Enthusiasts No Longer Want To Shift Gears? Toyota's Supra Will Be An Automatic And Will Incorporate BMW Electronics When Possible

It's starting to look dull and ugly.

This article is nonsense...just because the test vehicle has an automatic transmission certainly does not mean a manual will not be offered. Also, just because there will be a hybrid variant, does not mean there will not be a conventional powertrain with a manual transmission.

The Clutch pedal manual is an outdated, slow, cumbersome, archaic device.

I'm torn, on one hand I agree with LexSucks that manual transmissions are outdated (and so are internal combustion engines) and with TheSteve that a good DCT is a revelation. However on the other we are talking about enthusiast cars here. These are people who are involved with their cars at a cerebral level and for who any electronic nanny in their way is an anathema to what a true motoring is all about. The perfect gear shifter with the right throw and the most tactile clutch provide a driving nirvana unmatched by slush boxes, solenoids, and jerky computers, and this is not about speed, it is about becoming one with the car and at home on the road.

Unnecessary involvement. I don't need all of that to enjoy enthusiastic driving.

For what it's worth, a well-designed and implemented sequential shifter is a delight! Although Porsche offers a stick in their sports cars, about 80% sell with their PDK (dual clutch automatic) transmission. Compared to a manual transmission, the PDK is:
1) Quicker (0 to 60 mph time)
2) More fuel efficient
3) Has instant shifts (important for overtaking)
4) Has smoother shifts (more comfort)
5) Easier to use than stick and clutch
6) Better suited to turbocharged engines (keeps rev from dropping below turbo boost as you have to release the throttle to shift a stick)
7) For stoplight racers: Launch control, for perfect launches every time

As much as I love a manual transmission, I love a well-executed sequential even more. The question is whether Toyota will pull off an automatic star, or a non-event... or possibly worse.

8) Can shift gears mid-corner without upsetting the chassis.

@joneshamilton, @TheSteve is actually correct.

PDK is the best transmission on the market. All should target their transmissions to match.

countguy: As much as I love the Porsche PDK, I don't agree it's "the best" for all people. It's great for:
- One who drives a sporting vehicle in a sporting manner, and/or
- One who knows the characteristics of the PDK and works with them

Someone who assumes a PDK is the same any other automatic transmission (only better), **AND** who spends a lot of time inching forward in stop-n-go traffic, will wear out the clutch packs prematurely... and then they'll complain that the PDK is not robust enough. In such conditions, a regular automatic transmission with a torque converter is superior to the PDK.

This is why, in part, many dual-clutch transmissions have a reputation for wearing out prematurely, and why relatively few manufacturers offer dual-clutch transmissions.

You must haven't seen the vid where they did 50 consecutive launches with a Porsche 911 Turbo using launch control

LexSucks: My comment has NOTHING to do with launch control. Please re-read my post in which I state the PDK (and other dual-clutch transmissions) are not suitable for lots of inching forward in stop-n-go traffic. That's totally different than "launching" it.

I'm sorry but I don't need to get 3 out 4 extremities involved just to accomplish a gear shit. Of course it feels more involving, you have to use almost all of your limbs just to switch a gear.

Wow, next you'll be complaining that you have to use your eyes, sense of touch and balance to drive.

I suppose if you wiggle your hips to accomplish a gear shift it would also satisfy your need of involvement? LOL!! Using your eyes to drive is necessary involvement. Looking like you are having a seizure just to accomplish a shift is unnecessary involvement.

Sorry, nowadays Porsche, Audi, and even Dodge has started to forsaken the manual transmission. Nothing to see here, move along. Especially this sad attempt by BMW or Toyota to make a sports car. Really sad attempt!

We all know that the Audi TT, with its venerated Haldex system and lightweight construction, is a much better enthusiast's car! It's basically as good as a Porsche 718!

There will always been a certain segment of the population that thinks a stick is the best transmission and they cannot be brought along to think otherwise. When motorsports drops manual transmissions in favour of DCT's and other forms of sequential shifting, there ceases to be a logical argument. Like guns, you just like a 5-speed. But there is no longer a benefit to having one, in light of current technology.

Fortunately, there's quite a bit more to driving than clutch pedal shifting. Left-foot braking, for example.

I'm not surprised. BMW, and especially Toyota, are not fans of the manual transmission.

While they could easily make a manual transmission that outperforms an automatic, they would much rather build in a few hundred dollars of profit and extra mpg an auto brings.

Yeah, I suppose that's why a manual transmission isn't available in the current M2, M3, M4, M5, M6 but it obviously is on all RS and AMG models... oh wait

The anti-stick crowd just don't get it. NOBODY drives stick because it's faster or technically superior. Simply put, driving stick is more fun. It's like yelling at an equestrian to go buy a car. Huh? I drive stick because I enjoy shifting, nothing more. I'm not trying to go faster at the track, and I know full well that an automatic is faster than me. That's not the point. Shifting and clutching is cool and relaxing and keeps me engaged. I enjoy that sense of engagement.

quizz: I hold the position that you need not justify why you like a stick. If you prefer it, then that's reason enough to get what you like. Folks who claim you should get an automatic or sequential tranny because it's "better" have lost sight of this "human preference" element.

If you don't care which transmission you get, and you want one that has better "numbers", a sequential box is favorable in the numbers... mostly.

If you want less weight or lower cost, a stick typically does better.

If you like stick, then you like stick :-) Enjoy!