[ChrisK]

Originally Posted by Conissah

True, but even torque converter trannies can do this now. A pull of the left paddle or a push on the lever, and it's an instant down change. I agree that the BMW DCT, and even PDK, are automatics in the sense that they shift for you, but modern autos are light years ahead of autos from a decade ago, and that's what a lot of people don't quite get. I haven't driven a BMW DCT car, but the PDK is simply sublime, it's absolutely fantastic, by far the best auto I have ever driven with. Coming up to a corner on the brakes, it knows what gear I wanted to be in, downshifted for me, and was ready for me to get on the power exiting. The shifts were instantaneous, it quite literally blew my mind. Be that as it may, I don't think I'd ever pick a DCT/PDK car over a 6MT.

If I was trying to be the absolute fastest on the track, this is the only caveat, it would have to be a dual clutch. I cannot compete with the accuracy of a proper dual clutch, and rather than focusing on clutch operation and selecting the correct gear and shifting quickly, I could focus simply on driving the car and what it was doing. For the MOST fun, I would chose 6MT, and in 99% of scenarios I am glad I did chose the third pedal, but trying/training to be a racecar driver, the dual clutches are the way to go.

All of this is opinion though, and there are many reasons for choosing either. My father, for example, is a die hard manual guy, but he isn't getting any younger, and breaking his left leg twice definitely doesn't help things. He would be an advocate for a proper auto setup.

The difference between DCT and a torque converter auto is the DCT is an automated manual. It will roll back/forward and drive just a MT in manual mode.