GR86 Would you consider trading in a manual for auto gearbox?

Would you consider trading in your manual for an auto?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 6.5%

  • No

    Votes: 57 91.9%

  • Unsure

    Votes: 1 1.6%
  • Total voters
    62
grzoostuff

grzoostuff

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Hi All,

Having been stuck in traffic, I was thinking to myself, maybe I should consider chopping in for an automatic GR86 instead of the manual.
Would anyone who has a manual GR86 consider switching to a Automatic?
From reading reviews, the dynamics of the car are just as good, but without the fun of balancing, clutch and revs etc. Could argue you just focus on the driving.
For those who have an automatic, how does the manual paddles work - does it hold the car in the gear you select or will it always change up for you before redline?

Just a fun poll to consider.
Cheers.
 
Personally, no. The whole appeal of this platform is that it offers a manual gearbox. I've nothing against autos, and I recognise that auto gearboxes can be fun too; but for me, a manual transmission is a big part of the fun driving experience. The occasional drawbacks of a manual don't warrant ditching it entirely...by that I mean, yes, an auto would be easier to live with, but I've never find driving a manual so tiring or difficult that I wouldn't carry on doing it daily rather than giving it up entirely.
 
Auto In manual mode will shift down to stop stalling but not up, also stops you shifting down too early and over-revving, will happily slide once you’re going, the only thing I haven’t worked out yet is smokey launches, also you get a lot of tech thrown in with the auto which is great for daily use, if you live in the sticks or only use it for fun then I’d keep the manual, if you’re a daily city commuter then auto makes sense
 
Swizzle said:
Auto In manual mode will shift down to stop stalling but not up, also stops you shifting down too early and over-revving, will happily slide once you’re going, the only thing I haven’t worked out yet is smokey launches, also you get a lot of tech thrown in with the auto which is great for daily use, if you live in the sticks or only use it for fun then I’d keep the manual, if you’re a daily city commuter then auto makes sense
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Thanks for this, good to hear the manual mode works like a "true" manual that it will hold the gear close to redline and not shift up. Makes it even a better prospect.
 
Despite only ever owning manuals I think I actually would consider it, if it come to it. It's very much situation dependent but I can see why you would want to. The auto is also vastly improved from the old car.
 
Even after years of driving some pretty awkward manuals I found I was having a little trouble getting consistently smooth shifts on the manual GR86 - but I’ve now found my shifts are great since I’ve angled my elbow a little bit differently, so that my forearm is very square/ perpendicular to the gear-stick.
Dunno, seems a bit daft but I’m not complaining…
Off topic a bit, but might be useful for some - definitely play around with your approach if you’re having any issues with the manual✌️
 
In south east traffic (London and counties) auto is a no brainer daily driver. Eats up the miles without drama but if you want the drama (in a good way ) it is still a great sports car in track+sports mode. Or in full manual mode. Eye sight system really does work, perfect for stop and go or those boring queues on your motorway. It does it for you. It monitors the roads for obstacles and I think can see even in darkness 200 m away in the countryside. It has auto high beams. Extra cup holder.
I love my auto and would never change it for another car.
 
I changed my GR86 order from a MT to an AT a couple of days ago. With the original order having left the factory early last week this has obviously been detrimental to my own delivery estimate as I now have to wait on a GR86 AT in Magnetite Grey; on a positive note there will be somebody somewhere getting bumped forward if they were wanting a MT GR86 in Magnetite Grey (y)
 
I’m saving judgement until it’s run in but the manual is feeling a bit notchy with under 100 miles on it.
 
drchase said:
I can't see this car being even 50 percent as fun without a manual box.
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I’ll refer the honourable OP back to this comment after spending 4 hours in a traffic jam on the M1/M6 and they’ve lost the feeling in their left leg … 😆
 
For me, the GR86 is the last chance to own a truly analogue RWD car before the fun police take over for good.
I dont daily it and I live on the Outskirts of a small town so I'd never consider an auto.

If I was commuting through traffic every day I'd certainly want an auto, but If this was the case, and I didn't drive a van to work, I'd probably get a different car to commute so I could still keep the manual 86.

That said, a fun car with an auto box is more fun than a boring car with an auto box, so fill your boots.
 
Few years back I was looking at lexus offerings. Lexus Lc 500 auto torsen limited diff was hailed as the last real deal gt car compared to hybrid version of the same car. So it is all relative I think. The auto gr86 can still be insane machine to drive. You can scare/entertain all your 3 passengers to your hearts content. Compared to the gutless gt86, gr86 is quite powerful and auto box tames the beast quite nicely. I test drove the manual and it is crazy brutal. May be I had to get used to it but the auto is very easy to drive in real life (south east England). So it depends who you are and what you are looking for completely.
 
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I've gone the other way and swapped an Auto for a Manual... Only time will tell if I've made the correct decision. Thank goodness I don't have to drive it as a daily or encounter much traffic around these parts. The only thing that does concern me is a complete lack of parking sensors (apart from the camera) and I have been known to bump the odd bollard in my 4x4 :whistle:
 
Sonic said:
I've gone the other way and swapped an Auto for a Manual... Only time will tell if I've made the correct decision. Thank goodness I don't have to drive it as a daily or encounter much traffic around these parts. The only thing that does concern me is a complete lack of parking sensors (apart from the camera) and I have been known to bump the odd bollard in my 4x4 :whistle:
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I do daily mine, including having to sit in traffic a bit. It's fine - the lack of stop-start is actually more annoying than it being a manual as I don't like sitting there burning fuel and it increases the annoyance of a dawdler not getting through before traffic lights change. I could turn the engine off manually of course but if the car/battery wasn't spec'd for it I don't want to kill it early (the other car with a stop-start designed battery has been fine for over 9 years on the original so it works if they design for it!).
 
Sonic said:
I've gone the other way and swapped an Auto for a Manual... Only time will tell if I've made the correct decision. Thank goodness I don't have to drive it as a daily or encounter much traffic around these parts. The only thing that does concern me is a complete lack of parking sensors (apart from the camera) and I have been known to bump the odd bollard in my 4x4 :whistle:
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The camera is pretty good. I can get within an inch or 2 of the wall of my house quite confidently after only a few weeks of ownership. It took a little bit of trial and error (getting out of the car and checking, not crashing 😁) but the crosshairs on the screen serve as a really accurate reference once you're familiar.

Also having done this same manoeuvre in my last car with an electronic handbrake and its associated lag. The manual handbrake really helps.
 
grzoostuff said:
Hi All,

Having been stuck in traffic, I was thinking to myself, maybe I should consider chopping in for an automatic GR86 instead of the manual.
Would anyone who has a manual GR86 consider switching to a Automatic?
From reading reviews, the dynamics of the car are just as good, but without the fun of balancing, clutch and revs etc. Could argue you just focus on the driving.
For those who have an automatic, how does the manual paddles work - does it hold the car in the gear you select or will it always change up for you before redline?

Just a fun poll to consider.
Cheers.
Click to expand...
I have a new Subaru Crosstrek which has all the tech missing in the manual 86. The tech works great in the Crosstrek but I think would detract from the driving experience in an 86.

So I vote No - the manual 86 is perfect as it is!
 
I did briefly consider the automatic option when placing my order last June. The only reason for this was the extra tech that the automatic brings - Subaru’s Eyesight adaptive cruise control (and much more) system. I have it in my 2016 Outback and find it a more reliable system than radar systems I’ve used. Like @Polymorphic I concluded that auto box plus tech would detract from the purpose of the GR86. And 4 months in, it was the correct decision for me.
 
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