AOD versus C6

[john112deere]

Say what you want, one of the big advances in transmissions is electronic (computer-controlled) shift management. This is something GM is really good at- drive a recent GM product, and it's pretty hard to get a hydramatic flat-footed in the wrong gear. This isn't because of superior mechanical engineering, just better software development.

I'm about as die-hard a stick-shifter as you'll find (right, Ernie?), largely for the reason mentioned by Old Paint- they're never in the right freakin' gear, and when they are, they always shift out of it at the wrong time.

Having said that, one of the best autos I've ever driven was my work van last summer- '03 Chevy Express 2500. 4-speed (so not too many shifts- I'm patently NOT a believer that more gears is better for slushboxes) that I could control pretty well with my foot, and even better with the lever. Plus the tow/haul mode to change shift feel under a heavy load. Didn't make me want to own one, but I didn't curse it too much in the thousands of miles I put on it, either.

 

[polarbear]

You'd go goofy in a CVT then.

My son and I have this conversation a lot. He much prefers a stick, but when I watch him drive, he's rarely in the right gear. Mostly hangs in lower gears about 1,000 rpm higher than need be, which is pretty inefficient on a number of levels. All the big company trucks are Automatics though- a blessing when you're spending most of your time in an urban/suburban driving enviornment driving a Freightliner business class towing a chipper.

 

[john112deere]

I certainly understand company trucks being autos- there's only a handful of people I'm comfortable letting drive my truck; no way I'd want to pay for the abuse of idiot employees breaking trucks left and right.

*I don't like high RPM, but the reason I like driving a stick isn't really as simple as it's "always in the right gear"...'cause it's not always in the right gear. What it is, is always in the gear I want it to be in. Not having anyone or anything to blame but yourself, makes it easier to not make the same mistakes twice, provided you care enough to learn from them the first time.