Hi all,

Okay. Let me start by admitting that I am old school. And that means as far as I'm concerned, a sports car -- ANY sports car -- is dramatically improved by the incorporation of a true manual transmission. I fully understand that the ultimate 0-60 times are almost always faster with a dual clutch automatic trans. But so what? If you want the fastest mode of transportation then buy a ticket on Useless Air and fly wherever you're going.

Personally, I thought the point of driving a sports car was to meld man and machine / woman & machine as the case may be. And, again as far as I'm concerned, that experience is vastly improved with a manual transmission. It is also much diminished when three pedals are reduced to just two.

Thank you for tolerating this rant.

Now here's my question. I've read contradictory information across the 'net about whether or not the F-type will be updated with a true manual trans.

Yes, definitely it will. No, probably it won't. Who the F knows, maybe yes, maybe no, maybe has a missing toe.

It's frustrating. I am hoping some or most or maybe just one of you enlightened folks will be able to shed some actual light on the question. Because, again, as the anachronistic old fart that I am, I honestly don't think I will buy one absent a true manual trans. Okay, let the flaming begin.

 

You are getting that information due to the fact that NO ONE KNOWS YET. Jaguar has said it will never get one and Jaguar has said well maybe in the future. So at this time there is ZERO way of know which might happen at this time.
I used to sound just like you with its not a sports car without a manual. But I prefer the autos now after driving many like the Ferrari where you can get both. With the autos you get a perfect shift every time at the right rpm, which will get around the track faster. The Jaguar even knows you are in a turn and keeps your RPM up and does not shift so you can come out of the turn and punch it.
You can keep your slow manual and missed shifts. When I really want to have fun, paddle shifters are there and I can feel that I'm driving a indy car. I no longer miss the stick.

 

Obviously, I am in the minority and your opinion is shared by most owners / potential owners. This is why Jaguar and other sports car mfgs have largely shied away from making the manual transmission available. My buddy sells exotics so I've also driven the Ferrari 458 and a couple of other hyper toys of this type. But still, I am hoping that Jaguar sees merit in carving out the option of fitting a manual to the F-type. Probably won't happen. But maybe if enough old school fossils like me make enough noise. Who knows.... <shrug>

 

Hate to suggest it to you but, manual transmissions are largely outdated. Yes, it is fun to stir your own stick but, one can drive a two-pedal, manual-shift-auto setup not only faster even under race track conditions but, safer.

With the auto/manual shift you basically avoid the truly required but, difficult-to-master skills of Heal-and-Toe shifting. Not only H&T shifting benefits when it comes to matching the engine revs on downshifts but, by much better transitioning the weight transfer that occurs when one lifts off the accelerator and moves the feet over onto the brake.

Such weigh transfer always upsets the ultimate grip of the tires and, the car. Which is the reason that most better race drivers go even beyond the H&T shifting practices and use left-foot-braking and modulate the brake and gas pedals simultaneously to avoid that sudden weight transfer. That means that they shift without using the clutch, which can be done in a street car too but, require rather advanced skills.

Let's face it: very few street drivers have the skill to properly drive a manual shift car FAST with a clutch. With the auto shift, you can left-foot brake, and maintain both braking force and a small amount of accelerator input to absolutely minimize the weight transfer during hard cornering.

My conclusion is that if you are a fast, hardcore driver, you are better off with an advanced auto/manual-shift tranny. If you are traditional and just simply enjoy lightly spirited driving, go with a manual.

Albert

 

From my last conversation with the manager of my local Jaguar dealer, F type will not come with a manual.

If you like manual gearbox in a new car, you can always go for the new BMW M3/M4.

I am pretty sure, in a few years time, nobody will be making them any more. Even the new hardcore GT3 Porsche's don't come with a manual.

 

For those of us with wives... a manual is not an option.

 

Got that right!

 

I agree with the OP. My XKR is a good car. But not having a stick stops it from being a GREAT car.

 

BTW, having a stick is a great way to stop the wife from driving it.

 

This is where things have gone wrong, IMO, on supposed "sports cars". Sports cars aren't necessarily about speed and what's fast--they are about driver involvement and fun! In some respects, my beater 2000 Mustang with a V6 and manual transmission is more fun to drive than my XKR, even though the steering and handling are awful. Using the paddleshifters on my XKR is fun, but even then there is very little driver involvement in the shifting process.

Heck, if you want to talk track times, in many cases leaving the transmission in full auto mode is fastest. Where is the fun in that?

If only Jaguar would offer the f-Type with a manual in even the most basest models, I would be the first in line to buy one. Then again, the manual IS becoming outdated technology. Pretty soon automatic transmissions will be replaced by CVTs, and then internal combustion engines will be replaced by electric motors. In this context, it is easy to understand why Jaguar hasn't bothered with manual transmissions for the last 40 years. I just wish we didn't have to buy a German or Japanese car to get something truly engaging to drive (at least if buying a new car)!

