Absolutely!. That's when I switch to manual mode- except I drive in manual mode most of the time and switch to auto when I don't feel like messin' w/ gears.
Additionally, I am glad that I have auto for the wife on the rare occassions that she drives- better than letting her rip out a clutch on a 40K car.

 

Guys, I think i'm going with the Auto... I mean it will all come down to the 6mt drive then the auto drive with the paddles. I've never driven a G manual before so I don't know how the new car manuals feel like. The newest year of manual tranny I drove was a 91 MK3 Supra Turbo *yuko* but I'm leaning more towards the auto.

Why? Well From what i've gathered from reading everyones responses is; everyone that has an auto, had a manual at one point in their life before... they enjoyed it for the time being, but wanted something more.... relaxing I guess you could say. As though I've wanted a manual since I started driving... I wanted it because I was driving a FWD 4banger car that was an auto.. those like stated above, you almost need the 5mt tranny because that's the only way that vehicle will.... "get up and go" we could say? Which is an understatement compared to the G lol.

EDIT: PS. I almost forgot to ask, can someone elaborate on the paddle shifters for me? How close does it mimic the shifter of a manual transmission? Let's say you switch to manual mode, does the car hold the gear you have it set in, until you switch it? Or does it, if getting close to redline, automatically switch for you? Secondly, if you're slowing down, in manual mode, does the car automatically downshift for you? Like an auto usually would? Or do you do it yourself manually with the paddles?

I've been trying to convince myself that the extra gear I'd get from the 6mt will benefit me but... with performance numbers just inching behind the 6mt, for the auto... I think the AT will do just fine, especially considering what I'm coming from (91 integra Auto). Secondly, I don't drag the car, nor do I take it to the track (autoX or anything like that). Third, If paddle shifters are good enough for Ferrari's and Lambo's, etc.. It should be good enough for me, right? Plus, I think it'll be a smart move, since I'm going to be a Real Estate Agent... But like I stated above, It will all boil down to how I feel when driving the two (auto again and 6mt for the 1st time ever on a G). I just want to slap some nice 19's or 20's on her, and call it a day. No lowering of it, no exhaust systems, maybe the Stillen intake's and upgraded lights like a few members have done to theirs. Maybe an amp and a fab'd up box for my L5 12" kicker...

The 5AT I drove was crazy power compared to my 4banger Integra. Thanks to the High Stall TQ Converter, it has made this possible. Now what I want to ask is; Lets say going... ummmmm... 60mph, what is the RPM's at with the 5at vs the 6mt? In the G37, unless the G35's are the same.. Which I don't think they are. Another question is, I think my Integra is a 4spd auto w/ overdrive (correct me if i'm wrong), but on the 5AT, is the 5th gear the "overdrive" or is there a specific "overdrive" gear on the 5AT?

I will get in contact with the dealer tomorrow hopefully to see if he has a 6MT I could drive, either in G37 or G35. Feel free to chime back in and give further input for me guys! I appreciate everything that you have posted thus far. I haven't abandoned this thread... lol, just been reading everything posted. Again, Thanks for everything. I like you bunch of guys and girls way better than the old forum I used to post in. www.Honda-Tech.com (bunch of kiddie childish asshats). It's nice to talk to a group in my age range for once.

EDIT: PS. I almost forgot to ask. Can someone elaborate more on the Paddle shift mode? How close does it mimic the Manual trans? Lets say you threw it in manual mode, and have it in a gear (2nd for example), if you're taking it up to redline, does it hold until you shift it or does it automatically shift for you if you're close to redline, when in manual mode? Secondly, when you're slowing down, does the car automatically downshift for you when in manual mode? Like an auto usually would? Or do you manually do it yourself? Third, How responsive is the shifting when using the paddles? Delay? how many seconds if any?

 

If you are not planning on doing any major performance mods on the G37, then you should really consider the 5AT. Also like stoian21 said, after a while a MT can become a nuiance. Driving stick in my Maxima ( though heavily modified ) was fun when I was still learning things like how to heel and toe downshift. Once I learned everything... the fun factor REALLY decreased! I remember when I used to tell other AT drivers how I would NEVER THINK ABOUT BUYING A AUTO!!! I guess things can change?!

 

You a victim of AT now too? Guess the AT is the best route...

Can anyone with the new 5AT answer the last portion of my long post? Thanks

 

Upshifting mimics the manual.
You can downshift on your own as well but if you come to a complete stop and give no input the car will downshift itself. it normally begins downshifting itself (down to 3rd gear until you completely stop then it goes strait to 1st) when you get below 25MPH otherwise it stays in the gear that you select. You can redline and bounce off the rev-limiter all day if you wish. It wont shift until you tell it.

 

How is the shifting response? I mean is it instant when you tap the paddle? or is there a delay?

