The 9-5's manual transmission shifts better with a light touch; once you get the hang of it, you're rewarded with buttery smooth shifts.

It's also quite communicative, and during a shift, you're always fully aware as to what the synchronizers are up to. You'll never be left guessing as to whether the gear you selected is fully engaged.

The gearshift is NOT "rubbery and imprecise"; the 2-3 upshift, the 3-4 upshift, and the 4-3 downshift can easily be made using only one finger. The only thing you really need to adjust to is the fact that 5th is closer to 3rd than on most cars. Not a big deal, and easy to get used to.

Performing a double-clutch downshift is an absolute joy: because the gearshift and the synchronizers are so communicative, you know exactly when the rpm is matched--the gearshift lever just falls into place... it's so easy!

I LOVE doing double-clutch downshifts in this car! Heel-and-toe downshifts are easy to do, too, thanks to thoughtfully spaced pedals.

I don't really understand why people think that BMWs have good manual gearboxes; my cousin's 2001 325i has poor feel through the gearshift, and it often refuses to go into first gear. Sometimes the lever will go 4/5ths of the way into first gear, only to jump out of gear when you're trying to accelerate. What's more, the clutch throw on BMWs is absurdly long, and the friction point is way too high. A real pain in the neck in traffic.

BMWs sticks also stall too easily. My cousin occasionally stalls his very own BMW after more than a YEAR of owning it! He's been driving nothing but stick shifts for the past 15+ years, so it's definitely not a lack of experience on his part.

Another gripe about the BMW clutch: on my cousin's car at least, if your left foot slides up (towards the ceiling) just a little bit, you will wind up pressing on the brakes while depressing the clutch, because the brake pedal's arm angles to the left, above the clutch. What a piss-poor design! Were those pedals designed for people with size 5 feet?

Anyway, enough about that...

The Aero's hydraulic clutch is nice and light, and it engages quickly, close to the floor. It's just as delightful to use as the clutch of any Honda I've ever driven, even the NSX.

All in all: if you usually prefer a stick, you'll really come to enjoy driving a stickshift Aero.

Jason
'02 Aero 4dr/5M/touring

ps- see my earlier post (click below)

posted by 24.46.48...

The manual transmission does NOT suck...

• Test drove '03 Aero 5-spd & not sure I liked the manual, Mike, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 10:38:26
  • Re: Test drove '03 Aero 5-spd & not sure I liked the manual, Jason, Thu, 3 Oct 2002 00:30:17 <-- Viewing This Message
  • I like it..., MisplacedYankee , Wed, 2 Oct 2002 23:48:26
  • Another (indirect) annoyance with the Aero 5-spd was..., Mike, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 15:17:41
    • Shift light, Lou, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 17:15:17
      • Re: Shift light, manual shift, etc., NSK, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 19:38:15
    • Have your dealer turn it off at delivery..., b.flippo, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 16:57:57
      • My dealer said they wouldn't do it since it is law..., MisplacedYankee , Wed, 2 Oct 2002 23:43:18
        • Re: Shift light, manual, AeroLady, Thu, 3 Oct 2002 08:34:42
    • Yes, it can be disabled.........., zeke, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 15:33:41
      • If reprogramming will do it, PC mag showed a device, Mike, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 15:52:39
        • Mike, did you find that story?.............nm, zeke, Thu, 3 Oct 2002 10:40:20
          • Here's the story, good call on the story name robp!, Mike, Thu, 3 Oct 2002 20:55:29
          • article, robp, Thu, 3 Oct 2002 10:50:08
  • Shift linkage not 9-5 advantage..., Mike Lynch , Wed, 2 Oct 2002 15:16:58
    • I may be forced to try the Aero w/ automatic!, Mike, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 15:23:42
      • You should try the automatic, Ned, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 16:08:54
  • Thanks for the replies, this has left me w/ doubts..., Mike, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 15:13:19
    • Shift- Luxury, Lou, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 17:20:49
    • Re: Thanks for the replies, this has left me w/ doubts..., DJ, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 16:08:10
  • Re: Test drove '03 Aero 5-spd & not sure I liked the manual, vtrich, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 14:39:57
  • Re: Test drove '03 Aero 5-spd & not sure I liked the manual, compaqted, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 14:36:58
  • I'm surprised you found it any better than your Accord, Aero'ed, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 13:32:36
  • I'd wait for a 6-speed.............., zeke, Wed, 2 Oct 2002 11:23:51

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