Computer Controlled Clutch Car Coming Cuickly

Do you remember back in the day when you HAD to learn how to drive a stick-shift or a manual car? I did and it was a very valuable lesson as it was almost a rite of passage from boyhood to manhood. First learning, I remember the troubles I had of grinding gears, popping the clutch when I wasn’t supposed to and the horrible transition from neutral to 1st gear. But manuals not only give you more control, you also got better gas mileage and it was actually considered a sports car. Now, those days are slowly changing as more and more automatic cars provide better gas mileage and better control of the car.

First found on Digg and then on MSN, this article talks about the new high end sport cars such as BMW, Porsche, or Ferrari switching from their tried and true manual transmission to a automated-manual transmission. In other words, it will be an automatic car.

But why the switch?

In one word: technology.

When I was young, I dreamed of owning a BMW or a Porsche driving down curvy roads, knowing that I would need to down-shift into the turns increasing torque. But in this review of newer top end cars, those days of physically stepping on the clutch and shifting down may be over. As Ulrich explains in his test drive of the BMW M3:

A right-hand turn approaches, and it’s time to stand on the brakes. But instead of mashing the clutch, yanking the stick and blipping the gas with the same foot that’s squeezing the brake — the old “heel and toe” downshift maneuver — I simply flick a little metal paddle attached to the steering column. Both hands stay put on the steering wheel, making it easier to stay on path.

You see a lot of cars advertising these new paddle shifting mechanisms now, e.g. the Nissan Rogue and the Mitsubishi Lancer. But these aren’t true automated-manual transmissions as they are continuously variable transmission (CVT). BMW has a great explanation on how their double-clutch transmission (but without an actual clutch) works. And even better, it is more efficient than manual transmissions. This is where computers and technology come in.

Computers control the 2 clutches as you shift between gears allowing for uninterrupted power. This seamless transition between 2 gears is virtually impossible with any human driver as the reaction time between stepping on the clutch and shifting gears needs to be almost instantaneous. With no loss of power, the car will not only maintain better gas mileage, but there is also less moving parts requiring less maintenance therefore costing you less in the long run. The video below is from BMW’s website

So if you are shopping for a new car (like I am), keep this in mind. I wanted my next car to be a manual (I drive an automatic now) but with this new technology, a semi-automatic car is what I will be looking for. Now if only I can afford a BMW M3…