23 ms·

My previous car, a 2008 Subaru WRX, in manual had cruise control; while it wasn't adaptive, it was the most important thing I will consider in any other manual

My previous car, a 2008 Subaru WRX, in manual had cruise control; while it wasn't adaptive, it was the most important thing I will consider in any other manual transmission going forward. Stop-and-go traffic to my previous job made driving a chore and weekends weren't enough. I miss having that kind of control over the car, but the automatic Mazda3 I replaced it with has made that traffic an afterthought.

bunderbunder 8y ago
Would adaptive cruise control in stop-and-go traffic work at all with a manual? When the speed of traffic is vacillating between 0 and 30mph, there's never any one gear that you can stay in for long.
- function_seven 8y ago
  No, it wouldn't. Technically you could have it adapt within a narrow range of speeds, but it would be annoying, fuel-wasting, and worse than just dealing with the speed yourself. CC on stick shifts works fine at steady highway speeds over a consistent grade.
  - gsnedders 8y ago
    Various manufacturers do sell cars with adaptive cruise control in manuals, but obviously it's limited to whatever gear the car is currently in.
- ptaipale 8y ago
  It works in highway traffic, it's not unusual in new cars where I live (Finland). Most cars are manual shift, almost all have cruise control, some of the cruise controls are adaptive. Of course, in city traffic the adaptiveness is not very useful with manual transmission.
dkr88 8y ago
I test drove a 2008 WRX a while ago and the clutch was pretty heavy, IIRC. I remember thinking to myself "this would be a major pain in traffic".
- Sophistifunk 8y ago
  Definitely. I drive a 6 MPS (Mazdaspeed 6 to the US), and the clutch was a nightmare stuck in Melbourne traffic back when I was commuting.
- rrdharan 8y ago
  I tried to learn to drive stick on a Subaru WRX, I believe it was a 2002 or 2003 model year. It did not go well. Almost ended a friendship and I had leg cramps for days. Fortunately I managed to get the hang of it later on a more forgiving Mazda Protege.
  - bluedino 8y ago
    If you think any modern hydraulic clutch is hard to push you should try an old z-bar clutch from the 70’s or early 80’s
    - rrdharan 8y ago
      It actually wasn't hard to push all the way down, it was just hard to feather. The spring back near the top is really aggressive.
  - sngz 8y ago
    i learned to drive stick on my WRX and it was the only manual I've ever driven for 5+ years. It wasn't until I had to pick up my brother in laws car from the shop where I noticed how heavy my clutch was and how boggy the first and 2nd gear are at low speeds. but i never had the cramping problem and love driving it in stop and go traffic. keeps me entertained / sane with something to do. recently noticed my left calf is bigger than my right
- Declanomous 8y ago

bunderbunder 8y ago

Would adaptive cruise control in stop-and-go traffic work at all with a manual? When the speed of traffic is vacillating between 0 and 30mph, there's never any one gear that you can stay in for long.

function_seven 8y ago
No, it wouldn't. Technically you could have it adapt within a narrow range of speeds, but it would be annoying, fuel-wasting, and worse than just dealing with the speed yourself. CC on stick shifts works fine at steady highway speeds over a consistent grade.
- gsnedders 8y ago
  Various manufacturers do sell cars with adaptive cruise control in manuals, but obviously it's limited to whatever gear the car is currently in.
ptaipale 8y ago
It works in highway traffic, it's not unusual in new cars where I live (Finland). Most cars are manual shift, almost all have cruise control, some of the cruise controls are adaptive. Of course, in city traffic the adaptiveness is not very useful with manual transmission.

dkr88 8y ago

I test drove a 2008 WRX a while ago and the clutch was pretty heavy, IIRC. I remember thinking to myself "this would be a major pain in traffic".

Sophistifunk 8y ago
Definitely. I drive a 6 MPS (Mazdaspeed 6 to the US), and the clutch was a nightmare stuck in Melbourne traffic back when I was commuting.
rrdharan 8y ago
I tried to learn to drive stick on a Subaru WRX, I believe it was a 2002 or 2003 model year. It did not go well. Almost ended a friendship and I had leg cramps for days. Fortunately I managed to get the hang of it later on a more forgiving Mazda Protege.
- bluedino 8y ago
  If you think any modern hydraulic clutch is hard to push you should try an old z-bar clutch from the 70’s or early 80’s
  - rrdharan 8y ago
    It actually wasn't hard to push all the way down, it was just hard to feather. The spring back near the top is really aggressive.
- sngz 8y ago
  i learned to drive stick on my WRX and it was the only manual I've ever driven for 5+ years. It wasn't until I had to pick up my brother in laws car from the shop where I noticed how heavy my clutch was and how boggy the first and 2nd gear are at low speeds. but i never had the cramping problem and love driving it in stop and go traffic. keeps me entertained / sane with something to do. recently noticed my left calf is bigger than my right
Declanomous 8y ago