Why Are Manuals Dying? Is it Because of Software Difficulties?

I ran across this interesting article on Jalopnik, which starts off trying to make the case that manual transmissions are dying because they do not behave well with software used in cars' various systems. Read the article by clicking here if you want to see all the nitty gritty details.


Basically what it came down to was a reader who worked for an OEM said that the real problem is that it's too expensive to produce software that works well with both manual and automatic transmissions if very few buyers opt for the manual transmission. In other words, its about the price of investment versus the derived benefit from that investment. Automakers aren't running charities (actually they all run charities, but that's another discussion for another day). They are in the market to make money, so they produce what they believe will be profitable.

The sad truth is manual transmissions are not dying outside of the United States. If you go car shopping in Europe you will find that many models can still be had with a manual transmission. Americans like a computer to do the shifting for them, despite issues like gear-seeking and a general lack of control. Sadly, I have to admit that right now I do not own a car with a manual transmission and have not for a while. Do I like that? No! If I had the extra cash right now I would buy something with a manual transmission just so I can feel the exhilaration of letting the RPMs climb before throwing the car in the next gear or of dumping it into a lower gear and feeling the car rocket forward.

And that's exactly what we as driving enthusiast Americans (if you are American, like me) need to do. We need to get out there and buy models with manual transmissions! If nobody buys them they will go away. You can get them on a number of vehicles still, so go find a vehicle that works for you and have at it. Now for me to figure out how to afford a new BRZ with a manual transmission so I can support the effort...

Toyota Finally Shows Signs of Life, Yet Haters Gonna Hate

Images courtesy of  Toyota

In the past I have argued that Toyota has killed off its soul as an automaker because it stopped producing exciting models like the Supra, MR2 and Celica and instead has been pumping out quite a few uninspiring vehicles in bland colors. This is why I was shocked when Toyota revealed it was co-developing the Scion FR-S (or Toyota GT) with Subaru. The Lexus LFA was another surprising move by a company known for its body rolls and numb steering.


It now seems that Toyota is not finished with its attempts to produce more exciting vehicles, even if it continues to produce massive amounts of Camrys for people who do not want to feel like they are driving when they are driving. And of course there are quite a few irrational haters out there who will continue to hate Toyota even as the automaker starts to break away from the thing these people supposedly hate it for.

One huge surprise was the recent reveal of the Toyota Hybrid-R, a high-powered and more aggressive-looking Yaris that is outfitted with a hybrid powertrain. I saw quite a few people gagging that Toyota used a Yaris for a performance concept as they complained that the Yaris is gutless or "too small." The gutless argument is irrelevant considering the car's powertrain has been swapped out. As for the "too small" argument, I'm sure plenty of these people would not have any qualms about getting behind the wheel of an MR2, Pontiac Fiero or something like that, which was a completely tiny car.

There were even some who still accused Toyota of being "boring" because their performance car was a hybrid and, as all of us who did not even get our GED know, hybrids are automatically slow, boring cars that are driven by "tree huggers" who care about not breathing in a bunch of carcinogens. These people irrationally fight against progress in the automotive industry and likely were on the forefront of letting everyone know why electronic fuel injection was ruining cars back in the day.

So what's to hate about the Toyota Hybrid-R Concept? It's styling is a little wild, but it's a concept vehicle. I'm not a huge fan of the look of the Yaris, but the big gaping air intake in the front fascia, larger wheels and side skirts actually make it look better. But the real exciting thing is Toyota has produced a hybrid vehicle that could spank the hell out of most pure gasoline-powered vehicles. The Hybrid-R's powertrain pumps out an impressive 414 horsepower. The car is outfitted with a motor that will send power to the rear wheels as needed so slippage does not occur during hard cornering maneuvers.

I would think people would welcome a Toyota hybrid that can whip around a track, instead of yet another version of the Prius. Maybe some people are, but there are plenty of whiny little fanboy racers who are taking to social media to roast Toyota when the company finally is showing some signs of life once again. Because haters are gonna hate irrationally no matter what.

Smart Shows off the Fourjoy Concept

Photography courtesy of Daimler.

