Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

Occasionally i'll shift down before overtaking.

To be honest, they were mostly there to boost the resale value. They were £150 extra (a tiny amount for the BMW extras list!!) but will make it easier to sell on once we swap it in 3 years.

Does it automatically blip the throttle to rev match?

No - its the VERY good ZF 8 speed auto box, not the SMG

I really don't get the appeal, I feel like I'm very much in the minority these days, but it feels so gimmicky.

When I compare my Mazda to my dad's 996 Tip I much prefer changing gear in the Mazda. I feel paddle/button shift is wholly pointless in 85% of driving. Even during the 15% of driving when paddle/button shift becomes useful, I'd rather be changing gear manually. If it was a fucking huge sequential shifter with a giant gear indicator in my field of vision, I might choose that over a standard manual gearbox.

Maybe I need to try more cars but so far I've lived with a 156 Selespeed and a 996 Tip, and tried a host of others, and I just feel so disconnected from the driving experience.

I'd love one of those 3-pot Sevens alongside a boggo-spec Dacia Duster 4x4 for loads of fun, zero stress motoring.

Has the Guy Martin volvo video been posted up yet?

Apparently on rolling road got 237bhp, will find out name. Someplace in Hinckley.

Really? Dead steering with no feedback is not an issue?

Have you tried living with gearshift seqential box? As in using every day. Have you driven a MK1 MR2? The car IMO that has the closest to a video game gearshift.

Google throws up a few places in the area with rolling roads.

I'd forget the final bhp figure, they can be tweaked, and different rolling roads will produce different figures. Look for flat torque, nice power curve and decent fueling all through. Will google up some decent ones for you to give you an idea what to look for.

I'd love one of those 3-pot Sevens alongside a boggo-spec Dacia Duster 4x4 for loads of fun, zero stress motoring.

I emailed Caterham with regards to buying one, they sent me back this:

So the question is, what specification?

As a thought experiment.

Thanks mate, apparently he has the printout, should i get that off him? Trouble is car is 200 miles away so not ideal.

Just tick all the boxes and see what you get.
The colour will be interesting, thats for sure!

The reason i bought the auto is that 95% of driving is either inner city of motorway. In both instances, automatic is quick, easy & convenient. Having options (sequential stick + paddles) for the 5% of driving that isn't the above gives me the best of both worlds.

I was on the verge of buying the DCT box version of my current motorbike recently but decided against it. I think, when i update it in a couple of years, the decision will go the other way.

The steering and feel of the 2 series isn't diminished, in my experience, at all for having an auto box. I've had a 1 series manual for the last two years and the 2 series is much more fun to drive.

No.

As @danb says, it's this beasty: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZF_8HP_transmission

Bonnet stripe and push button start.

Edit: @Dammit

I love manual cars but they're a pain in constant heavy traffic. I'm never going to be able to buy one anyway as Mrs doesn't do clutch.
That new ZF 8 speed is pretty fab - they've got in the better chryslers here. Not tried a semi auto since they first stuck one in the M3 years ago.

Really? Dead steering with no feedback is not an issue?

Have you tried living with gearshift seqential box? As in using every day. Have you driven a MK1 MR2? The car IMO that has the closest to a video game gearshift.

I don't understand what you're trying to say?

The reason i bought the auto is that 95% of driving is either inner city of motorway. In both instances, automatic is quick, easy & convenient. Having options (sequential stick + paddles) for the 5% of driving that isn't the above gives me the best of both worlds.

I was on the verge of buying the DCT box version of my current motorbike recently but decided against it. I think, when i update it in a couple of years, the decision will go the other way.

The steering and feel of the 2 series isn't diminished, in my experience, at all for having an auto box. I've had a 1 series manual for the last two years and the 2 series is much more fun to drive.

And that's where we differ, I just can't find auto gearboxes enjoyable. What a way to make a special car feel humdrum.

Aren't you a bit too vertically unchallenged to fit in one of those?

I think we'll have to agree to disagree. I fucking love my car and would definitely make the same decision re: gearbox for my next...

Anyway... it's whats on the outside that counts:

I fully get that I'm in the minority here.

@NurseHolliday
Not really, I love real manuals. Traffic and all.

I appreciate the wizardry of things like the 8 speed ZF and would have it in a 'cruisy' car. But as a drivers car, nope.

The few DSG cars I've driven felt disconnected and numb and if I tried a bit of spirited driving it just got messy - couldn't generate any sort of rhythm. Could be driving skill/training but still, meh.

At least a proper manual gives you something to do and is one of the last truly connected, mechanical elements of control left in modern cars.

I do love an old school options sheet! I'd go with the Meccano option along with the weather pack, the lowered floor, push button start, Momo wheel and the heater in the free yellow and I'd potentially get a black wrap on the body. Nice and simple.

Awesome. I need a fun car in my life...