Being able to buy a new PDK Turbo does not mean one should!
Has anyone ordered a new 2010 with a 6-speed? Please speak up.
What has happened to the car culture? I can't believe what I am reading and surly change is not always good. I hope for Porsche's sake they don't lose guys like me to another car company. I am running out of options for a pure, drivers car. I hate what is happening, and I know I am not alone.
Quality and soul out the window! I think I would rather own a GTR then a PDK Turbo, I would save money and the Nissan has to be cheaper to fix.

It's not that I mind a 4-door Porsche or an automatic with paddles, but I do As for the new motor, lets just wait and see what happens
I own 2 6-speeds, sit in Chicago traffic every day and love it, now who is with me?

 

Here here! (well, except for the traffic part)

 

I'm in!!! I don't mind an automatic or dual clutch type system in a sedan or sports coupe, but not for a sports car. I would rather do my own shifting. Of course the PDK can shift much faster than I can and I know it's a technological accomplishment, but that is not what I am after. For me, there is a certain joy to being more involved in the driving experience and rowing through the gears myself.....

I've had Lexus ISF's with their version of the semi/manual tranny that you can paddle shift and throttle blip. Like the PDK, it shifts incredibly fast and is a cool toy, but I stopped using it after about a month and just drove in auto mode the rest of the time. Just my personal preference... I don't mean to offend any PDK or Tip owners..

 

I guess it depends on what you are looking for: slightly better performance (PDK) or much more engagement (6 speed). I think both transmissions are compelling in their own way.

When I purchased my '09 TT, I did so very sadly thinking it might be the last manual transmission car I ever buy. I love executing a perfect heel-toe shift and rowing the gears. Alternately, it would also probably be great to go to the track in a PDK car and concentrate on one less thing.

For me it is more fun to drive the 6 speed even though the PDK is faster. Similar arguments can be made for 993 vs. 996 vs. 997, Turbo vs. GT3, etc. It is all about where you want to be. I suspect that many of us will convert to dual-clutch at some point - either because of the performance advantage or because manufacturers will no longer make 6 speeds. Maybe somebody should grab the web domain www.dual-clutch-online.com now.

 

I agree on the 6sp for pure driving pleasure but then I get to the track and wish I had PDK just for certain turns...like when you have to come down 3 gears...quickly!

 

Its about overall fun and being 2-5 seconds faster on a 3 min course wouldn't yield as much fun as rowing through the gears.

When I first got the Exige I loved it so much, couldn't stop driving it, it was so much more raw and involving than my 6spd 997TT.

Thankfully for now we still have options.

On the other hand they havent released the PDK GT3/GT2 yet so there are still a few driver cars in Porsches line up .. for now.

Though I can tell you 100% if there was ONLY a PDK 997TT I would never have gotten one. I had a 6spd M3 then a SMG M5 and I couldnt wait to get back to a 6spd.

The SMG made sense for a big sedan like the M5 and made the car a lot of fun (Almost too much for its size and weight). But for a small sports car lets let the driver do some work.

The best drivers cars arent about what we can cram in them, but what we can do without.

 

I am also a 6-speed guy and would only get a porsche 997 in manual transmission even though I sit in L.A. traffic too often. Not sure I follow your other comments though, there are good porsche choices for you such as a gt3 or gt3rs in addition to the manual turbo.

 

I'm with ya. Sit in traffic everyday. Shifting is second nature...its not like i ever say, darn i need to shift again...dont even think about it!

 

Yep, I picked up my 6speed turbo 2 days ago and drove 550 miles back from Germany.
I *thought* I would like a PDK - I *knew* I would like the 6 speed.

Only problem I have right now is the short shift, anyone else got this on a 2010 turbo ?
I'm finding it requires *alot* more effort and I'm considering putting back the normal shifter

 

I full agree with the thread, but Porsche has other customers that want other things. Be thankful that Porsche is stead fast in the 6 speed and offers it as such. What about the 458? Look what Ferrari is doing. Of all the mfg's out there, you might be complaining about one of the purist.

 

effort will ease over some miles...stick with it.

 

I'm on the same page. Although there are different strokes for different folks, which keeps the world a fun place, I'm scared of the day when the 6 speed may actually disappear from the sports car. There was a similar thread some years ago on the BMW M6 thread. At first, there was no 6 speed offered on the M5/M6, only the SMG. Due to the huge outcry in North America, BMW relented and offered a 6 speed on the 2007 models (in North America only). I had been waiting patiently and bought one of the first ones in Toronto. The reaction of some M6 Board members was quite derogatory, inferring that only dinosaurs could still actually want a 6 speed. I know of many M5/M6 owners with a 6 speed, all of whom loved it. The SMG owners were a real mixed bag. The track guys loved it for the obvious reasons, but I heard of lots of stories of people selling their SMG cars after only a few months. Of course, the SMG was a single clutch system and very jerky to drive. The PDK dual clutch is light years better and fantastic at the track.

To each his (or her) own, and I absolutely respect those who find the PDK better for their needs. But please don't take away our 6 speed option in the future!!!

 

The E60 M5/E63 M6 tranny debate is a whole other situation entirely and not really a matter of driving 'purity'. The high-revving V10 really needs the 7 gears to maximize it's potential. While the stick and clutch may have been more 'fun' to drive, I believe it was doing that car a disservice by getting it with a manual. As you stated, BMWNA relented only because the American market *****ed and moaned, not because it was good for the car performance-wise.

 

They do give you the best of both worlds. Its not like you can't order the turbo in a 6speed.

If anything its reversed ... you can't buy a pdk in a GT3.

 

Strange. Good point that I never really thought about. The GT3 is the more 'track oriented' car, less torque to 'safely' handle the PDK transmission (which if I remember correctly, there was some early worries of the high tq from the turbo being too much for the dual clutch). Why didn't they offer it in the 997.2 GT3 if PDK is supposedly better for the track?