I have grown up around sports cars and muscle cars and have always loved the thrill of banging gears and power shifting a manual car. It seems that every magazine article I read on the 997.2 revolves around a PDK equipped car. I realize it may be a bit quicker in the 1/4 mile or to 60mph but am I the only one who loves the old school gear banging??? I was getting ready to purchase order a new turbo but I am having a hard time figuring out which way to go. Any thoughts???

 

Great question. It would be awesome to hear from people lucky enough to have owned 997.1 manual and PDK. I just got my 08 6 speed but after reading all of these glowing reviews and test results, I am having pdk envy

 

I have not driven the Porsche version, but I have driven other dual clutch cars and while very fast you do lose some driver involvement. Quicker, yes, as engaging, no. It is fun in the beginning, but after 12 months I lost interest. One very important piece is whether it is a daily driver. For this purpose it is the best possible compromise.

 

The way things are progressing in the auto industry it doesnt look like we will have much choice in the next 10 years.

Manual cars will be a thing of the past which is too bad.

Cab

 

I will drive a conventional manual for as long as I can. I do like the automated manuals MUCH better than a conventional auto but it's still not the same. No clutch, no glory!!!

Besides, I think it will still take a while before regular manuals disappear (if they ever will). Don't forget that in many parts of Europe, 90% of people drive manuals.

 

Conventional manual FOR SURE!!

 

Exactly!

 

You'll find most posters who vote stick won't have tried the PDK. I have a manual C2S and love changing gears. But when I drove the 997.2 Turbo PDK (dealer loaned it overnight) I was converted to the new way. If I was to buy the new Turbo, it would be PDK.

 

We have a DSG GTI (wife's daily). Fun? Yes! Would I give up a conventional manual for it? NEVER! Not to mention, if anything breaks in those trannys, it will be massive $$$

 

I also own a GTI DSG - which my MIL drives. You should drive the 997.2 PDK -it is different.

 

I'm sure it's a better transmission but how would you describe the difference?

There's just a feeling of lack of control I get with the DSG. One example would be downshifting. In my manual, I can gradually re-engage the clutch whereas with the DSG, you don't have that transition between engaged/not engaged if you know what I mean.
Another one (not a big deal) is the fact that it will go from 2 to 1 automatically when you go slow enough. Sometimes I just like to push in the clutch in 2nd and not necessarily go down to 1st if the road is clear and I can proceed.

I learned to appreciate the DSG and you can drive it fast but I still love my manual when I really want to 'drive'.

 

A proper driver's car has 3 pedals. Shifting is an art form and a very rewarding part of driving the car. The only way I'll get paddle shifters is if I already have a sports car with a 6 speed.

 

On a side note, paddle shifters seem fun but I found them to be pretty worthless on a twisty mountain road (talking GTI again). Your hands just aren't necessarily in that position when turning.

 

Im going to give a PDK or whatever a shot next purchase. My old man is back into another E63 and despite the transmission being old tech its shockingly good with the paddles and shift on command however it got boring real quick but of course its a sedan / cruiser.

Performance is great on PDK vs. stick sure, but thats mostly from a dead stop using launch control. I try not to launch crazy and rather ease into a full throttle run to avoid pissing people off at stop light grand prix runs.

 

+1 And it's not exactly easy on the drivetrain either.