True Porsche Should Not Necessarily Be Manual

Today, it is hard to argue with the fact that manual transmissions lose their popularity among car enthusiasts, thereby forcing car manufacturers to exclude manuals from their line-ups. Only a few years ago, it was hard to imagine that sports cars would shift from classic manuals to automatic and dual-clutch transmissions. Some fans of classic sports cars are extremely disappointed with this automation trend, but Porsche says that you no longer need a stick to drive a ‘real’ Porsche.

The car manufacturer admits the fact that previously manuals surpassed automatics in a number of critical operation parameters, but new technologies allowed engineers to design much more efficient alternatives to manuals, such as dual-clutch units (DCT).

Check out the duel between manual and PDK-equipped Porsches 911

The dual-clutch technology has been known to the auto world for decades, but Porsche didn’t risk installing this type of gear shifting solution until the 7-speed PDK transmission, designed by Porsche engineers in collaboration with ZF, premiered on the 911 in 2008. At the time, the PDK solution became a real breakthrough as the unit was 22 pounds (10 kg) lighter than the Tiptronic S gearbox and changed gears much faster.

Cutaway of a PDK unit

This DCT unit ensured a significant boost in operating characteristics to the 911 Carrera 4 that could speed up from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) for 0.4 second faster than its 6-speed manual analog. In addition to enhanced performance capacity, the new solution provided significant fluid economy. Currently, the German car manufacturer equips more than 75% of its 718 and 911 models come with a PDK transmission, as this transmission still provides a wide range of operating benefits.

Modern automatic solutions are known to be superior to manuals, but it wasn’t always the case. For instance, Porsche’s Sportomatic semiautomatic solution, which found application on the 911 in 1967, wasn’t quite impressive in terms of operational capacity. As a result, the cars equipped with this unit weren’t very popular among Porsche customers.