In today's automotive industry automakers simply cannot stand still. This is true even if an automaker is owned by a humongous company like Daimler, which is why it is concerning Smart seems to have stalled out. Sure, the company has released all kinds of weird takes on the quirky (and herky jerky) Fortwo, including a version with wings that look straight out of Mario Kart. And while the Fortwo makes for an incredibly easy car to park, Smart needs to start expanding its product lineup.


With a new generation of the Fortwo on the horizon (which is being co-developed with French automaker Renault) Smart recently showed off a new concept vehicle at the Frankfurt auto show. The concept vehicle is called the Fourjoy because it is for four occupants and supposedly will be a joy to drive (the jury's still out on that one). As you can see from the pictures, the vehicle looks quite futuristic, like it was designed for the next Tron movie or maybe yet another futuristic movie with Tom Cruise playing futuristic, black gloves-wearing
tough short action hero. In all seriousness, though, this is pretty normal for concept cars.

Getting back on the subject of the Fourjoy, Smart is playing the details on its new generation of vehicles close to its chest. The Fourjoy does offer some clues about what the rumored four-door Smart car will look like. Smart has revealed that it will keep the rear engine layout and that the platform will be shared with the Renault Twingo. The Fourjoy comes with the drivetrain from the current Fortwo Electric Drive. It is missing a roof, doors and rear window, but speculation is that by slapping those parts on the car we have a good look at the future

four-door Smart.

And of course what is a concept car without some crazy features? The Fourjoy comes with two electric skateboards (because pushing is just too much exercise) and helmets that strap into a compartment in the rear. The car also comes with an HD camera that allows you to share those joyous driving moments with friends on social media, which is a feature you should expect to see not only in future Smart vehicles but from other automakers as well.

Would you consider driving a Smart Fourjoy? What do you think of the funky, futuristic interior? Would you be interested in a future Smart with removable doors so you can be like Wrangler owners? Leave a comment below.

Is the C7 Chevy Corvette Stingray Really a 911 Killer

I recently read a brief, rather uninformative article on CNN about how the Stingray Corvette is finally a Porsche 911 "killer." The author of the article did not really explain how that was, so I was left wondering how the Stingray accomplishes such a task.


I grew up idolizing both the Corvette and 911. As I grew older I realized they are different beasts. The Corvette is like a sledge hammer, brutally powerful but lacking the incredible finesse of the 911. The Corvette relies on a big V8 engine in front while the 911 has a relatively small straight six in the rear. Despite what the public at large thinks, the 911 is not the best handling car on the road. To an extent handling is a preference, but even the most rabid 911 fans have to admit the car is the undisputed king of oversteer. That can be a fun thing, but it also makes the 911 a tough beast to wrangle on a track, unless you have a model with all-wheel-drive.

The  911 also comes in many formats. The new 991 architecture, which boasts many improvements over the impressive 997, is also rolling out. So far only the race-hardened GT3 version of the 991 has been unleashed on the world, but it has picked up tremendous praise (despite its lack of a manual transmission). For the Stingray to hang with the 991, it will have to be as good as some are saying. I haven't had the chance to drive one yet, so for me the jury's still out.

One thing that annoys me about the claim that the Stingray "kills" the 911 is that there is no mention of what version of the 911 it does that to. I can only assume people are referring to the 997, since the GT3 is simply in another class of vehicle. But to just say the one car "kills" the other is quite oversimplified. There are many performance aspects to a car, and no car is perfect in every sense, yet none of these aspects are cited as  reasons the Stingray is superior. Usually professional car reviews are more meticulous.

Here's my opinion: GM loves to make wild, blanket claims. How many times have I heard that some new GM model will turn the company around? Far too many. Wasn't that what Saturn was supposed to be about? Add to that the list of brands the company has killed due to gross incompetence, or in Saab's case pure sabotage, and I have become pretty cynical about GM's wild claims to out-engineer companies that have long track records for superb engineering.

So forgive me if I don't join in the ranks of American automotive writers who are eager to declare the quintessential American sports car beats the legend from Germany. Besides, the thing nobody is mentioning is how the Stingray stacks up against Nissan's Godzilla, or have we all forgotten about that incredible car?

