GW-I respect your opinion as you obviously express yourself intelligently and address all issues presented. However, the only part I am having trouble understanding is how an auto lets YOU have more control over your car than if you had a stick. If you factor in the ease of operation aspect, then I understand, but independent of that I cannot understand how YOU get more control out of your auto than if you had a stick based upon the comparative designs of both.

 

BOTTOM LINE:

6MT is faster.
It may take skill to get the results but it is faster.

You may say 1/2 second ain't much, but how much $$$$ in mods does it take to shave 1/2 second from you 60?

I'm sure I'll lose to 5ATs here and there, but its nice to know that if I excute perfectly (or near perfect) no stock 5AT can touch me.

 

The 6MT isn't 1/2 a second faster than the 5AT in any parameter, sorry to disappoint.

 

Thanks for the compliment - likewise.

My point is that control is relative to the driver. For my driving style, the 5AT (and what I consider to be a very effective manual-mode) allow me all the control that "I" need or want from this chassis. I'm not claiming that for everyone, just for me.

Using manual-mode, I can anticipate and fill holes in traffic, downshift, hold gears and power through corners, and anticipate and overtake cars on two-lanes in wonderful fashion. This is a great tranny. I've learned how to minimize the lag of the maunal-mode and easily maximize revs without hitting the limiter. I can pull quick, extremely cool rev-matched downshifts, and reasonably quick upshifts.

True, I may be able to be a tick faster with a 6MT, but with my driving style I'm not worried about ticks. I don't street race and I doubt I'll ever track the car. Even if I had a manual I wouldn't be powershifting, launching or speed-shifting any more than I do now. I'm happy with the 95%.

When I don't feel like playing, or I'm dead tired, or have friends in the car and we're BSing, I can select drive and focus my attention better where it needs to be.

In short, I can enjoy the driving experience of MY car more with THIS 5AT as I could with the 6MT Infiniti offered - I drove it and it wasn't for me.

If you remember way back when this discussion started, my opening point was that the OP was barking up the wrong tree. In his previous thread he said he owned a 5AT, stated he wanted the performance of an STi, and then traded into a 6MT instead. I made the statement that he wasn't really any faster day-to-day than he had been (implying that the 6MT and the STi were definitely two different cars with two very different levels of performance) and off we went down the 5AT vs 6MT road. After ump-teen pages of posts, I still stand by that statement.

 

When I bought my 6MT in 2003 the MT was about 1/2 second faster. The 5AT clocked at 6.2 the MT at 5.7.

I don't know or care what the 2005 numbers are, all I know is the 03/04 models were about 1/2 second difference.

AGAIN BOTTOM LINE:

The 6MT is FASTER.

LIVE WITH IT.

And you act like its such an impossibility to have near perfect launches and shifts. It really isn't. It takes practice.

Don't get me wrong, I think the 5AT is a wonderful car too, but don't come here saying that the 1/2 second diference is insignificant.

Now I'm not here to magazine race but I think some numbers can help:

AUTO SEDAN 6.2

http://motortrend.com/roadtests/seda...ct/index3.html

6MT SEDAN 5.78

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...6mt/index.html


And for the icing on the cake an excerpt from the above article:

"The gear spacing and Infiniti's wonderful VQ35 V-6 are a sweet team; the G35 6MT is about seventenths of a second quicker to 60 than the automatic version--and just that much more involving to drive."

So who should we beleive? Some one who abviously does not like the 6MT or someone who rates cars for a living?

 

I think geewillikers has a stronger argument

 

MT also got a 14.6/14.7@96-97mph out of the 03 sedan. I've done 14.4@98mph. They don't manually shift the 1/4 mile, I do. It does make a difference. The absolute best someone has done in a bonestock 6MT sedan is a 13.9. The best someone has done in the 5AT sedan is a 14.2. That's a mere .3 seconds.

 

My little mind can only comment one way - on this thread that went from a new car to a manual versus automatic debate: variety is the spice of life.

