My 370Z 7AT is soooo much faster than my old 2004 350Z 6MT! It's not even close. Launching the car is a snap and I never miss a shift in manual mode whereas I have missed the 1-2 or 2-3 shift many times in the old manual car. The paddle shifters let you keep your hands on the wheel at all times which in my opinion is much safer. Nothing like taking 4th gear from 50 mph to 120 mph...
