This is for Tokyo Slim (but not the iPod part):

What's wrong with just driving. Note that this demo car has a slushbox. That's VW's way of telling people its newfangled thingy is for lazy idiots.

I assume he is an american somewhere in the united states. what else could you expect?

While the slushbox stereotype is unjustifiably harsh, I don't understand why traffic justifies a slushbox. I've been on the 405 freeway in LA in terrible stop-and-go traffic (30 minutes to go a couple of miles), which is also uphill in parts, and the manual hasn't been a problem. For long term reliability, manuals will last longer, and are easier to fix and maintain than slushboxes which rely on magic voodoo in specific lubrication fluids to make sure everything's working correctly. BTW, I don't understand the role of the gauge cluster layout in your transmission choice: do you watch the RPMs when you shift?

Also, on a personal preference level, I can't deal with slushboxes not rev-matching for downshifts, and the lazy revving sounds they draw from the engine.

--Ande

I Just saw this, I think I have become desensitized to seeing my own name on here with the proliferation of "Slim Jeans" and "Slim fit" threads. I have nothing against iPod integration in a car, as long as I have the choice not to buy it.

i think one should be able to steer one's car with the little iPod wheel-button thingy.

I don't understand the iron thing.

I hate the "boo hoo, we have traffic" so called argument. Do you think the rest of the world has no traffic? Yet outside of America (and I think Japan) the world's drivers almost unanimously manage to have left legs that are in reasonable health. That is to say, their left legs are not so pathetically atrophied that they find depressing a (hydraulically assisted, mind) pedal a few times a minute to be such an arduous burden as to require alleviation through a mechanical contraption that adds mass, saps engine power, and degrades fuel economy. If one has lost use of his/her left leg (because of the Iraq disaster or whatever) then there's no shame in buying a slushbox. Otherwise, there's no virtue in advertising one's lack of hand-eye coördination or care for driving. Of course, if one does not care to drive something fun to drive at near-legal speeds instead of posing in something that "feels the same at 30mph and 100mph," then any appeal to driving pleasure or connectedness is lost, anyway.

automatic gearboxes are really the last step towards complete isolation between driver and road. there are a lot of people (primarily in the united states, which is relatively free of traffic compared to say... london or paris or any major EU city) that want this isolation, however. they are too busy doing other things while driving, such as conducting business or talking to their friends or daydreaming about being rich, who knows what else.. (now they are watching movies or playing playstation while driving ! ) i've never owned anything but manual and learned to drive on a manual... i can't picture myself owning anything else...

i also travel a decent amount for work, and its funny how differently i drive when im on the road. when im in a rental car.. i can't wait to get out of it. i hate every moment. i get road rage. i cant stand the way the car shifts itself.. since its always at the wrong time (either up or down). the throttle+brake does not give me nearly enough control over my acceleration or deceleration. i need manual gear selection.

that said, when im home, i enjoy every minute of driving. even sitting in traffic is fun. i dont mean to imply that having a manual makes driving a completely different experience, but my point is more that being in my preferred car makes does make for a completely different driving experience vs being in any rental.. which are actually a wide range of vehicles (from taurus to mustang to F150 to minivan to celica to kia to murano to large SUV.. best regular rental car i've had: mazda6)

i dont get how my comparison is flawed. the rental cars i drive are what make up at least 50% of whats on the road (i made that up, but its a best guesstimate). i will be more specific... i get camry's and taurus's and f150's and explorer's and grand prix's. there.. that alone has got to be a third of all cars on the road... not to mention all the other misc cars/trucks/suv's ive had as rentals. my comparison is fine.. as the sample is quite varied and covers a large portion of the american driving population.

as to your question.. i own and daily drive a 2005 subaru sti. i've done medium level suspension mods (replace lots of rubber bushings, stiffer springs, stiffer sway bars, billet aluminum strut top mounts, etc) which greatly improve the handling (i.e. turn-in and neutrality on the race track, as well as progressive breakaway and predictability) and ride quality (i.e., this car shouldn't be soft. stock, i felt the car oscillated at speed far too much. now its actually more comfortable, even if that sounds counterintuitive).