back to the 6sp.

 

Just my .02.....putting in a plug for the auto......I have rarely missed a manual tranny, and the only time I have is when I wanted to downshift.....based on Mike592's comments......the '05/AT will be the schiznit!!!!

"With the new auto in the 2005, things are interesting because now I can approach a corner while breaking hard and flip the gear down from say 4 to 2 by tapping it twice while the car automatically blips the throttle for me ...."

 

I just drove the 2005 auto today, and I must say it was quite interesting to see the engine auto throttle up while selecting the lower gear. No matter what speed or how far down I shifted, the car didin't jolt forward in any way and simply throttled the engine to engage the gear, but once it was in gear it was up to you to keep the throttle there though.

If you are not an expert manual driver and want that flexibility, then for sure the 2005 auto is a must have.

It's still 5 gears instead of 6 though, so you loose on the bigger ratios.

 

When you used the auto downshift rev feature, did the feature just kick in when you downshifted or did you have to push an extra button that engaged the rev matching feature? There were some Mustangs with the feature that required you to push a seperate button before shifting to allow the transmission to auto rev match. On the Z, I think that it would be easier to just switch back to auto mode to do the auto downshift rev matching than push an extra button or manually rev match (not easy) in maunual mode. If it rev matched in manual mode just by shifting that would be ideal.

Other than smoother shifting, is there any other performance advantages to downshift rev matching the 5AT? On the 6MT there are some instances when rev matching can improve perfomance. The 5AT already has synchronized torque-managed shifting.

 

personally i would not have gotten the Z if it wasn't for the close ratio 6mT. It's no EVO MR, but good enough.

 

Man now I want to test drive and 05.

 

I love my 6spd. I'm in Miami and traffic sux, having an auto would be nice during "traffic time" ... but I can't imagine myself driving a auto Z at non-traffic time... may be I should go test drive one...

 

being 6' I didnt have room to shift with a cutch so I went auto and what I like about it most now is when I am running hard though gears I dont need to let off the gas to shift. just tap and keep it to the floor

 

No, nothing other than smoother driving. It simply makes the manual mode of the automatic seem more realistic.

I remember cleary how my former automatic drove and there is a clear distinction when driving the 2005 auto from the previous years. It's still a slush box per say, however the revmatching is a nice touch. Nothing special to press or engage..just flip the transmission handle.

 

Do it..but considering how you have modded your car, I wouldn't recomend you switch to an 05 now ($$$$ wise).

 

I drove a supercharged manual maxima for 5 years and a manual turbo eclipse before that. I do not miss it one bit. I love the auto Z. The manumatic mode is great. And the auto mode is great for my 2hr commute everyday.