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The argument for PDK
If you plan to track the car, the PDK is fantastic. Always in the right gear with razor sharp shifts. Plus, you get to keep two hands on the steering wheel at all times. The final benefit is that you won't face the risk of a "money shift".
It is also good when you are in commuter mode if the car is your daily driver.
The argument against PDK
On weekend drives in the countryside, I would prefer to have a manual, as it makes the driving experience more fun.
Post college I had the responsibility (it was almost a job) to drive my wife's bosses Tiptronic equipped 911 Carrera while they were at the winter home in Florida. At the time, I though the Tiptronic was great, as you could "manually" shift it, but even still...it was an automatic transmission...
Recently I had the chance to drive a 911 GT3 with the PDK transmission on a racetrack. Was it as involved as driving a manual? No....but what did I notice? Suddenly you're only concentrating on turn in - apex - exit. You're managing speed and throttle, and never thinking about when to dab the clutch, change a gear, or blip the throttle...You get to concentrate on driving, and it's a beautiful thing.
If I was out cruising around, I find that I do enjoy a manual transmission. Perfect for a weekend car, perfect for a sunday cruise, or even just running through the backroads at nearly legal speeds. If you're on a racetrack, and racing against a PDK transmission equipped car, with equal drivers, I'd imagine the PDK car will walk away from the manual car every time. It simply doesn't have the drawbacks that a manual transmission has. As someone else said earlier, if you miss a shift, you can over-rev the SNOT out of the car, and no one wants to see Stage 2 + Overrevs when they're trading their baby back to the dealership.
So my short consensus
If buying a daily driver and I deal w/traffic on the regular = PDK
If buying a weekend toy, or don't deal with traffic often = Manual
If I was going to seriously look at tracking the car (not just every blue moon) = PDK
The argument for PDK
If you plan to track the car, the PDK is fantastic. Always in the right gear with razor sharp shifts. Plus, you get to keep two hands on the steering wheel at all times. The final benefit is that you won't face the risk of a "money shift".
It is also good when you are in commuter mode if the car is your daily driver.
The argument against PDK
On weekend drives in the countryside, I would prefer to have a manual, as it makes the driving experience more fun.
Source: I have a 911 with PDK.
+1 on this; simply put.
My 996 Turbo was 6MT, and a twitchy manual it was (did not suffer fools or half-hearted shifts). I liked it fine, I've always been a MT guy since learner's permit and my dad's old Mercury Capri in 1985.
A lot of the hoopla is about 'nostalgia,' people like me (Gen X) coming into money and realizing we are witnessing the logical end of MT ...for the most part...as newer, better, though I dare say "colder and less-interactive yet clearly more competent in terms of absolute numbers" ...is available. That nostalgia, and the older Boomers who want little to do with new-fangled dual clutch PDK, keep MT alive. It will live in on performance cars another few years, looks like.
A chance came for a slightly-used 991.1 C4 GTS w/PDK setup the way I wanted, so I took it. (Look long enough for that particular car you want, you'll probably find it: only took three months in my case.) PDK is clearly vastly faster than manual. In Normal mode, it does its best to keep the mileage good, too, and the car gets a freakish 23 or so mpg around town and I'll find it in 7th at 40mph sometimes, loping along. That's rather amusing. Keep it in Sport, which is how I tended to drive my Turbo, you can watch the gas gauge move. Oh well.
Was just thinking this AM, on a drive: "PDK isn't nearly as amusing or interactive," which made me a bit wistful. Not enough to do anything about it. At Autocross for the first time in decades last fall, in contrast, I cannot imagine MT being a great idea; PDK in Sport and Sport+ mode made short work of all that so I could concentrate on the driving. The PDK is almost supernatural about knowing how to handle different situations like that.
I'm no fanboy and understand the appeal of 7MT, in the case of modern 991.x 911s. I've never driven Cayman or Boxster, but the concept must be analogous. There is an extremely obvious reason they rolled out the 991 GT3s for MY 2014 w/PDK as only option, regardless of whether 7MT will be back or not (yes, it's coming back). A 991.2 GTS bested the Nurburgring lap time set by a 997 GT3RS 4.0 recently, by four seconds(!). Gee, go figure: time marches on, ten years later.
Highest competency: PDK
Highest yahoo factor on back roads: 7MT, totally agree.
End of story. Hope OP found what she wanted. Some don't like PDK and actually trade it in for 7MT; YMMV! I'd read up on the two major Porsche forums for more on this subject, hundreds more replies if one were so-inclined
I think the number of gears is going to be a deciding factor moving forward to.
Years ago, a 2 speed automatic was common, but you could enjoy a 3 speed manual or a 4 speed manual gearbox. As automatics added a forth gear and overdrive, manuals added a fifth, then we saw the introduction of the six speed manual transmission which seemed well matched for more than two decades as the standard for a performance car. Now we're seeing minivans running 8 speed automatics, and seven speed manual transmissions are rolling out...have a hard time picturing a 8, 9, or 10 speed (not a high/low, lol) manual transmission...but could easily imagine a 10 speed automatic cog coming down the line, or even a 10 speed PDK/DSG setup.
