Just a simple question about the GT

Well my first question is, automanual vs manual, is the difference going to be more then just mere 10ths of seconds in speed?? I am guessing the estimated 5.8 to 60 is from a manual, so the automanual, I am hoping will be able to pull 6.0s... Secondly, the potential on this engine seems great but since I will be hunting for an automanual, is the 300hp goal of mine out of the question without messing up the transmission? Thanks in advance. P.S. in case you guys are wondering I cannot get a manual because I spend close to 3-4 hrs a day just driving and am out of my house 18 hours a day or more.. thus I know it's a bad habit but I need my cell phone during commutes. =(

Have you test driven one? If not, you should. I'm not a auto person so I might be a little biased, but I think the one in the new GT should be alright, though not as sporting as the manual one. I'm not sure about the extra power, I'm sure it would be alright, but wait and see what others blow their up at powerwise to see how safe your goals are. :P There are always people pushing the limits. :) Go out and test a new GT and see if you like it. There is only one way to tell. :P

I have always driven manuals. I own a manual WRX which I stil have When I purchased the Liberty GT it was only available in automatic in Australia. I have now owned it close to a week and am very happy with the auto. Just as good as a manual. Actually better. You have the best of both worlds. Automatic in traffice. Manual sequential mode when you want to have fun. I never thought that I would enjoy the auto as much as a manual. Sure on paper the 0-60s time are marginnaly better on the manual however in the real world this means 6000rpm clutch dumps and perfect gear changes. On the auto you will consistently get decent 0 to 60 times. I have to say that it takes a few days to get used to the auto. A test drive will not convince you that the auto is as good as the manual as I was dissapointed when I fist picked up the car. The auto adpapts to the driver after a period of thime and it also takes time to get used to the manual mode of changing gears with out a clutch. I guarantee that you will be happy with auto. In term of extra power for the auto. In australia auto version have been upgrade using ECUTEK with an increase of 24% power. 223kW of 300hp. See [url]http://www.mrtrally.com.au/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=17682[/url] Regards John

Great to hear that you are settling into the 5EAT well John, just curious how you are getting on with the back to front set up with the gears in sports mode. Apparently this can be changed by swapping the wires. Would u consider doing this ?

Back to front set up? you mean pushin up to shift up and down to shift down. I known that it is the other way around on the Falcon, audi and some other cars. I think Mitsubishi is the same way round as the subaru. As I have never driven sport shift before I don,t mind them the way it is. It is also consistent with the steering wheel switches. Up for Up, Down for down. In fact this makes more sense to me Up for Up, Down for down. Regards John

[quote name='john.di.martino']I have to say that it takes a few days to get used to the auto. A test drive will not convince you that the auto is as good as the manual as I was dissapointed when I fist picked up the car. The auto adpapts to the driver after a period of thime and it also takes time to get used to the manual mode of changing gears with out a clutch. I guarantee that you will be happy with auto.[/quote] I'm coming from a MT, I love MTs. I had to get the 5EAT in order to sweeten (compromise) the deal with my wife. I got used to the 5EAT right away and I use the steering buttons 90% of the time (except when turning street corners). It is a lot of fun, more so than I thought. It's just not as responsive as a MT when you change gears, there is a lag, however this lag is not as bad as other tronic transmissions (it is much more responsive than the one I tried on a V70 AWD 2.5T for instance).

I test drove an auto version and didn't think it was soo bad for an auto. Still a spunky car. If I lived in a congested area with alot of traffic I'd have considered an AT.

I've driven the auto GT on the "Ride and Drive" event. There seemed to be a pronounced lag. I didn't find the steering shift buttons to be that useful on fast twisties (autocross...). I like to test drive the 5spd manual to gain a better understanding. Wish it has 6spd though.

