Dude, no offense, but if you think driving a stick makes someone a man, you should probably take another look... I bought my first MT car when I was 16, and that makes me...a guy who knows how to drive a stick...

 

I've driven manual cars for the last 15 years. I love manual, but I really didn't like the binary response of the '07 MT clutch. The spring in the clutch petal felt a bit too strong too. Popped the pedal up too forcefully. I could have probably gotten used to both though.

I like having a hand brake, but it really does screw with the center a bit, and the armrest definitely isn't useful for shifters. I like'd in my IS300 that I could rest my arm on the rest while shifting.

Ended up going with the AT after test driving both though, since the AT gave me the kind of control I wanted, they had it in the config I wanted, and my wife can drive it without complaining about shifting.

And for those of you who are amazed, yes I let her drive my cars, and she's a damn good driver. More aggressive than me in a lot of ways, although I'm more aggressive in others.

 

I've also always driven MT cars, infact the G is the first AT I have driven in years. The reasons that I chose AT centred around convenience and comfort. I like that the seat and the steering wheel move when I turn off the car, and I like the cup holder and centre console. The biggest reason I chose the AT was it gives me the level of contol and performance I want while also being comfortable to drive in rush hour traffic.

 

Absolute ridiculous comment. You have absolutely no idea what the various reasons are why someone might choose an AT over an MT.

Brian928, have you decided which way you'll go? I have driven MTs all my life up until my two G35s and I must say that I do miss the MT. Having said that, the G35 Sport does have the paddle shifters that I find are fun to use and they keep you engaged in the driving experience. I guess you could say that it is the next best thing to an MT. I would of still preferred an MT myself, but my wife doesn't know how to drive a manual.

 

I've always assumed that people who think a stick is manly is somehow compensating for something else sticklike that they're unhappy with

 

Agreed!

 

Not another one of these ridiculous threads.

I kinda figured.

They most definitely are not. They are luxury coupes or sedans. A Lotus Exige is a sports car.

 

Interesting - since you chose an Exige, do you consider an S2000 a sports car? What about a Mustang GT?

I'm not being sarcastic, just curious if you confine "sports car" to "cars that handle REALLY well", vs. the broader category including straight-line performance etc.

 

Same here, Kingstowne. Took me 45 minutes to pick up my attempted trade-in from Passport and drive it home - thats about 1.5 miles - on a Saturday afternoon.

 

My definition of a sports car would be a one or 2 seat vehicle designed with an strong emphasis towards racing. There aren't a whole lot of production cars that I'd call real sports cars. S2k is nice but it's a convertible (considerable added weight and loss of body strength) so I'd have to say no. Mustang GT? Given it's horrific coefficient of drag, not in a million years.

The old RX7s that were perfectly corner balanced from the factory? Yeah, maybe.

 

alot of auto magazines call the g35 coupe a luxury sport coupe and the sedan a luxury sport sedan...

 

Drove AT and hated it not just in G35 so for me it was an easy decision.

 

Here we go, another pointless MT vs Auto flame thread, even though he was just asking about the center console and cup holders ...

To answer the original question, you were not looking at a "stripped" version of the 6MT, those are the standard drink holders and armrests that we all have. They could be better, but weren't a deal breaker for me ... if they are for you then just roll with the auto.

 

Well, getting a G35 6MT doesn't help, because it's a short shifter.

Yes, the arm rest sucks, but I have so much fun shifting and cutting lanes and corner, I forget sometimes that my arm is tired. For me, I need bigger compartments. It's bad enough that the door panels have very narrow map holders. Then, to add insult to injury, the 6MT has a dinky little middle glove compartment. But I love this car so much, it's very easy to overlook these things and just learn to deal with it. When I or my passenger has a large beverage, I don't mind opening up the armrest to use that cup holder because I can't really rest my elbow there anyway. And the rear vents aren't a big loss for me since I've never had them, and this car is about me the driver, not my passengers! The car's AC system works very well, so I almost always leave it on (at around 73°F).

 

I honestly believe at this point i'm leaning towards the AT, to whoever said their wife can drive it without complaining is another great reason for me to go auto. I love MT vehicles and have driven them all my life but the AT seems a little more comfortable for me and while having drink holders sounds a little silly to be on my list of decision factors, i do enjoy my coffee driving to work in the morning. Also, anyone that lives in the DC Metro region knows the pain of driving a MT in gridlock, so i can accomodate my laziness in traffic and still enjoy spirited driving with the paddle shifters on open roads.

You're right, while the paddles are not quite MT, its really not a bad trade off for such a beautiful car. I also hold on to cars forever, i'm 33 and still driving the car i purchased in college if you can believe that....i'll spare myself the embarrasment of admiting the make and model, suffice it to say, this will be a MAJOR upgrade.

Didn't mean to start a flame war thread on MT v AT, both versions of the G are FANTASTIC cars.