Originally Posted by wstar

Unfortunately, no. You can shift the stick (through D) back to N, but then re-engagement in the gear you really want is a problem (for example, if you wanted to pull hard through 3rd, then drop into neutral for a few seconds, then re-engage 3rd, you can't really do that). I still use the stick to flip over to N when I'm coming down to a stop though.



Actually, it holds up fine. If they didn't intend for it to be used, they wouldn't have put it on the car. Not being complete idiots, most people who bought the 7AT realize that AT stands for Automatic Transmission. We're aware it has a torque converter. Driving it in M all the time works great, and in high rpm situations with the xmission fully warmed up, the shifts are quite snappy. I'll summarize the real-world-important tradeoffs for you (for a person choosing between the 6MT and driving the 7AT in M mode all the time):

7AT Pros:
No clutch to mess with in daily driving.
You can put it in D when one hand is distracted by something or other and you're in a casual situation.
You can let your girlfriend (or other random person) drive your drunk *** home without worrying about them burning up your clutch or shocking your drivetrain.
Wider gearing range in both directions (lower lowest gear, higher highest gear, when you include the different rear diff in the calculations).
More initial torque thanks to the torque multiplication of the torque converter.
Easier launches.
One less task for your brain to deal with in complex driving situations (all shifts are just pushbutton clicks, allowing you to focus more attention on things like steering angle, wheel slip, body roll, throttle position, the other nearby cars, etc)
Both hands on the wheel all the time while shifting.

6MT Pros:
The 6MT can shift faster (assuming the user isn't an idiot)
The 6MT can be easily re-engaged from neutral to any chosen gear, the 7AT can't.
The 6MT makes you feel like a real man, thus empowering your internet forum e-penis, allowing you to poke fun at girly 7AT drivers.