[Beyond_Driven]

Hello everyone. I'm about 6 months from buying my SRT8 and making this my last car purchase for many years. So it's important I have the transmission that will make me happiest. Typically I drive a manual. 80% of the last 20 cars I've owned have been manuals. However, there are times that I prefer an automatic transmission...in a truck for instance. Or if it will improve performance, which for this application may apply.

Now I've heard rumors about both the 6 speed manual and the 5 speed auto that I'd like to get clarification on. They are as follows:

"The 6 speed has a higher driveline loss than the auto, possibly 18% or higher" True or False?

"The 5 speed automatic will be replaced with a superior 6 speed automatic in the near future" True or False?

"The 6 speed manual was a $900+ upgrade through 2010, now the 5 speed auto costs $900+ and the 6 speed is standard." True or False?

"The 5 speed automatic will get you a faster ET than the manual transmission" True or False?

Finally I'd just like to know the overall opinion of the current automatic transmission. Why does it seem to get bad press?

Any help is appreciated.

 

[Slosh]

Hello everyone. I'm about 6 months from buying my SRT8 and making this my last car purchase for many years. So it's important I have the transmission that will make me happiest. Typically I drive a manual. 80% of the last 20 cars I've owned have been manuals. However, there are times that I prefer an automatic transmission...in a truck for instance. Or if it will improve performance, which for this application may apply.

Now I've heard rumors about both the 6 speed manual and the 5 speed auto that I'd like to get clarification on. They are as follows:

"The 6 speed has a higher driveline loss than the auto, possibly 18% or higher" True or False?

False

"The 5 speed automatic will be replaced with a superior 6 speed automatic in the near future" True or False?

False, it is supposed to be an 8 speed. Probably not needed with this amount of torque on tap (especially the 392).

"The 6 speed manual was a $900+ upgrade through 2010, now the 5 speed auto costs $900+ and the 6 speed is standard." True or False?

True

"The 5 speed automatic will get you a faster ET than the manual transmission" True or False?

True (thus far, anyway)

Finally I'd just like to know the overall opinion of the current automatic transmission. Why does it seem to get bad press?

Any help is appreciated.

I have a manual but haven't heard any bad press for the current A/T. If you prefer the manual most of the time then definitely get a 6-speed. Way more fun IMO unless you're gonna drag race often.

 

[GreatAmerican]

"The 6 speed has a higher driveline loss than the auto, possibly 18% or higher" True or False?

"The 5 speed automatic will be replaced with a superior 6 speed automatic in the near future" True or False?

The 5-speed automatic will be replaced by a superior 8-speed automatic.

"The 6 speed manual was a $900+ upgrade through 2010, now the 5 speed auto costs $900+ and the 6 speed is standard." True or False?

"The 5 speed automatic will get you a faster ET than the manual transmission" True or False?

 

[mclarenm8d]

I think my first post on the forum, a topic of importance to me.

I can't really provide input on your specific questions, but for me I just traded my 600ft-lb of torque 2003 Mercedes CL55 (modified) for a 2010 B5 Blue SRT8 with a manual transmission. The SRT8 is slower and definitely doesn't have the brute force that the CL55 had, but the SRT8 is 10 times funner to drive.

The CL55 automatic transmission was the main sore spot for me. It is the same transmission architecture of the NAG1 that is in the auto SRT8s. I think the main reason it has a bad reputation is that it was inherently designed to be a luxury transmission and everything kinda maps back to that fact.

Cost to maintain or modify the auto? Wow. And I was even cross-seeding things guys have learned from the LX platform.

With the SRT8 I get -
The Mercedes suspension without the Mercedes "hydraulic/airmatic" failures
Awesome motor
Manual transmission
Great styling

Two of the issues I had with the Mercedes are now advantages on my SRT8.

 

[Beyond_Driven]

Thanks a lot guys and thanks for the insight/comparison mclaren. Still going to be a tought decision for me, but my fall back will be the manual. I know for certain that I enjoy rowing my own gears, but I can't rule out the lazy route for the long term-mobile.

 

[crow]

There's always auto-stick mode when you feel like grinding thru the gears. All the fun of a manual without the clutch pedal.