 

On the tester it was quick. There was a split second delay at part throtte and the response was instant and direct at full throttle (the gears really locked in like there was a valve body kit or something). When I installed the grounding kit on my current G the response got a little quicker accross the board. So I assume that may make the shifting quicker at part throttle on the 37 as well.

Downshifting was instant unless you skipped gears (double or tripple downshift) If you did that, the downshift rev-matching kicked in and then the gears engaged. Going down just one gear was almost instant (a split second delay) It seemed that when you downshifted and floored it the gears engaged quicker.

 

KAHBOOM, Thank you soo very much for sticking with me on this. I think i'll just go straight to the 5AT order w/o the 6MT test drive. Hopefully I'm not jumping ahead of myself saying that but that's how I'm feeling!

 

Good choice!

 

You really know your stuff!

 

One thing -- high end cars with paddles have automatically controlled manual transmissions. That is, there's a clutch and direct engagement of the drivetrain like a stick shift, but the computer controls the clutch so all you do is tap the paddles.

This is mechanically completely dissimilar from what is in the G37. The G37's paddle shifting is the same as any other automatic transmission out there, except that you are telling it when to up or down shift instead of it using an algorithm. This means there's a "soft" linkage between the engine and the wheels in the way of the torque converter. This is a "propeller in fluid" way of getting the car going that allows you to sit still with the engine running and not stall, and allows the car to accelerate from 0mph w/o the driver having to operate anything. It is kind of like a boat in water in this regard.

These kinds of transmissions have COMPLETELY different feels to the attentive driver. In particular, throttle response while "engaged" feels significantly different in a true manual (even if auto-clutched) than a "slushbox." It is more direct. On the flipside, "engaged" coasting in a manual often has a lurching feel to it, whereas on the automatic it is perfectly smooth because of the extra play in the drivetrain.

Essentially one is connected in a fixed manner rotationally and the other is loosely connected. The 5AT would probably make you happy. If you are this concerned about it, it is probably the right choice. I am not ready to make that switch yet, because I enjoy the direct connection to the engine, drivetrain and road that the manual transmission provides. The 5AT will at times (at least during my test drive) sit between two gears, spinning the torque converter, and then engage the gear. In my tests on my test drive, I would hit the paddle and sometimes it would be very quick and nice, about as well as I could do it myself, and other times it would hesitate and sort of "freespin" before grabbing the gear. I had the same experience on downshifts.

Best to test drive them both and see which one you prefer in reality. There's no need to try to convince yourself there's no performance or driver involvement difference -- because it is not true, and it is subjective so who cares. If you like the 5AT, it's a great car even w/ the 5AT. If you like the 6MT, it's a pretty good 6MT and a little quicker down low, a lot quicker up high.

Hope that helps

 

I've owned everything from true manuals, to DSG-style manuals (Maserati) to full automatics, and now the G37.

I have to say that the true manuals are fun, however in traffic can be a complete bitch! I found the more power the car had, the worse it got...

As far as the clutchless manuals (paddle shift Ferrari/Maserati type), they are ok, but shifts tend to be very rough and usually result in major neck strain. Of course, due to the fact that it was a Maserati the shifts were super quick...

Full autos are boring somewhat... I like being able to hold 2nd or 3rd in traffic, and being able to engine brake...and the full auto won't let me do that unless I gate shift (which is a pain).

The G37/BMW type paddles/auto combination offers a compromise between a full auto for really crappy traffic days, and provides at least some fun as far as shifting on your own, albeit being somewhat delayed...

I'd go with the 5AT just of where I live. Having to be in first gear for 2 hours/day can get to you...

 