I'm confounded as to why so many people want others to agree with them, whether they drive an automatic or a manual. ****, we all look different, dress different and (gasp!) want something different in a car.

Manuals are great, for some people. Automatics are great, for some people. Others are dying to get the clutchless manual into the Infiniti line. At the end of the day, I just think choice is great.

 

At different tracks and different conditions.

 

Nice that you want to go down memory lane, but we started this endless thread talking about NEW CARS. I base my opinion, my statements, and my argument on the model year I own which happens to be the same model year this thread is about.

To do anything else, FOR ME, is ridiculous.

It just so happened that the OP is involved in the leasing of two cars from the 05 model year. The numbers for the 03 are irrelevant when discussing 05s. He, nor I, bought an 03. Please stay with us if you want to participate.

As for what guys at car magazines say - good for them. They beat the $hit out of whatever car they are testing to extract the best numbers so all the little fanboys can run around saying

"my car is faster... NO, MY car is faster. No way doood, my car is faster..." and so on, and so on, and so on...

At the end of the day, I could give a rats a$s what THEIR impression is as it is MY a$s behind the wheel everyday. They live with a car they get for free for a couple of days and write 1000 words. I spend my money on my choice and get to live with it for several years, so its my opinion that counts. What you believe is up to you.

Do you believe everything you read in magazines, or just the things that suit your argument? For example, when Automobile recently picked the new 330 over the G, did you agree with their choice? I didn't. In my opinion the car isn't $10K better than the G I drive.

When Motor Trend readers selected the new 330 over the Infiniti M as their best car in class, did you agree with that? I didn't, and found it assanine that they would even compare the two.

Sounds like you flip pages and blindly accept whatever the automotive pundits serve you. I prefer to think, and decide, for myself.

I respect that they get the opportunity to thrash cars that I'll never even sit in and the experience they derive from it. I use their input as a reference when my butt is in the seat, but their word isn't the bottom line for me. How they drive and how I drive are two different experiences, so the metrics for 'the winner' will be different too.

Again - two-tenths, three-tenths. Po-TA-to, Po-TAH-to.

 

FYI:

.3 seconds in the 1/4 mile = ~ 3 car lengths.

 

My experience at the track (assuming the reaction times are the same, 13/14 second cars), .3 equals about 2 cars or so. I'm not going to sweat it though, the odds of me outrunning and/or hanging with a 6MT G are heavily weighed in my favor. Most G owners are clueless when it comes to launching this car. Most think dumping the clutch at 2000rpms results in the best launch and that a 2.3 60 foot is "decent" with a 6MT

 

[QUOTE=Manuals are great, for some people. Automatics are great, for some people. Others are dying to get the clutchless manual into the Infiniti line. At the end of the day, I just think choice is great.[/QUOTE]

You forgot to mention some are dying for an AWD M/T. That's me

 

Why does everyone love to Mag race so much.. Case in point the following link shows that the AT is faster than the 6MT
http://automobilemag.com/test_data//index1.html

Aside from that all of the tests are done pre break in. The AT is much more affected by pre break-in than the 6MT. In addition (I didn't really look at the links) but if that is for the 03 or early 04 Sedan, the manual mode didn't work the same as with the coupe so the times may vary more so as a result. Everyone knows that the manual mode (coupe version or newer sedan version) results in quicker times. You can't do accurate comparisons via magazines.
Every result that I have seen from the track indicate that the 5AT is right on par with the 6MT within 1 tenth of a second.
There is even a video with the 5AT barely losing to a 6MT but with larger/heavier wheels.
There is barely a noticeable difference in performance if you drive the two against each other.

 

Umm sorry but if you look at the specs, they got them all mixed up!!!!

4at in a auto G? LOL, 5.6 in a AT? no sorry. They got the 0-60 mixed up between both cars. I wouldn't even trust that site.

FACT is the 6mt is faster PERIOD.