I just purchased a Roadster with the automatic...I gave in to the idea of better resale with an automatic.

I must admit, the thought of driving a standard excites me.

It would be interesting to learn your opinions and share in your driving experience, Auto vs. Standard

Cheers!

 

The automatic is the only reason I didn't pony up for the SRT-6.

At least to me, making a automatic only sports car is like ordering a Corvette with a 4 cylinder.

 

Did you ever drive a srt-6.

 

You bring up a very good point.

I had a 79 Vette with the L82 engine (Auto).. Of course there were no 5 speed automatics back then.
My 77 firebird with the 301 was also automatic however I installed a shift kit.

Auto-stick attempts to restore the driving experience but its no substitute for a stick.

To be honest, I don't want to test drive a stick....I know it will give me anxiety over purchasing the auto.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

IMO, wouldn't you rather have a fast and fun car to drive or just a fun car to drive.

 

This has the tone of sibling rivalry... It's all good

 

I'd like a stick to but I like a faster car better.

 

Whoa!! Can't wait to get mine out of the shop.

 

The auto is fine...expecially if you're in a lot of traffic. I hear the manual can be quite balky and shifting it is not always a pleasure.

 

Yup, can't argue with that.

 

I found that the 5 speed automatic is VERY intelligent when running it on the track or hard driving conditions. It will hold a gear while in a turn and allow you to power out.

You can manually pull it down and not have to worry about when to upshift... just keep the pedal down and it will upshift for you.

I got similar feed back from the head instructor (John Matthew) for HPDE at a NASA event.

Hope that helps... Cheers!

 

I have had the pleasure of test driving both an SRT coupe auto and a limited roadster with a stick. It's splitting hairs! IMO, it depends on where you will do most of your driving. If your primary drive is urban stop and go, it's a no-brainer. If you live out in the country with lots of twisting winding roads, it's a tougher call. I shopped for a limited red roadster with a manual transmission and a blue SRT roadster and waited to see which one came up first. Statistics [numbers-wise] favored the red roadster, and it did indeed come up first, so I'm the proud 1-month owner of a 6-speed. My test drives were on the city streets of Woodward during the Cruise. Though not exactly Road & Track or Car & Driver, it was exhilarating nonetheless. I had no idea you could go that fast and then stop within a short city block!

 

Being a weekend toy it was very important to me that my Crossfire have a manual gearbox, so I chose a Limited Roadster over an SRT6. I moved to the Crossfire from a Miata, which is not a powerful car by any stretch of the imagination, but rather a lightweight and great handling sports car. I've since had the Crossfire on track at Buttonwillow and it did an amazing job of lapping very quickly while giving me the added pleasure of selecting my own gears, heel and toe downshifting, etc. Never a balk or stumble, never a missed shift (something I couldn't say about the Miata).

On public roads you can't always drive a fast car as fast as you'd like, and on some of the very tight and twisty canyon roads around here you can't make use of all the power offered by the SRT6. I once read that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow. An accurate statement if you ask me!

 

ok this is my 1st real post since joining this board. my 1st car was a '76 merc capri II 4 spd. loved it and at 18 years old it was the only tranny i'd get. my 2nd car was a '86 toy mr-2 with a 5 spd. still loved it. now, being a little older, i test drove a roadster 6 spd. i have to admit it was my 1st drive in this great sports car but i had a real problem 'feeling' which gear i was in - especially 3rd gear. on my 4 mile test drive with the salesman right next to me, i wasn't comfortable. i ended up with a ltd. roadster with auto. love it. the car has all the power i need when i need it and i really haven't even felt the need to use the manual shifter (auto stick). maybe it's old man syndrome. also, this is the 1st car i've seen with better mpg with a auto tranny than with a manual.

 

So how much faster is the SRT, and is there any reason why the limited stick can't be modified to match the performance?

Even in the SRT this car certainly isnt the fastest on the road...I think of it as more of a cruising on an open hwy kind of car..No?

On the topic of perfomance has anyone reading this had a flash re-program done, and/or headers, and/or the RPM limiter removed, and/or custom exhaust, and has it made a significant difference?

 

I think a week on your own with a stick, and you would have perfected the sweet RPM shift points and never looked back...You're probably right, about the old man syndrome...and Chrysler problably knew its demographic in designing this car. However, with the dropping re-sale values I think this demographic has changed within the used market segment.

I haven't had the pleasure to drive mine yet and and probably won't until Spring which is probably why I posted this forum. ..For now, I'm bottom feeding on your driving experiences.

 

Okay, now i'm totally envious...It's one of my dreams to get on a race track. I can almost hear the smooth downshift as you come into the curve high and exit low excellerating out onto the str8.

I have no doubt the stick makes you more at one with the car. You dont need a tack, or a speedometer, just the sweet sound of the motor to guide your shift. It' soon becomes an automatic response, which is hard to break when suddenly back in an automatic...reaching for the non-existent clutch

My son is 21, and says his preference would be a Black coupe with a stick.
Hes currently driving a 2007 Mazda Speed which is fast enough for the occasional speeding ticket.

Thanks for your awesome feedback.

 

I haven't driven mine yet...Can you comment on how crisp the shift is?

In my day we installed shift kits on the Automatics. My friend had a Cuda 440 with a six-pack...It would chirp into every gear.
Another friend (awesome mechanic) had a Dodge super bee (standard 4 speed with the hurst shift and was pushing 500 HP. It would lift the front end which was its eventual demise with the uni-body construction..BENT! That motor was sold and put in a Vette!

My 03 Altima 4 speed/auto-stick has a very mushy shift.

(I also hate the traction control which recognizes slip (slip light flashes) and then it retards the acceleration. So you're attempting to make a left turn between oncoming traffic, happen upon some loose gravel, and your car is suddenly limping through the intersection as an oncoming car bears down on you. Luckily you can disengage this useless function. (My rant for the day)
Chrysler is/was more sophisticated with their Low speed traction control which senses slippage then breaks the wheel transferring the power to the other wheel

Very cool.

 

The XF is my first experience with an Autostick.
My 92 Talon was a stick and I've driven many sticks.

However, I don't race and am very satisfied with the autostick.

I've only had 2 issues with it.
1. This is really and issue with me. Early on, I'd accidently tap the stick left out of drive when I was starting the car and putting it in D. Now I gotten in the habit of tapping the stick right after I have it in D.
2. When downshifting/upshifting, there is a slight delay. Much like the throttle delay when accellerating. I'm sure this is by design. Silly me, expecting instantanious gear shifting.

 

It would be the ultimate autostick if they eliminated the delay it has.