6mt also comes standard with leather in the coupe. I don't know about the sedan

 

Actually I do not consider a Corvette with an automatic transmission a sports car. If it had a getreg sequential manual gear box then maybe, but it doesn't.

Ask any auto enthusiast about the "famous automatic sports cars" and you'll either get laughed at or... well you'll get laughed at.

As for using Hyundai and sports car in the same sentence... how dare you?

 

Here's a famous one for you...
I only have three little letters for you and guarantee no one would be laughing









AMG CL55 to be exact

and if you think it's not sports car oh well i don't care what you think..sorry!

 

If that was the case why did you reply to my post?

I suppose any car with a 400 plus hp engine is a sports car then by your definition. That alone doesn't cut it in my book.

 

So basically, it comes down to the driver/buyer, as it should. BUT, there are some facts. Automatic tranny's rob more HP then manuals. Look at the May '04 issue of Motor Trend, the 5AT is .5 seconds slower in the quarter mile then the 6MT. Thats not much, but if you plan on building a fast car, why not start with the most potential (I almost said "start with the best" but that would have been bad). I'm not sure about reliability issues, but the only real maintanence you have to do on the 6MT is replace the clutch every XX,XXX miles along with the gear oil. The auto's have to be flushed and filters changed more frequently (I believe, if they even still do those). I did drive the 5AT and it felt good, but my favorite thing about a manual transmission is the ability to choose which gear you want to come out of a corner in. Now I know that you can do that with the 5AT, but you lose the extra speed on the straight-a-way.

I like the manual because I feel i'm in more control of what my cars about to do, and as an engineer, I like it because it is more efficient (less of a loss through the tranny). I'd feel cheated with a 5AT because everytime I'd get in the car I'd know I should be getting more power to the wheels.

my $.02

Joe Mac

 

The CL55 isn't a sports car and Mercedes doesn't promote it as one. It is a touring car. Any car can have power, but only sport cars have nimbleness, balance and response. Mercedes doesn't make a car that isn't a slug around the track. Drive one and you will notice the dramatic understeer, poor turn-in and a cushy ride. Test driving a C-class 6MT was one of the most disappointing drives I've ever had. I am not saying there is anything wrong with this though. You have to look at who Mercedes markets to and who their buyers are. There typical buyers are up in their years, at a high income and their vehicle is a form of transportation; not a form of entertainment. If enthusuats want to buy German they buy BMWs(hmm...M3's and M5's both come with sticks standard).

 

I could not agree more with this post. Having driven the 2003 C32-AMG and the 2003 M3 with SMG-II, I can honestly say that the M3 would be the car I'd buy hands down. The Mercedes was ***** out fast, but felt heavy and sluggish too. The automatic was "nice" but the car just felt fast, not sporty. The M3 was power on demand and the SMG-II was quite unique. Too bad my wife didn't like the "clunky" transmission on the M3 or I would not be driving a G35C-6MT today, I promise! Even in A1 the automatic mode was still "too clunky" for her. I could have spent the extra $20K and got the Mercedes, with the wife's approval, but the G35 handled more like what I wanted, and the $20K price difference was a real hard thing to overlook. (Boy I've got it tough having to "settle" for the G huh?)

 

The CL55 is a beast. Thing weighs like 4500 lbs. It's fast, yes. But it's no sports car. Even the SL 55 is a beast.

 

6MT costs more because they just come with more equipment.

Things that are standard on 6MT models that are NOT standard in AUTO;

1. Brembos
2. Leather seats(optional on base AUTO)
3. Sport suspension
4. 18 inch wheels(again, optional on base AUTO)
5. LSD
6. 6 gears.

Coupes don't come with seat memories. that's only for the sedans.

and oh yeah, if we start getting into AUTO vs. 6spd, there may never be an end to this argument. i guess it all boils down to your personal preference. if you like shifting for yourself(I DO), then get 6spd. if not, then get an Auto. as simple as that.