Obviously, this must have been hashed out before many, many times. But indulge a newby and give your opinions on the manual vs. Tiptronic debate.

Obviously, the Tip is a bit faster 0-60 and allows that TT to load prior to launch. But the manual seems to be the better driving experience.

What is the split here between manual vs. Tip? What are your views??

Thanks for letting a newb ask such a basic question.

 

I've owned both, and can attest that the experience in rowing the gears yourself is so far beyond the invisible driving feeling of the tip, I'll never go back! You have to be comfortable, and if you are not so in driving the 6sp, then go tip, but also consider DSG is around the corner and likely to appear in less than a year. As for the split second difference, I doubt you'll notice it unless you are a professionally trained formula one driver. Bottom line: get what fits your style of driving and comfort level. For me, even in city driving, there is no greater enjoyment than shifting that stick. I feel more in control of the car, enjoy it far more than any other driving experience, and I'm glad I have it.

 

Great analysis Eric! I agree with you about the joy of driving the manual. This is my first manual in a long time. The last one I drove was an old truck while I was a plumber! I have had several automatic sports cars over the past 5-years (mainly Mercedes) and have felt like I was missing out without the manual.

All other views - agreeing or disagreeing - welcome!

 

I personally could not imagine buyng a car like this with an automatic gearbox...what's the point? The whole reason I bought a Porsche was for the driving experience. I just don't have any "experience" other than boredom with an automatic.

As it has been said a million times...if you drive in traffic or bad weather and this is your only car then the auto is something you may want to consider...personnally I would not buy a Porsche if I had to get an automatic.

Yet there are guys on the board who love them.

 

I learned manual last yr after 16 yrs of driving. Manual is more fun when you go fast and I don't mind it in traffic either. Only time I get tired of manual is in tight parking lots when lots of back and forth are required and I am wearing dress shoes.

Between the two, I'd go with manual. Better driving experience and resale. Best choice would be DSG though.

If you aren't comfortable driving a manual or don't like to bother shifting, tip is great.

 

I'm just sick and tired of driving manual. Manual probably will come back to me in a year or so.

 

Can anyone explain why a DSG Transmission, in the real world and not a race track, is all that much better than a TipTronic? I had a Tip many years ago and the botton line is I never drove the car in automatic mode, I almost always drove in manual. I assume the DSG will work in a similar manner to the F1 in 360's, and that F1 Transmission cant really be driven in automatic mode either (it can, but it drives horribly by shifting at all the wrong times).

Do most guys with the new Tip S drive mostly in manual or automatic? If the Tip is always driven in manual mode, isnt this extremely close to a DSG performance wise and, what about launching from a standstill?

 

You are a very trusting person parking your Porsche in a space that is that tight.

 

TurboBill, I'm not as mechanically inclined as an engineer to answer, but having driven a Porsche tip for a while years ago, and then an F430 F1 this past summer, they are worlds apart. Not sure of all the differences mechanically, but with the F1 you 'feel' the clutch engage and an actual shift change. With tip it's not the same at all. The one thing I discovered while investigating Ferrari F430 Spiders was, for the track hounds, they simply nail it from the start, get to redline and blip the paddle, and repeat. It's hair-raising fun. Of course, all that torque and wonderful sound, and stunningly sexy beauty of the F430 might have swayed me a bit, but it was not anywhere like the tiptronic. Then I drove an F430 spider with 6speed just to be fair.

 

A good DSG/PDK is way better than a TIP

It is way faster, and it is closer to a manual than a tip, for comparison sake

Mike

 

I currently have a SSK 6 speed turbo and love it. I didn't consider a Tiptronic, because after researching its' characteristics I concluded it did not suit my driving style. I also have an Audi A3 3.2 S-line daily driver with "S-tronic" (DSG). This is a awesome transmission! When Porsche offers a similar transmission in the turbo it would be the one thing that could cause me to trade in my 997 turbo. Having recently come from a Dinan S3R M3 with SMG II, I can say the DSG is several orders of magnitude better. It is so much more versatile. It lets you shift between automatic and manual easily, hold a gear indefinitely, raise the shift points by selecting "S" mode and all the while the shifts are nearly seamless.

 

Here it is in simple terms:

Manual: FTW
Tiptronic: FTL

 

Does that mean you're planning to upgrade when Porsche releases the PDK?

 

Is that true?

 

The manual is so easy and buttery to use, I can't see how it could cause problems...even in NYC traffic that I deal with every day.

Also, about the tip being 'faster' accelerating, I think that's BS. How is that different than dropping the clutch at revs?


Doesn't make sense to me. Sounds more like a marketing gimmick.



Automatics are also crippling due to WEIGHT and the torque converter which eats power...not good for the ultimate production Porsche.