Death of the manual gearbox.

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

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Just reading this months evo. they've interviewd Ferrari's CEO arnedo felisa and they've clarified that the new ferrari F458 italia will not be offered in with a manual gearbox, nor will any future models as they're customers dont ask for them anymore.

The porsche market is already going the same way. The number of 2009 911s with PDK far far outweights the number without, so clearly porsche dealers are finding the same thing.

How long before other manufacturers follow ferraris lead and discontinue the manual.
 
The manual has got maybe 15/20 years left, IMO.

Once someone 'big' like the VAG group make their DSG something standard I reckon it could all happen reasonably quickly. It's just got to penetrate into mass market.
 
Argh! I love using a manual gear box it makes the driving feel more involved!


(Grated I will proberly never be able to afford a Ferarri :p)
 
If you think about it, manual gear changing is a very outdated and antiquated activity. All these fancy gadgets and what not in the car and we still have to move out feet about on the clutch and move a stick about in order to make it move. Whilst it may be more involving for the driver, joe public would probably rather not have the hassle.
 
Looks like I'll just have to stick to driving older cars then. I'm not a fan of any paddleshift gearchanges and I've driven a Ferrari F430 with one! There's something very satisfying about a nice snickety manual 'box.
 
Manual gearboxes must never die! :eek:

I can't imagine a proper drivers car NOT having a Manual gear box :(
 
:rolleyes:

They are not going anywhere, the comment about VAG making the DSG boxes standard is probably not far off but i'll eat my hat if a manual box isn't an option on almost all marques.
 
UltimateBadger said:
Looks like I'll just have to stick to driving older cars then. I'm not a fan of any paddleshift gearchanges and I've driven a Ferrari F430 with one! There's something very satisfying about a nice snickety manual 'box.
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the reviews said the same about the ferrari 360

the manual open gate shift 360 had (apparently) one of the best gear changes around. But the number of F1 boxes in the 360 outweighs the manual by something like 20:1

F430 is even worse, theres just under 30 430 coupes on pistonheads. 2 are manuals.
 
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aproctor said:
:rolleyes:

They are not going anywhere, the comment about VAG making the DSG boxes standard is probably not far off but i'll eat my hat if a manual box isn't an option on almost all marques.
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it'll happen. it''s outdated and the vast majority of the public don't need and don't want it. It's got a while left though.
 
About time too. Even systems for the mass-market such as DSG, are faster and more efficient than manual boxes, and the semi-automatic modes provide equal control to a manual box only with less effort and faster gear changes.
 
Given the choice between a decent semi-auto and a manual now, I'd go for the semi-auto every time.

I wouldn't be particularly fussed if 'proper' manuals died out.
 
People will still continue to buy manuals for run of the mill VAG/Ford etc cars as the the automatics usually add £1000~. Someone spending £10k on a Ford isn't going to want to add £1k to the price so will opt for the manual.

There isn't this problem for people spending £150k on a Ferrari or £90k on a 911.
 
How do automatics compare to manuals in terms of cost and reliability? I'm presuming they're more expensive.. but die in different ways due to people's clutch control (or lack thereof) and general driving style having less effect with autos.
And are there really any good autos in the 'cheap hatchback' market segment?

Edit: Ahah, someone posts an answer as I post :p
 
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