I love driving manual! I pay better attention to what is going on on the road when I drive stick. When I have driven automatics, my mind wanders to other things.
What I'm getting at is I LOVE manuals!

 

My Chrysler 300M is auto. It has ungodly power compared to my xBox. But I carry musical equipment and wanted more direct control (considering the low power) with the xBox. It meets my needs just fine with the manual.

I gotta admit though, that when I hop in the 300 to get on the freeway I am amazed how much power I have. I use the manual shifter. I HATE it when an automatic, when you floor it, changes gears on you and slows you down.

Also, the only option I got was the floor mats. I bought it on the cheap. The auto bumped the price of the xB quite a bit.

 

Manual tranny, but of course.

 

I would like to have manual sometimes, but then again the auto is really nice for other things. It's really smooth, but the gear changes can be quite delayed when trying to speed up quickly. Also, the overdrive gear is better on the auto. (70mph - 3,000 rpms)
It's a great cruiser.

 

Auto... and I heard top gear cruising is a lot nicer. -shrug-

3,1xx @ 70.

 

Automatic is the only way to drive in the 21st century. Especially if the car is Japanese!

 

manuals kick @$$ yeah

 

When you get on an elevator, wanting to go to the 5th floor, for ex., do you push the 2,3,4,5 buttons?

 

In my Chrysler 300m, with 250 horses, I have, and prefer, an automatic. But even then, when I want to pass on the freeway, I go into manual mode, drop it down a gear and floor it. It is like a rocket compared to the xBox. Heck, it is like a rocket compared to itself in normal "auto" mode. In auto mode, the first thing it does is drop TWO gears. For that brief, but noticeable moment, I have NO acceleration at all. The car is busy changing gears.

With something as gutless as an xBox, that kind of gear selection control is critical. I can out-accelerate cars with more power by using the gears correctly. Automatics spend too much time in gear changing mode at the EXACT time I need the power.

Again, if you have power to spare, no problem. But when my xBox is loaded with musical equipment and three people, it makes a big difference. I test drove both. Automatic was not acceptable. But that is strictly for my needs.

FWIW, the last car I had with a manual transmission was an Opel GT. I thought I was done with manuals. I had forgotten how much fun they are.

 

Sure. Quite understandable. I too have "shifted" the automatic manually on occasion for more power, but in general I prefer to use one foot and one hand. I find it a lot less tiring in city driving, especially with my long legs. Incidentally, in Japan automatic is always standard, and manual usually an option, no matter how small the car. BTW, how/where did you get an Opel in the US??

 

I live in LA and you have to have an automatic for stop and go traffic. I usually get a manual but LA DEMANDS an automatic. Anyone else have the this problem?

 

Everybody living in a city has this problem. When I drive a manual in city traffic, my left leg gets so tired I don't know what to do with it. This is why I would never even consider owning a manual, no matter how much fun it might otherwise be. Renting in Europe is a different story, though. And here is another point: using both hands. My friend broke his arm recently and could not drive for 6 weeks because his van has a manual. He would not have had this problem with an automatic.

 

I refuse to drive in such cirumstances. I live in Seattle and we have the kind of traffic LA does (I've driven in both places). I chose my place of employment because of the location. I drive 8.4 miles on nice twisties and make sure I get there early, before traffic picks up. I also bicycle commute. When I contracted downtown I took the bus. I hated it, but was well compensated, if you get my drift.

Because we are an airline family we used to go to LA a lot. We would fly into Burbank. There are some nice places there but my wife and I are pretty much done with the town. If you remember the movie The Jerk, you will know where I am coming from here: We were in traffic on our way to Disneyland and I looked at my wife, she looked at me, and I said, in my best East LA accent, "Do you really want to wait around for an oven mitt?".

We took the next exit, headed back to Burbank, caught the next plane to Seattle and decided that we've probably seen enough of LA for one lifetime.

My solution to traffic in Seattle is that I simply stay off the roads at certain times. If I feel like driving, I leave the megalopolis.

On the rare occasion that I do get caught in traffic in Seattle, I just put it in first, and crawl at idle. It's pretty rare though. I am seriously amazed that people do it on a daily basis. It is a choice people make. There are other options. Southern Kentucky, for instance. And it is a motocyclists paradise.

 

Yeah, the auto gets better highway mileage than the stick. When I bought my Scion, I called it my 50 mile radius car.

That said, I have taken it on two trips over 200 miles for a few simple reasons - it is VERY quiet. It is VERY roomy and comfortable. It gets great mileage. The fishbowl windows give you a terriffic view of the terrain.

All of those attributes amazed me about the car when I originally test drove it. Sure wish it had cruise control though.

 

I would not say it is VERY quiet, but it's certainly quiet enough, especially for the money. When comparing it to "real" cars, the difference in noise level is apparent, but then none of them have xB's looks, personality, and overall efficiency and reliability. Guys in big Mercedes SUVs stare at my car with envy here. And they should!

 

Yeah, regarding the noise, I should have said, "quiet for what it is". However, it IS very quiet compared to most cars I've ridden in. One of my friends actually has one of those new Mercedes SUV's. The road surface has a lot to do for how quiet their car AND my xBox are. Fact is, unless you are on very ruogh road surface, it is very easy to carry on a conversation in the xBox. It is so quiet I actually noticed it when I was talking to my wife.

On a side note, my wife and I took a trip with our friends that own the Mercedes. I decided to not brag about the room and just see what happened. When they got in the car they were dumfounded by the room - and said so! ;)

 

[quote="RobWells"][quote="drviolin"]I know. Those big SUVs only LOOK big, but they are not very space-efficient. I have not yet seen a car that would compare favorably to the xB in that department (except my Yaris Verso that I had in Finland, which is a car based on the same platform - Toyota has discontinued this model, along with the first-generation BB/xB). And yes, road surface and tires have a lot to do with the noise level inside the car. The xB is very quiet on tar, not so quiet on rough alphalt and concrete, but certainly acceptable. Nothing beats the xBox!

 

I have a manual ( my first manual) and I love driving it! It's a lot funner than driving auto, but then again I don't drive in the city and I just got it so the fun might wear off...

 

The xB having manual is kind of like a school bus, you have a long shift lever, not a short quick throw shifter.


Mine, after installing the K&n intake, is pretty loud, but I consider that a positive, AND if you have the music up loud enough (the stock sound system is great, people compliment my bass) you can't hear the car at all.
I like revving it out because the engine sounds quite nice, and I've gotten compliments for that too. They couldn't believe it was a 1.5 liter.

My friend said I have the coolest car in town (there are a couple other xB's but not sweet black ones like mine. And fat old ladies drive them. Haha

 

Need advice on how best to handle the xB manual. I'm just not getting it.

I have been driving a manual transmission since my teens in the 80's - have owned two early 1970's VW Beetles, a 1981 manual Accord, and a 1974 manual Audi. I have also driven the more modern MT's (Opel Vectra, Golf TDI, Peugeot 207) , as my work takes me frequently to Europe.

So, I am no stranger to the stick.

My 2006 xB (bought new in May 2007) has been difficult. I stall out more than I should, especially when starting from 0 mph. My shifting is not smooth. It's like I have to give it more gas than usual when shifting to 1st and 2nd. I feel that I should get the idle adjusted upwards. Reverse is no problem at all from a dead stop - could anyone help explain why?

I rented a Peugeot just last week in Germany, and I was able to shift smooth as silk.
Does anyone else have difficulties getting into the groove with the xB?