So I went to the dealership today, and took my first test drive of a 05 6mt coupe.

WOW
I was expecting to have a lot of trouble driving a manual, but I was surprised at how forgiving the car was. The clutch grabs very high (?) so initially i had some problem finding the catch point. But once i got that it wasnt that hard. The only car (manual) that i can compare to is the Rx-8 which i test drove at Mazda Rev-it-up, and this car is above and beyond that. There is an insane amount of torque in comparison and to me the shifter seemed smoother.

The interior looks very nice, not quite like the es300 i'm driving now but very good. The nav was impressive, I like the "3D" view it has as opposed to the top down approach of other navs. Didnt get a chance to really test out the bose system, but i'll be replacing it anyway so i'm not too concerned.

Overall I was very impressed with the car and I cant wait till march when it gets here

 

You are going to replace a Bose system that plays MP3's and has a 6 disc changer? you could play music non stop for about 5 days with the mp3 6 disc combo. hmm....I bet some people on here would want to buy it.

 

Man, you might as well not even get the premium package...if thats possible cause alot of that money goes to the BOSE system.

 

Virge, what state do you live in? I'm fishin' here... play along.

 

Neffster: Maryland

As for the sound system, i'm probably going to switch out the speakers, add a amp and a equalizer. Not going to touch the headunit

 

yeah, the high engagement point of the clutch reminded me of a Protege5 I had in the
past... I had a rex at the time which grabs real low so it threw me off a couple of
times. currently my MCS grabs real low so it was a tad getting use to the G at first.

 

OK, Virge, so when are you picking yours up? I took mine home Thursday and there has been a big smile on my face ever since - I think my wife suspects I'm guilty of something I really didn't do! (But, it's just the new car, baby!)

 

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Yea what he said....This thing is in no way easy, and I'm actually shocked that you found it to be very forgiving on a test drive...Most people are ready to give up on MT with this car after their initial test drive...lol

 

My 62 year old wife took a test drive in the 05 CPE 6MT 3½ weeks ago and decided to order her car. Her comment about the shift was, "It's a little bit tight or short throw - just like the car it's replacing. Just fine." (She drives a 1991 Mitsubishi 3000GT 5MT to and from work every day now.)

For those of us that grew up on stick - first on the column and later "on the floor" it is like second nature to drive a MT, whether in traffic or on the open road. And it should become so in short order for anyone that wasn't raised on a stick.

If the OP really wants a MT, I would not be dissuaded or daunted by using it for a daily commute.

 

Well when i said the engine was forgiving, i meant that i didnt stall as much as i thought i would. The car jerked between shifts (obviously) but i thought it was easier then driving the Rx-8. I guess saying its "forgiving" would be a bad description. But in comparison to the rx-8 its much better =). I'm still very skeptical of how i'll do with the hills though :/. NOT looking forward to that at ALL. But eh, gotta learn sometime right

curmudgeon: they didnt give me a date, but i'm suspecting early to mid march. The car has been on order since december

 

Hey Virge...so did JBA take care of you? I hope everything worked out for you.

 

Didnt get a chance to price the car out, i only had an hour to spend on saturday. I didnt get to deal with Greg, another sales guy named Matt helped me. Gonna go talk to them about it near the end of the month.