2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X MR: Are Shift Paddles for Wimps?

Well, I love the DSG in my GTI... no complaints around town or driving hard(on a closed track, of course).

I know there are those who view these transmissions as nothing more than glorified automatics - and that's fine. However, even after a few years I still enjoy the instant upshifts and perfect rev-matching on downshifts.

Regardless of how one wants to characterize it, it's a piece of technology I enjoy immensely.

I think if you want to be leisurely then a manual is the choice. if you want to get from A to B then an automatic. If you want to be leisurely and get from A to B fastest then a double clutch is a great choice.

Well do you think that F1 drivers are wussies because they use paddle-shifters? No. They are just displaying their new technology that just happens to be better (as far as times, and maybe it is better for some people). Many people will still think that the classic manual is best, and it probably always will be, but I don't think that you can judge a person just on the car they drive (or the transmission they use).

It's the performance automatic, nothing more nothing less. It's faster than both a conventional automatic's ability to shift and manually rowing the gears, but it still doesn't have that connection everyone is so up in arms about.

That said I'll take an S-Tronic (it can handle a good bit of power) any day of the week, pending a test drive.

There is no doubt that any of these advanced transmissions provide better performance. The electronics can operate much quicker and more precise than a human. For squeezing every last hundredth of a second from lap times, it's an easy call: this newer technology easily wins.

But, it sure takes away a lot of the fun... Being able to pull off that perfect upshift, or that perfect heel-and-toe downshift, can be just as much fun as achieving the perfect apex in a curve, or shifting the car's weight just perfectly to get tuck in that line. They may not be as precise and quick, but the clutch and shifter have the big smile factor going for them.

"a clutch and a shift lever, even though it's essentially a dead technology that delivers neither better performance nor acceptable utility."

But it is simpler, cheaper, and more reliable/robust. Those are excellent qualities in their own right.

I wonder if any of these would go over better if there were no automatic mode?

Frankly, I love using a clutch and shifter, but I also like the option of not having to shift sometimes. That said, what is really important to me is knowing what gear I am in and what the transmission is going to do. I hate when an automatic decides to shift at the wrong time, especially during slow city driving.

Maybe some day I will try to learn heel-toe, and maybe then I will really care, but for now, all I want is control over the gear and the details are less important.

In a perfect world, I could have my cake and eat it too.

I would have my X MR, and a NA Miata or a FD3S when I feel like driving a manual.

Do I drive better with a DSG? Yes, most definitely. My hands never leave the wheel, and in sport mode, the evo knows better what gear to keep itself in.

Do I miss a manual? Sometimes, on a weekend in the canyons. Most days in LA traffic. NOT AT ALL.

F1 cars have clutch paddles on the steering wheel. The drivers only need to use the clutch to get into 1st and out of 1st. Even though they have a clutch that they are able to control, they rely heavily on anti-stall software.

Saying that cars with a true manual are the only drivers cars, is like saying that the only true computers are those that IBM made back in the 1980s.

Some people may be able to enjoy a true manual and drive it perfectly (DTM, F1, and NASCAR drivers), but for the rest of us, we should enjoy the electronics, and allow ourselves to imagine that we are the ones doing the work, and listen to the sounds that a perfectly shifted engine can make.

F1 and WRC heh...there's so little commonality between those gearboxes and the DCTs we see on the roads today that it's ridiculous to even mention it.

DCTs have been, and always will be, automatic replacements to me. They are very good automatic replacements, and I would take one over a standard torque converter auto in a heartbeat 99 times out of 100, but no they do not replace a manual gearbox and nothing does.

@nealibob

Actually, that's a great idea. Take away the automatic feature, and people probably wouldn't have have complained about BMW's SMG as much.

i wince at the term... but id say "real drivers" enjoy all great cars for what they are, what they do, and how they make them feel.

i find the r35 gt-r great in its own right. its direct and brutal but has a lot of technology that enables the car to feel like nothing else ive experienced. the dct gr6 transmission is a key element in the experience and i would rather it no other way.

i also find the s2000 great in its own right. its direct and fun, relatively raw and simple. it too has a lot of technology- but its technology goes into the engine's high revving nature, vtec, and overall packaging. its simple, fun, and inexpensive. its manual transmission is outstanding and, like the gt-r, i would rather it no other way.

i own both and love both. both bring a unique experience and feel great in their own ways. in my view, thats what cars are about... not arguing over which of these technology are unilaterally "better", but enjoying the overall results and resulting experiences.

so i wouldn't change either of them at all. id say the real answer to the question asked would depend on the car and the driver. at the end of the day though, i think it becomes something like ice cream where there's no right answer. some will prefer one flavor over another.

There are a lot of people who are simply set in their old ways. There are those who think driving a manual makes them cool and somehow better than others. Then there are the highly skilled drivers who can actually consistantly manipulate the clutch pedal to make the car do whatever they want.

I have driven the Ferrari F1 box, I have driven some of the finest manual transmissions made, I have driven DSG, and traditional automatics. Only thing I don't know what is like to drive is a built automatic with high stall torque converter, which is why I am building one right now. I see merits in all of these and there is no replacing any of them.

Traditional automatic is far smoother than any others, even aging technology. Traditional automatics can be built to hold far more power than anything else here.

Manual offers the most control.

