Protege5 brings manumatic to the masses

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/02/2003 (8423 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WE first saw the manumatic transmission in high-end cars from names such as BMW or Volvo.

Basically, it’s a slick way to give drivers who don’t want a manual more control over the transmission’s shifting. Never mind that most automatic transmissions are smarter than the average driver, it became a neat little gimmick to placate those who know that real drivers stir their own but who can’t be bothered to lift their left foot.

The first ones weren’t the best: upshifts often took forever and early programmers did not want to give the driver benefit of doubt, and wrote in an automatic upshift at some predetermined point before redline. Frustrating when all you want is to hold the shift for just a few more revs.

Now, the transmissions are making their way downmarket, into such cars as the Protege5, the subject of this offering.

The best manumatic now by far is Audi’s MultiTronic continuously variable transmission, which in manual mode has six preset “steps” to simulate a six-speed automatic.

The P5’s four-speed doesn’t come close to that, but it’s not awful.

Like most of the manumatics offered now, in manual mode the P5 puts all responsibility for upshifting in the driver’s hands. Fail to yank on the lever and it will stay at the rev limiter for as long as you want.

The only concession to engine life is a shift lock-out when downshifting would put the engine’s revs over the rev limiter’s cutoff.

What I didn’t like was the delay during the first-to-second upshift that feels like it’s a second long. Fail to anticipate redline and you’ll hit the rev limiter while waiting for the transmission to upshift.

The rest of the upshifts were nicely quick and downshifts were almost immediate, which made diving into corners tres fun.

Neglect to downshift when pulling up to a stop and the transmission will do it for you.

Which brings up my other complaint: I drove the car in winter and found that the transmission offered no means to keep it in second when approaching a slippery intersection. To start in second (to minimize wheelspin), you had to come to a stop and then upshift.

While stopped, the transmission permits only one upshift — to second — for slippery conditions. It also only permits the upshift once the vehicle has stopped completely and usually required two yanks to get to second.

As someone who has only owned manual transmission cars (our minivan excepted), any manumatic (Audi’s excepted) is a pale imitation of a stick. But it appeals to those who don’t have confidence in their clutching abilities or those who want a manual but must defer to other drivers in the household.

As for me, I played with the manual mode a bit and then just started sticking it in Drive and leaving it there.

But I was again reminded just what a total kick to drive the Protege5 is, manual or not.