hellgelb:
I've read a lot of PDK owners very happy with the system but who tend not to use manual mode and prefer the stick over the paddles. Given this and the corcerns I hear about accidental use of the shift buttons, would anyone be tempted to fit a non-PDK OEM steering wheel? It's perhaps a shame Porsche won't allow you to spec the car without the PDK wheel - they used to charge extra for the Tiptronic buttons, I think :) On a similar note - has anyone tried a 3rd party paddle equipped wheel with PDK or Tip (e.g. Ruf)?

hellgelb, don't listen to all these stories the interface is perfect without any problems whatsoever (for me at least).

In auto mode you cannot use the stick anyway and  you can only overide by using the paddles. I personally use the right paddle 99% of the time because this suits me more. The left one is practically redundant for me unless the wheel is turned in such a way that the left one is more accessible. All very easy all very convenient.

When in manual mode I tend to use the stick more but I also use the paddle(s) interchangeably, without too much thought. The system is so natural!

Mind you most of the critics of the system are people who don't own a PDK car (or have never driven one for more than 1/2 hour) and just don't like the thought that the Porsche system is different to everybody else's.

However, if someone has many cars or has to drive many cars(like journalists) then this person might get confused, especially if he/she is not adaptable enough. Similarly if someone spends hours every week racing cars with the opposite up/down direction. You can appreciate that these people account for 1% of buyers!

There is some talk of Porsche offering a "classical" paddle interface next year, as an option. I hope they do that so as to end all this useless debate.


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It's not where you're going, it's how you get there that counts