Quick, possibly senseless question re: FWD/Manual vs. RWD/Auto

I chose AWD and a manual transmission.

ebonyandivory said:

I drive a (4x4) Sierra and it's pretty darned boring in RWD. I think I'd have to take FWD/Manual

I know this is a canoe revival but you're doing it wrong. lol. I love the slow slideways fun I can have with our 20' long truck.

In reply to bobzilla :

I REALLY need a limited slip. I have a feeling that would wake things up in the drifting department 

MT regardless of RWD, FWD, or AWD over anything with an automatic.  I just can't get on board with the idea of a transmission shifting when it wants to instead of when I'd shift it, or having the throttle pedal control anything other than the throttle plate(s). 

Even in traffic (which we can largely avoid these days), it's pretty much what you make it out to be.  Or, just the way some cars are driven.  My wife recently joined me in the 70-something club, and she's still just as adamant about driving stick as I am.  Hence a '19 WRX "family car", the latest in an unbroken string of MT cars that stretches back to the early 1970's.

Norm

I have owned/driven primarily FWD cars, most manual for untold number of years so any quirk is normal to me.

Once I owned an auto rwd/part time 4wd. It was terrible in 2wd and slippery roads.   Once I hit a patch of very slippery snow, in spite of all I could do, I spun and backed off the road.  Never had that happen with FWD.

Luckily, I put it in 4wd and drove back on the road.

I no longer own that vehicle

Modern autos are shockingly good. In 98% if street driven circumstances, modern fwd also gives up very little to rwd, IMO. My preference is rwd manual, but if someone asked me to compare a manual veloster or an auto Silverado, I think the answer’s obvious. Though it’s really not very helpful, the answer really is “it depends” and “drive what you like”. 

The lag or whatever it's called between what you ask of the powered wheels and when it actually responds to your input is exasperating at times. Lack of compression braking can be equally so.

Having just gotten back from several hundred miles of northern New England winter vacation in a 2019 Pacifica, that automatic transmission was arguably dangerous at times in my opinion.

Getting that thing to do what I asked of it wasn't easy. It could best be described as "somewhat reluctant" and that's not cool with my family in the van

I have an 8AT AWD, 6AT FWD, 4AT AWD and a 6MT FWD in the driveway, they all have their pros and cons, and specific uses.  Only 2 of them are actually fun to drive though.

I know with a highway stop and go commute, the response of a manual transmission really helps.

I can't speak about what a 2020 (higher) performance automatic transmission feels like however.

In reply to ebonyandivory :

This is now official a religious argument when people are claiming the opposition is 'dangerous'

LOL. Checking out of this thread now it's become farcical. 

Adrian_Thompson said:

In reply to ebonyandivory :

This is now official a religious argument when people are claiming the opposition is 'dangerous'

LOL. Checking out of this thread now it's become farcical. 

But making outlandish comparisons between a transmission preference discussion and official religion isn't farcical?

You're always welcome to either not read the thread or "God" forbid not comment in it (lol) but I find it comical that you just couldn't resist posting in a thread you find farcical.

I will say however that it's conversation-ending comments like this that turn me off and make me stay away for weeks at a time.

The answer is ALWAYS "stick". 

I don't much care which end drives the car--but not having a third pedal is an absolute deal-breaker for me.

ebonyandivory said:

In reply to bobzilla :

 

I REALLY need a limited slip. I have a feeling that would wake things up in the drifting department 

 

AHH... YES. We did that 3 years ago. Completely transformed the truck. Instead of one wheel peels if you spit on the road it goes.