I drove both before deciding on the MT. I found the AT one of the best sequential shifters I have tried, but it still wasn't good enough for sporty driving. I still had to think 500-1000 rpms ahead before shifting and wait for it to decide when to shift. Plus the AT just didn't feel as fast as the MT, didn't push you back in the seat as much. I find the MT to be very nice though. Subaru took the normal WRX tranny and made the case stronger to help prevent damage that WRX owners were having, and they also changed some of the internals of it to make it stronger/smoother as well. I can actually downshift into 1st at 15-20 mph, and getting into reverse is 80% easier then it was in the WRX (still have some issues, but not like the WRX). Really you have to look at what you will be doing with the car, for me coming from a WRX that I drove for a little over 2 years I still wanted something sporty and fun to drive, and the Auto just didn't seem to do anything for me. I drive most of the time in the city/suburbs, and do very little highway driving and see no reason yet to get an AT.

John, I have obvioulsy watched tooooo much F1 & WRC and get totally turned around when either driving the GT during a demo or my parents AUDI. Being a huge fan of the M3 aswell, the gears are around the other way to the GT. If I was to buy a 5EAT, it would be the first thing I would change including the steering wheel, have right to + gears and left to - gears.

I don't seem to be eperiencing the delay others are talking about during gear changes. I only eperience delays when on light throttle. On heavy acceleration there is not a noticable delay. Not any more than the time it takes to press the clutch pedal and change the gear in a manual. Also as I previously mentioned, the automatic transmission adapts to the driver an it appears to be changing quicker as time passes. This would not be noticed in a 15 minute test drive. Regards John

This could be due to different gear settings John, as the USDM has a 2.5 and us here the 2.0. I certainly didnt notice to much delay either so the different displacements may have something to do with it.

Does the auto have a true manual mode? I have heard that in the past, some tiptronic auto transmissions would let you do the shifting, unless you decided not to shift until 6000 rpm or so, and then it would still shift for you. In other words, you couldn't push it to redline like in a manual, it would decide it had waited too long for you to shift and would do it itself.

Yes the 5EAT has a true manual mode*. The 5EAT in manual mode will not upshift on it's own unlike other tiptronic style autos. *The only time it will change gears is if you come to a stop, in which case it will go back down to 1st. Otherwise, you're on your own! Ken

So if you hit the rev-limited in any given gear it will just stay there and not change up?

I believe this to be correct Gumby.

Yes it will hit the rev limiter and just an will not change up. There are a few safety features though that are mentioned in the owner's manual. In manual mode it will not downshift if the downshift would put revs beyond redline. It will not upshift if engine speed not high enoungh ie. wont go into 5th at 10kmh at 1000rpm. Apart for these conditions the auto will operate exactly like a manual when in manual mode except no clutch. Regards John Di Martino

[quote name='Gumby']So if you hit the rev-limited in any given gear it will just stay there and not change up?[/quote] You are absolutely correct -- it will bounce off of that rev limiter all day long, and NEVER shift up (believe me, I done it :( Rob Catron Frankfort, KY

The transmission not upshifting if you forget doesn't sound like a benefit, unless your racing it. In my Chrysler 300M you get 300rpm higher shift points if you leave it in manual and let the trans do "emergency" shifts for you. All the guys racing the M's, just leave it in "manual" mode, and let the computer do the shifts 300 rpm past redline. How about starting out in 2nd gear? Can this be done? Sit at a light in the snow.....drop down to manual (I'll assume it defaults to 1st when sitting still) then bump it up to 2nd and then pull out. Is this possible with the auto?

Yes it is possible to start in 2nd with the auto.

[quote name='TLS']The transmission not upshifting if you forget doesn't sound like a benefit, unless your racing it. In my Chrysler 300M you get 300rpm higher shift points if you leave it in manual and let the trans do "emergency" shifts for you. All the guys racing the M's, just leave it in "manual" mode, and let the computer do the shifts 300 rpm past redline. How about starting out in 2nd gear? Can this be done? Sit at a light in the snow.....drop down to manual (I'll assume it defaults to 1st when sitting still) then bump it up to 2nd and then pull out. Is this possible with the auto?[/quote] Yes, the owner manual even specifically states the that the Sport Shift and be started in 2nd just for this reason. Rob

[quote name='RobCatron'] Yes, the owner manual even specifically states the that the Sport Shift and be started in 2nd just for this reason. Rob[/quote] Thanks....Although I have most of the brochure memorized, I kinda skimmed over the "slush box" sections. :wink: