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I'm probably a little biased, but probably not overly so--
I've really been enjoying driving my '02 Aero sedan with the 5-speed manual transmission, and I don't understand what the criticism is all about.
Sure, it's just a little bit rubbery (to isolate vibration), but it's a vast improvement over the last Saab stick that I tried (an '89 9000 turbo).
My Aero's stick is smooth, precise, and I've yet to miss a shift. I find the throws to be just the right distance, and the stick/clutch efforts are delightfully light. The stick never resists going into gear, and once you get used to fifth being closer to third than in other cars, everything's just fine. In fact, I've come to like this arrangement, because it makes the 4-5 upshift that much faster. No need to reach over to East Egypt to grab fifth.
Double-clutch downshifting into third gear is an absolute JOY: when the revs are properly matched, the shift lever just falls into place. Additionally, the pedals are spaced just right for heel-and-toe downshifts.
Oh, and that stitched leather shift knob feels really good in the hand. Kinda like holding a nice baseball in your hand.
Contrast this to my cousin's 2001 BMW 325i, which has an absurdly long clutch throw, and high engagement point. Blech! I expected better from the "Ultimate Driving Machine". I really tried to like the BMW shifter, but even my cousin admits, it's not a very good stick. It's stubborn at times, and will occasionally fight you going into first gear when the light turns green. Sometimes it feels like it's fully engaged in first gear, but then SURPRISE--it's not!--and it will make a nasty sound and pop out of gear when you're trying to accelerate.
What's more, the Bimmer stalls easily, which is inexcusable for a car with an inline-six. Especially when the A/C is on, it'll tend to stall on you even if you're feeding it a good amount of gas.
Another gripe about the Bimmer is that if your left foot manages to position itself just a little bit north of the rubber pad, you wind up pressing the brake when disengaging the clutch, because the brake pedal's lever angles to the left, just above the clutch. Stupid design.
The Bimmer stick takes *weeks* to adjust to, whereas the Aero's stick takes only a day or two. The Bimmer stick demands an excessive amount of concentration to drive smoothly; driving a stick Aero smoothly becomes second-nature rather quickly.
In fact, after a year of ownership, my cousin still stalls his Bimmer every so often; I've yet to stall the Aero. And he's been driving nothing but stick-shifts for almost 20 years!
For those of you considering a stick versus automatic SAAB, I really suggest that you try both. I've read nothing but praise for the new automatic, but don't shortchange yourself if you really love driving a stick. I feel that the stick is underrated; it's much better than others make it out to be.
Thank you, SAAB!
Jason
'02 Aero
posted by 24.46.48...
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