ABQG35c, if you plan on leasing it for say 2 years, you still might want to consider an MT if you’ve never had one before and you happen to like the way it drives after a test drive. It can be fun and you might enjoy it for a while to kind of get it out of you system If you on the other hand plan on financing it and keeping it for a while you can’t go wrong with an AT considering the type of driving you said you do. You said you are going into Real Estate and there’s probably a lot of driving involved. But, that’s a choice you have to make for yourself.
I drive 10 miles to work, which is a short ride compared to the average daily commute and I go through 17 traffic lights and 6 stops signs. I have counted them On top of that, there are always changes in traffic speed in between lights that cause you to shift gears to match others’ speed, so even if I have to stop at 2/3rds of the traffic lights and at all stop signs, I can easily get to do 150 gear shifts by going through the gears to get to work, and we are not talking about traffic jams. So, on a good day, that’s 300 gear shifts for me to and from work for a relatively short ride. You do this routine every day for a few years and your passion for MT can become your curse.
Before I bought my AT, I first drove a G35c MT. I didn’t like the clutch engagement and the quality of the ride at all. To me a “sport luxury” car is one that has plenty of power, very good handling, fancy technology, and at the same time is SMOOTH. The Gc is not designed as a pure performance or a race car (I wasn’t looking for one either) even though it does a pretty damn good job. That’s a totally different market. My first and immediate impression of the ride was that it was jerky. Like you said, when you have a little 4-cilinder car, the MT gives it a little bit of life-juice, and makes it a little more enjoyable or I should say a little less boring to drive But, when you have 300 horses under the hood, it’s a totally different story. When you have all that torque available, an MT ride is a series of unpleasant jolts, at least to me, after driving MT for a while. Especially when I think of this car as being my primary daily ride. Say you are in 1st gear at full throttle, you have a “ton” of torque at the wheels, then you hit the clutch while you come off the throttle and all of a sudden there is zero torque at the wheels for a short moment, then you shift to 2nd and all of a sudden there is a lot of torque again, and because even the best MT driver cannot match shifting revs as smoothly as a computer does, you experience yet another jolt because of RPM synchronization. Take a passenger and look at their head (yours does the same for that matter you hit the gas and their heads are pinned to the seat rests, a couple of seconds later you hit the clutch and their heads are about to hit the windshield, then again pulled back to their seats, while experiencing a rev matching jolt. It’s an unpleasant ride as you go through the gears for a daily driver and especially to a passenger, even without pushing it hard it’s not a nice feeling. I’ve been a passenger in similar cars and I didn’t like it at all. You feel like a sack of potatoes. Ride for an hour in city traffic and you feel tired, you are about to come out and puke. All these rapid successions of positive and negative accelerations and jolts are very very fatiguing for the human body. I personally don’t like to be jerked back and forth 150 times on my way to work and shift gears on top of that. It’s too much of a beating for me.
Then I got into a G35c AT. What a difference. I loved it. The power was still there but the ride was smooth as butter. You hit the gas and the acceleration is fast and steady. To me it felt like the acceleration of an airplane down the runway. It just goes faster and faster with no interruption. The AT does a beautiful job at shifting those gears, no power losses in shifts, no jolts and jerkiness, speed and power build like a wave. It felt like a quality ride. I found it very practical and pleasant. Still sporty and quick, but with a more luxury, refined and smooth feel to it. I didn’t like the manumatic though. It’s response is about 2 second delayed. I just use it if I like to get into a specific gear for fun. But the Auto mode does a pretty good job, at least for me. I hear its response is a lot quicker on the G37 AT.
No wonder they are putting paddle shifters on Ferraris and Lambos – I can’t imagine 400-600 lbs of torque tossing me back and forth. It’s probably fun to experience the power for a joyride but I am sure the driver and passengers take a good beating.
Another thing I loved about the AT was the 3rd gear. It’s got plenty of torque and it’s long too. It’s especially good at highway traffic speeds. Around NY, most cars in the left lanes do 75-90, and the right lane around 65. Say you want to overtake a car doing 65. You are in 5th at 2300 rpm, you hit the gas and it shifts nicely and smoothly to 3rd at 4000 rpm. Acceleration is very quick and it doesn’t feel like you are abusing your car. You are at 5,300 rpms at 85 mph. Beautiful. 3rd gear feels powerful from low speed and it goes all the way up to 106 mph. I love it.
The same scenario in G35c MT. 65 mph in 6th at 2200 rpm. You shift to 3rd, which has more torque available than 3rd AT but you are close to 5000 rpm. You have to rev it up and it seems overly aggressive and jolty (racing style). By 85 mph you are at nearly red line. If you shift to 4th instead of 3rd, it’s not as powerful as 3rd AT. You can use both so an MT would get an ultimate advantage but it’s more harsh on the car and yourself and if you are not looking to race but just to enjoy the smooth power, the AT is a joy on the highway. The gear ratios are a lot closer in the G37 between MT and AT in 1st to 3rd. Performance wise they are a lot more similar now. I guess it just comes down to how you like to experience your car. The G37 AT felt very nice and smooth when I test drove it. I hear the MT got improved too but I haven’t tested it.

By the way, at 60 MPH, G35 AT is at 2,116 rpms in 5th , MT is at 2,123 in 6th
G37 AT is 2,256 in 5th, and MT is at 2,135 in 6th using performance tires. RPMs are about 100-150 higher on stock tires.

 

Well from a number standpoint, the 5AT is as stated by KAHBOOM I believe, one tenth of a second slower than the 6MT. But I will still go test drive them.

 

Thanks for that info. I know what you mean by the jerkiness of the ride. Neck strain and whiplash at it's finest. Also on another note, I plan on paying Cash for the G367, which is why I'm so wishy-washy on the transmission. Like I said, the 5AT felt amazing, compared to what I came from lol.