As time marches forward, we'll likely see the manual transmission continue to be more rare...as the limiting factor for it's use is really the driver, which humorously enough is the only reason it still exists.
I think the number of gears is going to be a deciding factor moving forward to.
Years ago, a 2 speed automatic was common, but you could enjoy a 3 speed manual or a 4 speed manual gearbox. As automatics added a forth gear and overdrive, manuals added a fifth, then we saw the introduction of the six speed manual transmission which seemed well matched for more than two decades as the standard for a performance car. Now we're seeing minivans running 8 speed automatics, and seven speed manual transmissions are rolling out...have a hard time picturing a 8, 9, or 10 speed (not a high/low, lol) manual transmission...but could easily imagine a 10 speed automatic cog coming down the line, or even a 10 speed PDK/DSG setup.
As time marches forward, we'll likely see the manual transmission continue to be more rare...as the limiting factor for it's use is really the driver, which humorously enough is the only reason it still exists.
10-speed automatics are already here; see the 2018 Camaro ZL1 for instance.
Never thought that I would fall prey to a 2 pedal Porsche. My current CS was opted with PDK. However, I plan on getting a '19 Miata Club when they become available to order. That will definitely be a 3 pedal car.
It seems like one of those questions where, if you have to ask, you are not likely to understand the answers. It is not really about performance or MPG; those used to be just a side advantage. It is about being part of the process of making the car go. Being in tune with your vehicle, becoming one with your car ( sure sounds silly and sappy, but some people get it, some will not). It is part of the difference between viewing a car as an appliance or an experience.
BTW, the better performance of the PDK you will never use and never notice if you did use it unless you are going to go out on a track with other 911Ts, you simply do not have the opportunity to drive all out on the streets. Which is why although my pickup may be technically faster than a lot of mustangs, it is not more fun to drive. .
Seriously? You’re going to dismiss the performance factor in a Porsche? It’s a matter of preference - and OP was looking for feedback. It was actually a good question since availability of either on a used car can be hard to find.
I don’t know what your reference about an appliance is about (lol), but some of us do enjoy taking our cars on the track to see what they will do. How can someone not address performance if they are buying a Porsche - it’s part of the fun driving experience!
It seems like one of those questions where, if you have to ask, you are not likely to understand the answers. It is not really about performance or MPG; those used to be just a side advantage. It is about being part of the process of making the car go. Being in tune with your vehicle, becoming one with your car ( sure sounds silly and sappy, but some people get it, some will not). It is part of the difference between viewing a car as an appliance or an experience.
BTW, the better performance of the PDK you will never use and never notice if you did use it unless you are going to go out on a track with other 911Ts, you simply do not have the opportunity to drive all out on the streets. Which is why although my pickup may be technically faster than a lot of mustangs, it is not more fun to drive. It is not all about which vehicle can accelerate a few tenths faster. The MFGs try to make it bout that, but in reality of driving, it makes little difference. The difference between that Porsche and a Corvette, or even A Mustang GT or A Camaro SS is more about prestige and style than about a performance difference that you will ever see. Of course there are a tiny percentage of people who will take it to a track regularly, or drive 200+ on a Montana Freeway.
Eventually self driving cars will be faster and perform better than any human driven car. However driving aficionados will still be looking for manual transmission fully human reliant vehicles, even if they are slower. The PDK/Manual difference is just a matter of degree.
If moving as fast as possible is your goal, get an airplane or ride on a European train.
Well stated!
In order to get the full sports car driving sensation, I would only be happy with a manual transmission. With the exact coordination of your hand and both feet, at the proper time, you have full control over the engine power to the wheels of your vehicle to either accelerate or to reduce speed using the engine to wheel torque.
An automatic, as stated may have several speed benefits over manual transmissions, however they are not something that would be of any benefit to me. I’m not going to be racing or using it competitively on a track, I’m looking for the best driving sensation available.
In order to get the full sports car driving sensation, I would only be happy with a manual transmission. With the exact coordination of your hand and both feet, at the proper time, you have full control over the engine power to the wheels of your vehicle to either accelerate or to reduce speed using the engine to wheel torque.
An automatic, as stated may have several speed benefits over manual transmissions, however they are not something that would be of any benefit to me. I’m not going to be racing or using it competitively on a track, I’m looking for the best driving sensation available.
Actually the PDK is the way to go - the best of both worlds with optimal performance/driving sensation. (Performance, by the way, is not just about speed.). I think the average Porsche driver does not race - but getting it on the track for ‘fun’ adds to the pleasure of ownership.
My 2002 Boxster S has their tiptronic transmission. The predecessor to today's efficient PDK. It shifts fine, but I wish it shifted faster.
I dont know if I would want a Porsche manual trans as my daily driver. Also, others cannot easily drive it.
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