FurY

I think (hope) that people will start to come around later and realize what a lot of you are saying... it's about the driving experience, not setting the fastest lap time. The vast majority of the public, and even those buying these pure performance cars, will not spend their time at the track always trying to improve their times. That is a small niche market, yet it seems like it's the one these cars are starting to cater to... between DCT's, the horsepower wars we've seen over the past decade now, and the slow departure of the manual transmission. After a while, I could see people looking for a more engaging/involved experience similar to what a manual transmission gets you, knowing full well that they won't be as quick as someone with a flappy paddle box, but that's OK to them... again, they aren't track day connoisseurs. It is definitely a great time to be a car guy/gal with all of the great offerings, but there also needs to be a realization that there's more to driving than shaving tenths or even seconds off a lap time that the consumer will never even make use of.

TL;DR - Manuals are more fun and engaging to drive, not everyone needs or wants to worry about being slightly faster around a track in their DCT vs. a (IMHO) much more entertaining manual transmission.

Jet3010

My 370Z has this and I have to say it is amazing. I can simply go down a gear and already be right where I'm supposed to be regardless of the change. Oddly enough everyone else who has driven my car has been confused by it even after I explain it mostly because they do not fully understand how a manual trans works.

HUNTERANGEL121

I drove a relatively new dodge caravan, hill assist is really weird lol.

But why can't you turn it off on a car with manual?

rockville

In the Subarus the hill assist was a hydraulic interlock between the clutch and brake. You would have to disconnect and rework some fluid lines to change it.

Personally I will be very sad when I can no longer get standard shift cars. I've never owned an automatic in 25 years of driving. I don't really want to change that any time soon. I would love to find a hot rod, stick shift wagon (CTS-V ) as my next practical car. OK, I will settle for a decent driving stick shift wagon like my fathers Passat Wagon (stick shift, like the 3 wagons before it). I think my chances are getting slim.

I totally see why manufactures have dropped the things. A friend who worked for Ford a while back said the Explorer's manual cost Ford more than the automatic. I think the Explorer of the time had a 5 speed auto. That extra cost may have included the associated costs with certification. Things like mileage tests must be conducted for each transmission type. Basically Ford dropped the stick for the same reason Honda doesn't offer manual windows. It costs just as much as the power windows and for the few who got them, they wouldn't pay extra for them.

I at least have some hope with a few cars. Things like the Miata and Mustang will almost certainly have stick shifts for years to come. I can see how the fastest cars benefit from the latest autos (DSGs are autos) and I can think of all sorts of reasons why manuals are inferior. However, there is something really right about a perfectly timed double clutch shift that makes it all work while. It does help that I've rarely had a bad traffic commute. My biggest driving issue these days is I have a walking commute. My poor cars are getting cobwebs.

cbehney

Often (usually, always?) with hill assist, the manual handbrake has been replaced by an e-brake. So no turning hill assist off even though you may have a manual transmission.

mosesbotbol

As soon as the world's entry level cars are no longer offered with a stick, RIP.

Will the next series of Porsche's offer a stick? I am not so sure. Same with Aston once they phase out the Vantage. There is little certainty whether they will offer one or not. How long will ZF manufacturer manual transmissions for the bigger HP cars?

rob-2

If you've ever nearly been hit by someone on the hills of SF you might not think it's such a bad thing. More people on the roads and poor driver training.

berny2435

lunch break rant.. .

RE: hill assist: It just sucks that it's not something you can just turn off. Just like in some cars you really can't defeat the traction control, even if they say you can.. . Good ol' lawmakers making/changing stds, causing a mass movement in car design, whether it's good or not, mainly to make more money or create jobs the wrong way. Government creating jobs.. . what a joke. Just pushes companies to outsource most of the time.

Stupid government thought goes like this
presentation from someone that works for an agency that overseas regulations says..... .
"statistically, 55% of auto accidents occur b/c people are distracted, 10% of those 55% were driving manual cars and were fatal accidents which is 5% more than automatic cars in Connecticut. Expert Joe Blow PHD MC XY DTC says that these cars were often found in the wrong gear and therefore automatic rev match should be a mandetory on all manual gearboxes." "This will increase the cost of manual cars for XX year but on the upside, its easier to drive and this will create a 100 more jobs" massive 1,321 page report turned in that no one will read.

Idiots that give the stamp of approval on law say "100 more jobs!?! need not say more! Approved!!!!" Idiot leans over to buddy and says "whats auto-rev match? I drive a Prius with an automatic transmission... ."

Now you have a situation where the manual gearbox feature is the same price or more expensive than the fancy DCT(b/c of demand and better mfg tech over time) and the decline in manual gearbox sales decreases even more.

Oh, by the way, these other 20 odd laws should be passed with this which includes that all cars need to have a 4" air gap b/t the motor and the bottom of the hood so when idiot driver or idiot person walk in traffic gets hit head on at 35mph, the impact of head to hood only causes brain damage instead of killing the person.
All passenger cars now look like SUVs... .

or at least thats how I imagine it

mosesbotbol

At one point, the automatic watch fell out of fashion. They needed servicing, were complicated, and did not keep as accurate timekeeping as the new quartz movement. Automatic movement eventually came back because the buyer appreciated it for what it was regardless of another movement being more accurate and less expensive.

NuncoStr8

I think the difference here is that, unless I'm reading the numbers wrong, the overwhelming majority of cars sold today are manual transmission. The cars that no longer offer manual transmissions are those aimed at well-heeled "enthusiasts" who prefer automatics. The lack of manual trans in trim levels and makes that are priced out of the range of most buyers are hardly indicative of a greater trend. I mean yeah, if I wanted a manual Lambo I'd just pick up a Balboni Edition or three, so I don't see what the fuss is all about. The only people who buy new Ferraris are douchebags with too much money and not enough taste, am I right?

The whole premise - "the death of the manual" - is devoid of supporting data. Let's not even get into the psychoses of folks lamenting the decline of civilation due to the lack of manuals offered in new exotic cars. Might as well complain elephant hide trousers with whale-oil crotch-lights never gained the widespread popularity among the unwashed masses due to the base ignorance and unreasoning prejudice of the poverty-stricken