No performance advantage for manual in most cases, but it's more fun to drive (assuming you don't spend much time in bad traffic or in a hilly city like SF).

Manual is still more fun in my experience even when compared to state-of-the-art automatics like the DCT, DSG, PDK, MCT, and ZF 8-speed, not to mention the old-school Jatco 7AT that Infiniti is using.

Jatco is developing a new 8-speed transmission for the Infiniti Q50 turbo 4-cyl that's supposed to come out in two years with the Mercedes engine, so I wouldn't be surprised if the automatic transmissions on other Q50 models are upgraded as well in that time frame...

 

I thought about this too, but I would need to park it in my driveway or on the street (no space in the garage for another car), and that just doesn't work.

 

do you drive in heavy stop and go traffic majority of the time?

 

Infiniti corporate deleted it too. All models MY2013 on the floor got rebadged back to the current G/M /FX names ut they kept the new q/QX floor,ats in. Smh

 

I spend plenty of time in bad traffic, live in SF and still think a manual is more fun to drive. However, I have also accepted the fact that manual transmissions are slowly fading away in the automotive industry.

 

Interesting. Any details on it? Dual clutch? I'm guessing the 8 speed thing is to try to manipulate better fuel mileage claims to meet governmental requirements here and in Europe. 8 forward gears is kind of getting to the point of being too many IMO. I'm not sure that 7 isn't too many. The only auto I've driven with any regularity in recent years is my work car which is a '96 Maxima that has a 4 speed. That seems like plenty. I could see 5 or 6. But 8? Come on now.

 

Q50 AWD Sport with Nav.. $46150.. about $1000. more than my 2013.. I've got no issue with pricing.. of course we'll see what lease payments are like, of course they'll be a bit high in the beginning. I purposely bought my 13 because I figured I didn't want first year and by 2016 they'll have the bugs out, they may do a slight refresh, and there should be deals and special leases..

 

Again, wanting to drive a manual transmission is a preference. I don't care about how good automatic or dual clutch transmissions have become, I'd just rather drive a manual.

The same argument goes to the type of car you buy. Do you NEED 330hp? Or track tuned suspension, since about 3% of drivers actually track their cars? If you are just commuting to work everyday, get a 4 banger Camry that gets 30+ mpg and has plenty of creature comforts.

For me, I cannot afford to have a 3rd "play car" with a manual, and due to my family I need 4 doors and larger trunk. This car is the perfect compromise of sporty fun and utility. Why do people get so bent out of shape when they voice their preference for a manual?

 

In a non-democratic forum, people will get bent out of shape when they hear something they don't want to hear or conforms to the majority.

I agree that everything is a preference. That's why most people here is die hard set on Infiniti is such a great car. Rightly so, since this is an Infiniti forum. But you will get the same types of praise from other car forums about their cars. I think Infiniti has always been geared towards pricing their car as "best bang for your buck". They try to package a great overall package, without exceeding expectations in any categories. The power is decent, but not spectacular if you consider torque and power delivery. The handling is good, but again, not stellar. The 7AT was aimed at improving fuel economy, but do so very minimally with less than stellar performance. The interior is nice, but not the best quality. But they put together an overall package that is decent and acceptable to most and priced it competitively. That is what they really have going for them, and "value" was the only reason I bought the G.

 

IDK, these are sporty cars, not sports cars. It seems Honda and BMW want the manual crowd. I agree this car has the best value, best blend of sport and utility. You could get a TL, which is also a good value with the luxury/sports needle more toward the luxury end. But my preference is for the G/Q.

 

Plus I believe more cogs the better use of powerband of a less powerful engine. With manual, there's a limit for how many gears a human can shift efficiently, that magic number is usually 5 or 6. Since the computers don't care and an auto shifts faster than human does anyway, they can easily put 8, 10, 12 speeds in there. I guess an engine with narrower powerband would benefit from more gears. But I don't see it as much advantage to pair an 8-speed with a powerful VQ37VHR as with a 4-banger. It makes sense that they would pair it with a Turbo 4.

 

I'm with Volnedan. Got a family, need a 4door, and love to autocross (haven't tracked the g yet-no time or oil cooler for that matter). I've been there done that with a weekend 3rd car w/ sc'd e36. I think its kind of a waste of resources to maintain a car that gets used very little. We've got an EOS w/ DSG sport package, pretty much the best auto tranny in a mass produced vehicle. Still not as fun. I suppose it's considered fun for the video game set.
Opponents will say the autos are faster, they are, but that's not the point. It's a statement for an automotive manufacturer to separate themselves from the herd of the me too generic rental cars. Really, whats the point of the rwd platform if performance isn't a high priority. Might as well be fwd - better packaging, efficiency etc.
Pretty sure I'm into an ATS or maybe new wrx/sti as a replacement. Too bad.

 

Thats why i mentioned that they even started to offer a manual in the M5 after years of not having it. Auto trans are merging in technology with manual transmissions. The 7at in our cars just isnt up to snuff and that could be programing. The hunting is unacceptable. I was hopeing for a duel clutch in this model which never came about.

 

I would imagine the new turbo 4 will have modes. one of which will be a EPA mode and with 8 gears you can keep your engine out of boost or push in a sport mode and keep it in boost. kinda like that button in the juke that gives you more power. 4 turbo with a 8 speed will probably be able to cruze at highway speeds with minimal boost.

 

No way... that thing has no torque off boost. At 60 mph, 8th gear, the rev is likely under 2K. There's simply no replacement for displacement at that kind of rmp. The turbo have to work hard on even the slightest throttle input.