RC:

I had a lot of fun driving manual but after being "forced" (my second 911 Turbo (a 997) had Tiptronic because A. it was faster with Tiptronic and B. I thought my wife would drive this car too) to drive Tiptronic, I learned the benefits of concentrating on the driving, not the shifting. Yes, it may be more fun to drive a manual but on the other hand, it is actually ever more fun to achieve better track times and to put some of those behind you who made fun of you because of the auto tranny. indecision

It is kind of a personal preference if someone prefers manual or PDK but PDK has evolved a lot and I can have a lot of fun with PDK, even in auto mode, which allows me to concentrate more on my driving than shifting.

For some people, record lap times may not be important but for others, they are. Achieving these numbers with a manual becomes almost impossible (same stock car).

Quite right.  This debate about manual vs PDK is silly becasue it boils down to the subjective preference of the driver, particularly if they are an enthusiast.  Poseurs and luddites will naturally be drawn to one camp or the other but we shouldn't let them muddy the debate.  Where I think Porsche has gone wrong is by not catering to both camps. 

Regarding the article, the writer clearly prefers manual so a PDK car is never going to completely win him over.  Otherwise the review was very positive and even the steering came for faint praise!  But I think I will wait for production model reviews from the likes of Evo and Pistonheads before drawing too many conclusions.


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Gen II Cayman S