Newsgroups: rec.autos
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From: tommy@boole.att.com (Tommy Reingold)
Subject: Re: Improvements in Automatic Transmissions
Reply-To: tommy@boole.att.com
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ, USA
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1993 02:31:12 GMT
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Originator: tommy@hoodlum
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Keywords: Saturn, Subaru, manual, automatic
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hagenjd@wfu.edu (Jeff Hagen) writes:


$ The biggest hurdle for automatics (IMHO) is not shifting speed
$ per se, but rather the transmission's reaction speed when you
$ try to force it to shift manually.  
$ [...]

I rented an Oldsmobile Achieva (is that a yuppie name or what?) and a
Nissan Stanza.  They both had automatics.  I'm a manual transmission
bigot but I have to admit that the transmissions on these cars were
better shifters than I am.  And yes, they responded very quickly to
kickdown requests.  The Nissan had a tachometer so I was able to figure
out which gear I was in.  (The Olds may have also, but I don't
remember.)  I believe it shifted all the way down to second at about 50
mph when my foot told it, "No I really want to accelerate quickly."

I would still prefer a manual, but I won't delude myself into thinking
that I can out-accelerate a modern automatic.  And I'm very smooth at
shifting but certainly not as good as an automatic.
-- 
Tommy Reingold
AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ
tommy@boole.att.com or att!boole!tommy
