AUTOMATIC V MANUAL
YOU SETTLE YOURSELF IN THE BIG, RED SEAT, CHECK the leg-room and assess the view of the screen in front of you. Then there is the eternal question of which of the cup-holders you should place your drink in. Soda safely stowed, the cinema lights dim and you think to yourself, maybe, just maybe, 007 will die this time…
It’s with a similar mindset that I imagine you are beginning this feature. Maybe, just maybe, they will say that two pedals are better than three this time…
To be honest this isn’t really about crowning a winner or taking sides. After all, there are plenty of reasons why people choose to or, more pertinently, have no choice but to buy one option rather than the other. No, this is hopefully more nuanced than that. It’s about seeing how much of the driving experience changes when you opt for either three pedals or two. Does a car’s character alter dramatically with an H-pattern rather than a pair of paddles? And if it does elicit a character change, is it more akin to a pre/post full frontal lobotomy comparison or a before/after first coffee of the morning contrast? (I realise that to some people both are equally extreme.)
Now, some will choose a manual purely on principle. Three pedals equals more involvement, therefore it’s the
