Manual vs Auto
ou812jmt
07-26-2002, 10:12 AM
I am looking to buy a WRX there is only one problem.....my wife wants to get the auto and I would like to have the manual. I would normally prefer the auto in a car not as sporty or a truck but this car seems to deserve a manual tranny. Does anybody have the acceleration specs for both trannys. I am buying this car for the bang for the buck and I don't want the performance to suffer too much because of a poor choice of transmissions.
Super Spec V
07-26-2002, 10:29 AM
The auto only comes in a wagon, so if you want a 5 sp you would have to get a sedan.....trust me man...put your foot down and tell your wife that your getting a 5sp...i have raced an auto wagon with my 5sp sedan, and blew his ass away. If im not mistaken the auto is in the 6sec range, and the manual is in the mid 5's.
Hope you make the wise choice, and get a 5sp sedan.
PEACE
Hope you make the wise choice, and get a 5sp sedan.
PEACE
SilverLotus340R
07-26-2002, 01:41 PM
manual
illracer
07-26-2002, 04:45 PM
Originally posted by Super Spec V
The auto only comes in a wagon, so if you want a 5 sp you would have to get a sedan.....
Thats not true. You can get a 4EAT in either a sedan or a wagon. I know this because I have an auto sedan :D
There's advantages to each: The automatic has a different type of all wheel drive system than the manuals called VTD (Variable Torque Distribution). The way this works is when you enter a turn at rapid speeds and apply the breaks most of the power will be transfered to the front wheels to aid in handling, and when you come off the turn and apply the accellerator the power will transfer to the rear wheels to aid in accelleration. This compensates for the automatic being slower to downshift through the turns and results in auto WRX's pulling better skidpad times than manuals. On a straight road the manual WRX is 50% front wheel drive and 50% rear, where the auto is split 45% front and 55% rear.
However the Manual gives you better control over the gears and obviously will give you better low end accelleration. The problem with the automatic is that the fact that the WRX is a turbo car means that maximum torque isn't reached until about ~4000 rpm which is rather high and is the reason for turbo lag. The manual does a better job of compensating for the poor low end torque and its true what Super Spec V said the 0-60 of the manual is 5.4-5.7 sec where the manual would be about a second slower. If you're into doing mods to your car you can easily make up that difference with a tighter torque converter which'll set you back a couple hundred bucks (not to mention possibly void your trans warranty). By the end of the quarter mile the manual WRX is about 14 seconds, where the automatic is about a litte under a second slower.
The other advantage to the auto WRX aside from better high speed handling is that its much easier to deal with in bumper to bumper traffic, so if you live in the city that would be a good deal.
It really depends what you're looking for. Either car is extremely quick but if you're into racing the 5MT would be the better choice (specifically that's the car that they're talking about when they say it wastes Mustangs). I like my auto WRX alot and its a great car and several of my friends manuals which I've driven are also alot of fun to drive (i can't really even tell the difference). I bought it because I wanted to try something different. There's alot of WRX's out there but not as many auto's. With mods my car will be even faster and be more than capable of handing modified 5 speed's their ass (although I have a thing about racing other Subaru's- GC8 WRX or otherwise..)
WRX is a great car regardless with a great community and a huge range of aftermarket parts. Good luck with making your decision
The auto only comes in a wagon, so if you want a 5 sp you would have to get a sedan.....
Thats not true. You can get a 4EAT in either a sedan or a wagon. I know this because I have an auto sedan :D
There's advantages to each: The automatic has a different type of all wheel drive system than the manuals called VTD (Variable Torque Distribution). The way this works is when you enter a turn at rapid speeds and apply the breaks most of the power will be transfered to the front wheels to aid in handling, and when you come off the turn and apply the accellerator the power will transfer to the rear wheels to aid in accelleration. This compensates for the automatic being slower to downshift through the turns and results in auto WRX's pulling better skidpad times than manuals. On a straight road the manual WRX is 50% front wheel drive and 50% rear, where the auto is split 45% front and 55% rear.
However the Manual gives you better control over the gears and obviously will give you better low end accelleration. The problem with the automatic is that the fact that the WRX is a turbo car means that maximum torque isn't reached until about ~4000 rpm which is rather high and is the reason for turbo lag. The manual does a better job of compensating for the poor low end torque and its true what Super Spec V said the 0-60 of the manual is 5.4-5.7 sec where the manual would be about a second slower. If you're into doing mods to your car you can easily make up that difference with a tighter torque converter which'll set you back a couple hundred bucks (not to mention possibly void your trans warranty). By the end of the quarter mile the manual WRX is about 14 seconds, where the automatic is about a litte under a second slower.
The other advantage to the auto WRX aside from better high speed handling is that its much easier to deal with in bumper to bumper traffic, so if you live in the city that would be a good deal.
It really depends what you're looking for. Either car is extremely quick but if you're into racing the 5MT would be the better choice (specifically that's the car that they're talking about when they say it wastes Mustangs). I like my auto WRX alot and its a great car and several of my friends manuals which I've driven are also alot of fun to drive (i can't really even tell the difference). I bought it because I wanted to try something different. There's alot of WRX's out there but not as many auto's. With mods my car will be even faster and be more than capable of handing modified 5 speed's their ass (although I have a thing about racing other Subaru's- GC8 WRX or otherwise..)
WRX is a great car regardless with a great community and a huge range of aftermarket parts. Good luck with making your decision
Automotive Network, Inc., Copyright ©2025