 

Being an auto gives you more time to focus on the road and drive properly then having to switch concentration to change a gear. There is a reason a manual is outdated. I get the love to change when you want, but you can do that with paddle shifters.

 

I could not agree more wholeheartedly with Amcdonal86. This gentleman articulates my feelings on the matter precisely. For folks like us there is something lost in forfeiting an element of control to an automatic transmission. Talk about your paddle shifters and faster lap times all you like. It doesn't matter. What matters is the interaction between car and driver, on both road and track, to quote Motor Trend™.

Seriously though, a manual trans sports car is just more engaging, more exciting, more FUN! And isn't that the point of buying one of these things in the first place? I dunno when people stopped realizing this... It's like the movie Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Only, Invasion of the Manual Snatchers.

 

I hear you, and I felt the same way when I had just my XKR to drive.

But then a couple months ago I bought my beater with a stick after not having driven a car with a manual transmission for over a year. It felt instantly familiar and I hadn't realized how much I had missed it, and how much I was missing by only having paddleshifters! It really adds a whole dimension to driving that cannot be replicated in any other way!

 

I'd read 12 months ago that the f-type coupe base would come in a manual. Personally, I love a manual, and the control of the clutch. So does my wife. But then it depends on the shift and the clutch, obviously some are much better than others, and I hate getting stuck in traffic with one, and then they are much harder to sell. I'd definitely take a 6 speed manual over an 8 speed paddle shift (I don't understand the point of an 8 speed sports car, you just have to change gears more) but the 6 speed paddle in the XF/XKR is a good compromise, particularly because it blips on downshifts and I get my juvenile jollies from the noise. If I had the loot to have a play car to take out for fun, it would have to be a manual.

 

Very true. In certain ways, driving a car with a proper Auto transmission (ZF, DCT) is more engaging and more fun as you can keep both hands on the steering and focus on placing the car where it needs to be.

We are all very good at multi-tasking, but something as small as talking on the phone and driving takes away concentration by 16-19%. I would imagine driving a manual on the track would have bigger significance as it requires quite a bit of involvement.

 

I take the 8sp auto any minute over a 6sp manual. The 8 speed gives you the option for placing the gear ratios CLOSER, thus keeping the engine in the power range much better. The gear ratios in the Jaguar 8-speed transmissions are simply great for performance driving. If talking about manual transmissions, anything over 5-6 gears is too many, as it becomes difficult to downshift multiple gears when going into a corner and guess which gear will give you the best RPM range.

The sequential auto 8-sp works very well both in auto mode where the computer makes the shift decisions, as well as in manual mode where you shift down one gear at at time until arriving to your desired RPM. No guessing is involved, as would be with the manual tranny. Also, an important difference: with the computer controlled auto, it will not allow you to over-rev on upshifts or over-rev as you go into a lower gear. With manual shifters, you may have over-rev protection (rev-limit) but, if you downshift too early into a low gear, your engine will fly right through the hood and scatter. Expensive mistake!

Albert

 

hmmm, horses for courses. I'm not a brilliant driver by any means, and I just like the feeling of changing gears in a manual, with a clutch. I've had a number of manuals, and I think they are more fun to drive even though the paddles in the Jags are probably better for all of the reasons you've mentioned. But I wouldn't want to live with a manual as a daily drive.

 

I agree with you on the fun and satisfaction factors. I love shifting my 500HP RX-7. But, so much more potential for missing shifts and blowing the engine due to over-revving or ending up in a corner in Neutral (big no-no) simply because of a slight error in timing or your feet slipped off from the heal and toe position.

I remember one instance where I was racing a Ferrari Daytona in my Lamborghini and we came down from 150MPH straight into a 20MPH corner. I performed a flawless heal-toe downshift into 2nd gear, just to watch the Ferrari in my mirror fly off the corner into the run-off area of the race track. I later asked the driver what happened; he lost his timing and ended up in neutral and out of control. Lucky that he did not hit any barriers and destroyed his car. With an auto-manual shift this would not happen.

Albert

 

It's a good thing we're not all racing. I've been driving manuals for 10 years in a spirited manner with heeltoe shifting and have blown... zero engines!

 

I admire your car ownership, and also your ***** for driving the RX7 hard. Those cars (as great as they are) rev so quickly that they'd have to be a prime candidate to redline in every gear. One of my business partners had a semi worked RX8, we used to think he'd end up with his left arm twice the size of his right because of all of the gear changes (our shift is on the left). And I suppose that might be another thing, we shift with our left hand which leaves you with your right on the wheel. The way that nature intended, and probably a bit safer having your dominant hand steering.