The New Acura NSX Sings a Sweet Melody

Have you seen the pictures for the new Acura NSX? It's a great-looking car, but now I have heard the engine sing and I am completely in love. Seriously, in the video below the engine in the NSX comes to life and genuinely sounds like a snarling tiger. Then the car does a hot lap around a track and the engine sings a melody that few others can rival (like Ferrari and the Audi R8).


But don't just take my word for it, watch the video for yourself and fall in love with the upcoming supercar:

Breaking News: Detroit files for bankruptcy protection.

While breaking, this story really comes as now surprise to me that the City of Detroit has filed for chapter 9 bankruptcy protection.

In a surprise move today, the city's state appointed emergency manager, Kevyn Orr asked for permission to put the city under Chapter 9 protection this afternoon in court. Currently, Detroit is $18.5 billion dollars in dept. Currently, the Governor of Michigan has to sign off on the bankruptcy since it is the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history.

Details are still forthcoming so we will be posting updates as we find them.

Source: Detroit News.

Freeway Merging: the Fine Art Utah Drivers Don't Understand

I've lived in the beautiful state of Utah for the better part of the past thirteen years, but I don't think of myself as a Utahan. I grew up in New Mexico and I think I will always identify as being from the Land of Enchantment. That being said, there are some truly wonderful things about Utah, including the Moab Jeep Safari, some killer pastrami burgers and more outdoor activities than you could possibly want to do.

Not to be negative, but there are some drawbacks to living in Utah just like there are drawbacks to living anywhere else. One of the first crazy negative things I noticed when I first moved Utah way back in 2000 was that it seems that people here don't know how to drive on the freeways. There's some bad driving on surface streets here, but where Utah drivers become especially bad is when everyone starts travelling at faster speeds, which is just so very comforting.


Never before I moved to Utah had I seen a person cut across five lanes of traffic in less than a hundred feet just to exit the freeway. Were they high? Did they fall asleep? Do they not realize they could have killed someone? Why not just get off at the next exit, enter the freeway going the other way and backtrack to the needed exit? These were all thoughts that went through my head. I still am amazed whenever I see the carpool lane last minute freeway exit.

And then there are the people who think that the left lane is the slow lane. This activity seems to become more common the further from downtown Salt Lake City you get, with Utah and Davis Counties both being maddening to drive through.

But what I'm focusing on today is perhaps the most frustrating thing about Utah drivers and freeways: Utahans cannot merge! I know, I know, you're all saying "well nobody where I drive can merge." If you live in Southern California, Boston, New York City, Phoenix or pretty much anywhere in the United States, you haven't seen bad freeway merging. Come drive in Utah, especially during rush hour, and try getting on the freeway with a big group of cars. I dare you.

Way back when I lived in New Mexico and went through drivers ed I learned that freeway on-ramps existed for one thing only: to allow drivers enough time and distance to get their vehicles up to freeway speeds. This elementary point is where Utah drivers fail. Somehow they didn't get the memo that driving 35 mph on the ramp and then trying to merge in with traffic going 65 mph plus just doesn't turn out well. The end result is the  on-ramps stack up with slow traffic, drivers in the right lanes have to swerve all over to avoid the cars going ridiculously slow, and all of the traffic on the freeway slows. Occasionally the inability to merge on the freeway even leads to a crash.

Then you have the flip side of the equation, the fact that people don't drive in the appropriate lanes on the freeway. Like I said before, plenty of drivers go slow in the left lane, instead of in the lanes to the right. There are areas of the country where that activity will get you run off the road, and for good reason. Not only that, but I learned in drivers ed that if you can, you should get out of the rightmost lane when cars are entering the freeway, allowing them to enter without problems. These courtesies are rarely displayed on the roads here.

I strongly suspect that much of this activity that leads to Utahans merging like a pack of constipated tortoises comes from everyone's looking out only for themselves. The funny thing is that by acting that way, these people make it so everyone has to wait longer to get where they are going, including them.  

How's the freeway merging where you live?