I went with the manual...I've gotta have something to do while I'm waiting for my box to get up to highway speeeds.

 

I was looking for a commuter car. . . gotta drive to survive in so cal, so I went with the auto.

Sure I would love to squeez every bit of power out of the 103 ponies... (and by ponies I mean shetland ponies) however, commutting and 5sp + stop and go = Me being Mad.

 

Trac off + O/D off can be fun for peelin around corners.

 

good idea. i've never tried the trac and o/d combination.

 

I have the automatic, but regrets that it's not a manual. Should have thought my wife to drive a stick!

 

I actually owned the stick for a year and a half, but wife never learned how to drive it and now a baby is coming. I traded it for an auto.

In any event, both have their pros and cons. The stick is a LOT more fun to drive than the auto (even though power wise, it's about the same). I guess unlike most people most people I enjoyed driving it in Philadelphia traffic.

I will say that on the highway, the auto is catherdral-like compared to the high whine of the manual. I didn't think the gearing would make THAT much of a difference (80mph @ 3k in the auto vs. 80mph at 4k with the manual).

Though the tradeoff is that the manual seemed to get a lot better gas mileage than the auto, though the website says the opposite. Go figure.

 

i have a manual and my dad has an auto.... oddly enough I still get better gas milage then him... depends on how you drive I guess (these do not include nights out with the club and at the trck)

To each thier own..... manual sucks in Downtown orlando traffic though.. at least there are no hills in florida!

 

has to be manual....that is the fun of driving.

 

manual, but its not a very fast car so its a little different

 

anyone put a supercharger on the auto? worth it? or would it have been better with the manual? Im goin manual, but if i gotta wait to much longer i might give in on the auto, blitz charger goin' on in january regardless...thanks!!

 

yeah so cal traffic....i love driving stick but when u drive hollywood to riverside and back it kills the fun so i went with auto

 

I would say that the manual is great for Hwy driving with little or no congested traffic. I great fun to drive most of the time. But for mostly city, stop and creep traffic, the auto would be the only way to go.

I have mostly Hwy driving, with some stop and creep driving at the military installation gates each morning. I usually can get through the gates withing 5 to 10 mins, so it is not a big deal for me. And first gear will creep up a slight incline at idle.......that is sweet!!

 

Stop 'N Go, you know its Auto...
plus you get a hair better mileage on auto xB's.

I like my auto.

 

Manual all my life.. manual now too!

 

With a 5-speed, sway bars, and sticky tires, its like a TALL boxy sportscar!
Yeeehaaaaaaa!

 

im in so cal.. stop and go.. but i manage to put up with it.. i perfer manual all the way.. nothing better then being more then just a person pressing the pedal.. and go.. makes you an insturment to your own vehicle.. if you can understand that.. though i kinda wish, that it came with cruise control.. for those long drives on the highway

 

After having a 5-speed Hyundai Excel and driving in SF Bay traffic (try driving north on 101 into Marin County during rush hour) I decided I would never have a manual transmission again. Automatic for this guy!

 

Not if you work at it. Ignore the EPA sticker. You can get wayyyy better mileage with a stick just by adjusting your driving habits.
I've been averaging 34-35mpg, and a best of 39mpg commuting in Los Angeles stop-n-go traffic! (The EPA sticker lists 33mpg highway for the stick!)

 

Thats very good

 

Yeah, and at about 3,000 miles a month, I need it!