F1 and DSG are faster around a track. F1 has the advantage of being lighter and stronger of the two, but driveability is horrid in automatic mode. its so bad i only drive in manual, but as a manual you still have to get used to shifting with paddles. DSG can be strong but it will have to be larger and heavier. (like in the Bugatti Veyron and Nissan GTR) DSG is very smooth in auto, but still not as smooth as a traditional automatic and there IS lag from when you floor it to where it gets moving, so its not an ideal manual replacement in that regard. Personally, I just leave the DSG in sport and drive. Neither paddles nor shifter get much love on the track, so even open-minded me cannot get used to it.

Porsche replacing Tiptronic with PDK is perhaps OK since they have a sporting image, but it is bound to garner some criticism for not being as smooth.

The F1 belongs on Ferrari, but even they know its not ideal for anything less racey. They also have a dual clutch used on the California and the ZF traditional automatic used on Maserati's. And they offer manual, as well.

Basically it comes down to you and what you prefer and what your goals are. There is still no perfect option that does everything best. If you want the fastest most consistent lap times, then yes a manual is obsolete. Drag racing and the traditional auto is still king. Proper drifting still requires a clutch.

I feel like it depends on how the engineers have their specific auto-manual tuned. I was lucky enough to get to drive a dual clutch M3 on a track but compared with the 6-speed, the whole experience felt a bit neutered. The M-DCT was far too smooth for my liking, even in max attack mode or whatever BMW is calling it these days.

However, I would guess that the shift action in the GT-R would be much more visceral, based on blog posts and the fact that it is the only transmission offered and Nissan will be trying to straddle both sides of the fence.

So, yeah, I think it depends from car to car.

Michael,

I was very impressed with your recent article on May the 5th for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR blog. I log in daily and check the MR page for updates and not only was I surprised, but I hope for more updates from you!

You included technical information specific to this amazing model, connected it to industry trends, posed a non-rhetorical question, and I enjoyed it.

I believe it is not by chance that Motor Trend and other magazines have had faster stock lap times in the MR over GSR. The MR's TC-SST transmission shifts faster than a human can, and as many journalists have noted, "would shift and hold gears just as I would, except better and with a quicker response".

So I think the MR's advantages are as follows:

1) Great technology with great performance (faster on a track than a gsr)
2) GREAT option for those who this will be a daily driven car (most of the population) as you can leave it in normal auto mode for traffic.
3) When you want performance, switch to sport, use the lever or grip the magnesium shift paddles, but when you just want to get around or attend to other things you can.

It is a great car, I just wish that like the GSR, it was built to withstand a little more torque (for those who might want to upgrade or improve the HP down the road,) and that the price was a little lower. approaching that 40K price tag puts it in some very tough company, (G37X = Luxury car, with 39 more hp 330-291, AWD, for same price or less).

Please keep writing updates for the MR.

Many thanks,

-Joe, Boston MA

"in my view, thats what cars are about... not arguing over which of these technology are unilaterally "better", but enjoying the overall results and resulting experiences."

Well said Tekk. I dont have any issues with flappy paddle manuals as long as they are integrated properly with the package from the start. The same could be said for the more traditional automatic and simple manual transmissions.

Remember the Edmunds LT G35 6MT sedan? Edmunds (and numerous other publications) moaned and groaned about the strange tactile feel of that transmission and its odd clutch action and actually recommended the automatic over it. In the ends it all boils down to proper execution, some get it right and some dont.

tekknikal -

well said and much more eloquent than my original comment.

one isn't inherently better than the other. depends on the car, depends on the driver. i love my dual clutch, others may not; it's all good as long as options exist.

@joeinboston...

I suspect the MRs advantage comes down more to the dramatic reduction in rotating mass (lighter brake rotors and wheels) and superior shock damping over the GSR. No doubt the SST shifts quicker, but it also tends to make the car slower in most acceleration testing.

Personally, for a race car, I'd take a dual clutch any day. But for a street car that sometimes sees the tracks and canyons, I prefer the manual. I don't get paid for my lap times, nor do I win a trophy for a quickest A-B canyon run. Its all about personal enjoyment and I derive much of that from the tactile experience and ongoing effort to master the vehicle.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm glad to give up a bit of performance to drive with a stick shift. I understand why F1 cars use the paddle shifting arrangement, but you need to remember that just because its faster doesn't mean its 'better' (well, except in F1 of course). If your car drove itself around the track and was 10% faster, is that better?

When you remove the clutch from the user control, I think it takes something away from the driving experience. Since I don't race, I'll gladly take a stick shift and a slightly slower lap time.

That being said, I definitely like that the automated manuals have an 'automatic mode' for city traffic. I wish someone could design a transmission that could be stick shift or, at the push of a button, an automatic for city driving. I would buy that product!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: "No stick, no sale."

Mitsubishi should make an EvoX MR with a real three-pedal six-speed manual because some people prefer it.

I own automatics, but that's because I drive in LA. Personally, I prefer a stick to an automatic, but I wouldn't mind having a car with paddle shifters just for fun.

I think the Dual Cluth Transmission is really the future for all performance cars if only they evlove in such a way to be less heavier,compact and can handle much higher torque loads and become afforbale.True Manual transmission is really going to fade into the pages of Automotive History soon.