Automotive Killer App? The Zeroshift Automanual – Jalopnik
If your idea of nirvana is clutchless gear changes with zero lag up and down the cogway, today may be your birthday.
However, if you really like to DRIVE, this is another nail in the coffin. I know I’m in a small minority here, but I think the skill and enjoyment of driving comes from the driver, not the car. Certainly it is more fun to drive a brand new BMW M5 than a ’74 Pinto. But if I shave .4 seconds off my quarter mile time because I got some new transmission that does all the work for me, that’s a step down in my book. If I have aFerrari, and you have a Hyundai, and I beat you in a race, that doesn’t mean I’m a better driver.
I LIKE doing the work. I like working the clutch and shifting gears. I’m comfortable doing that, and I want to continue doing that. It’s not the most efficient way to drive, perhaps, but I’ll trade some efficiency for my enjoyment.
I hope that, when the day comes that this kind of thing is standard, where the car controls everything, that we also have auto-drive cars. If the car is going to insist on shifting for me, I’m not interested in doing any of the rest of the work.