i have the benefit of having driven both the manual and automagic 318ti for quite some time.
the torque converter on the auto is impressive, and with the gearing i think it is only marginally slower.
the manual is undoubtedly more fun, but can be tedious at times (heavy or stop & go traffic). it also takes work to drive as smoothly as the auto, but i feel i'm a much more smooth driver overall because i have to plan shift points, can let the engine brake, etc instead of having to goose it to get power, or brake to slow down.
regardless of what tranny you have, the ti is still a fun car around the corners. |