6-Speed as Standard Equipment

[Tom73]

Just reading the stats on Chevrolet.com and it says that the 6-speed will be standard equipment. Yea! Way to go Chevy

Exhilarating Performance

- New 400-hp, 6.0 L all-aluminum V8 engine
- New chassis with longer wheelbase
- Standard short-throw six-speed manual transmission
- Standard Active Handling
- New, larger Goodyear Eagle F1 Extended Mobility Tires with tire-pressure monitoring system
- Available Magnetic Selective Ride Control with Sport and Tour modes
- Available Z51 Performance Package with unique springs, dampers, stabilizer bars, tires, cross-drilled brake rotors, unique transmission, and heavy duty steering and transmission coolers


tom...

 

[Gorgon]

Just reading the stats on Chevrolet.com and it says that the 6-speed will be standard equipment. Yea! Way to go Chevy

tom...

It's about time that America's sports car came standard with a manual transmission. It will also be nice not to get dinged ~$900 to drive the car the way it was meant to be driven. And I can't wait to feel this short-throw shifter. But until I can drive it I will just wait for Hib's impressions of the new manual. Will the 10% shorter throw make that much of a difference?

Leon

 

[yellow_2002_germany]

If you take a look at the Corvette Black Book, earlier vettes DID come with a manual tranny as standard equipment. It was the auto that was the option. It is good though to see Chevy getting back to the right way. I still think that many vettes will be ordered with an automatic tranny.

 

[Tom73]

If you take a look at the Corvette Black Book, earlier vettes DID come with a manual tranny as standard equipment. It was the auto that was the option.

Correct. But for the C4 and C5 the auto was the standard equipment trans (with a few exceptions where you could only get the manual such as the ZR1 and the Z06). For a big part of the C3 run the manual and auto were interchangable as "standard equipment" or the auto was a no cost option. Prior to that ('69 and back) the auto was an option with the manual as standard equipment (except for the '53 ).

Just good to see them going with the 6-speed as standard equipment now.

tom...

 

[Vintagevetter]

RIGHT ON! Real Corvettes have manual transmissions. I have owned 5 Corvettes....a 57 that came with a 3-speed, later replaced with a 4-speed, 4-speeds in my 64, 67 and 69, and a 6-speed in my current 94 coupe. The main interest in having a sportscar, is driving it, being part of the car, you control it, not some mindless pump under the floorboards. I suppose if you have health problems, or use your Corvette as a daily driver, in LA freeway traffic, then an automatic, might be your only option, but if you really want to enjoy the car, and get all the fun out of it that the designers put into .....then a manual box, if the only way to go.

 

[corvettecrazy]

I think you could have almost equal fun with an auto, if GM decided to put a paddle shift or similar version of an auto tranny into the vette as an option.

 

[don7790]

RIGHT ON! Real Corvettes have manual transmissions. I have owned 5 Corvettes....a 57 that came with a 3-speed, later replaced with a 4-speed, 4-speeds in my 64, 67 and 69, and a 6-speed in my current 94 coupe. The main interest in having a sportscar, is driving it, being part of the car, you control it, not some mindless pump under the floorboards. I suppose if you have health problems, or use your Corvette as a daily driver, in LA freeway traffic, then an automatic, might be your only option, but if you really want to enjoy the car, and get all the fun out of it that the designers put into .....then a manual box, if the only way



I cant believe that you are saying that if you don't have a
manual transmission you cant enjoy the car or you cant be part of the car. Are you forgetting that this is an option not a requirement to enjoy one. I had many vehicles standard and automatics and just because someone has chosen automatic over standard or visa versa doesn't make it any less a ride.Try to respect everybody's different tastes in the wants and don't wants.Just because it is not the same as yours it doesn't make it wrong.If you cant enjoy one with the automatic doesn't mean other people cant.

 

[Buster1]

I don't think Vintage is slamming automatics, I think he is just stating that the Corvette is a car that's meant to be enjoyed to the fullest with a stick. I'd tend to agree too...I think a fast car, especially a Vette, should have a stick...that should be the "norm."

Let's not forget the approx 85% of C5s came off the line as automatics. I think there is more of a market for them...but I'll take mine in a 6 speed shifter...thanks.

 

[Hercules]

Isn't the new auto tranny a 5-speed? Maybe even along the lines of a triptronic?

 

[rwd]

Not the '05, it's a stronger A4. Later on, who knows?

 

[RedLdr1]

It's about the money...

C'mon guys.. like it or not automatics outsell 6 speeds..by a sizable margin. Check the production figures...

Chevy is doing a good job maximizing profits if the 6 speed is standard instead of the auto... Hmmm, would I like to charge 70 to 80 percent of the buyers an extra $900 or 20 to 30 percent of them the extra $900??? Not a hard choice I suspect...

 

[UB2 SLOW]

RIGHT ON! Real Corvettes have manual transmissions. I have owned 5 Corvettes....a 57 that came with a 3-speed, later replaced with a 4-speed, 4-speeds in my 64, 67 and 69, and a 6-speed in my current 94 coupe. The main interest in having a sportscar, is driving it, being part of the car, you control it, not some mindless pump under the floorboards. I suppose if you have health problems, or use your Corvette as a daily driver, in LA freeway traffic, then an automatic, might be your only option, but if you really want to enjoy the car, and get all the fun out of it that the designers put into .....then a manual box, if the only way to go.

Uhh okay. I have an auto and drive mine harder than most. I run better track times than alot of sticks. I auto cross mine also. I get one thing from my auto that you will never get with your stick. Consistant shifting. I never miss a gear in a race and I always shift at the right time. I got my auto for just for that reason.

 

[don7790]

Uhh okay. I have an auto and drive mine harder than most. I run better track times than alot of sticks. I auto cross mine also. I get one thing from my auto that you will never get with your stick. Consistant shifting. I never miss a gear in a race and I always shift at the right time. I got my auto for just for that reason.

Good point. Why are most dragsters auto? Its obvious, humans cant shift as well as computers even with more gears.

 

[65coupe]

Mmmmm tranny

I really think they'd hit it off big if they'd junk the current auto and design a completely new 6 or 7 speed tiptronic trans with paddles on the wheel. Either design of paddle is fine. I find both styles have equal comfort. Honestly I'm amazed it took that long to make a 6-speed manual stock in vettes. I mean come on. I despise manuals and I think its only right that it should have 6 speed on it. And have an auto as optional equipment naturally. It'd be nice if it was a no-extra-cost thing but hey, what can you do? Heck if I designed it it'd be an 8 speed. Oh the fun you could have in that. Just keep climbing the speedo and grabbing gears.

 

[ROCKETBLOCK]

I just like poking that shift handle around and knowing which gear I'm in, but I'm old fashioned!:L