6MT vs 7AT and the Track/Auto X

Portlander

My Car & Driver (April 09) has the 6MT running a 13.4 @ 107. It appears the going trend is to compare the 7AT's fastest times against the 6MT's slowest "magazine" times. As each week passes, the performance gap between the two cars gets larger which amuses me. I would give the automatic a tenth or two at the most in the quarter and that's factoring the 37 extra pounds it's lugging around. Until the two square off at the track with equal drivers, this discussion will continue on, which is harmless entertainment.

Test drove the 7AT this past weekend and was impressed with it's quick shifts and smooth operation, but not enough to sway me away from the manual. In my former drag racing days, we would bust on drivers with automatic transmissions. Those days are gone, A/T's have improved so much they now have to be considered in the purchase of a performance vehicle, where before I would not have given the automatic a second thought.

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