The new F150 with the 3.7 and 5.0 and 3.5 ecboost are coming only with the 6R80 tranny, same tranny as in the Mustang, but they will have what Ford is calling "manumatic" control, apparently to make for full manual shift function.

If they can do it in the F150, they should be able to do it in the Mustang seems to me like.

Still trying to find details about the manumatic function in the truck, most articles just glaze over it.

 

I'd love to see a paddle shift in the Mustang. Not sure why they haven't already done that.

 

Cost and percieved indifference of Mustang buyers to automatics.

They percieved wrong though.

Cost factor could at least have been mitigated by making it with a shifter with a manual gate like many of the other cars have, even my folks Hyundai had one.

 

Yeah, given that they sell more automatics than stick shifts, you would think they would have seen the light by now. I love a stick too, but driving a daily driver stick shift in city traffic is just a pain in the butt. At least with the manumatic I can just switch it over to drive when traffic is heavy and back to paddle shift when I want to get some more spirited driving. Might be something Ford should consider on the 2014.

 

My bet is for the manual gate on the shifter for the 2012 or maybe Job2 for 2012 after all the hoopla about no manual control this year.

I don't think they will go for paddle shifters, too much $$$ to change all that wiring harness and steering column around.

 

Probably something for the next body style. I really wouldn't be surprised to see paddle shifters in for that at least, if not sooner.

 

Awesome news.

 

I have the Select Shift feature in my 09 Lincoln MKS and hardly ever use it. It is just not the same as a real manual.

 

It is on the truck applications mostly for towing. It gives the driver the ability to select the gear they want for hauling. I know a while back when I towed a boat in my Edge, simply turning the O/D off put it into 4th gear, but for cruising on the highway I really wanted to be in 5th and could not lock it into 5th. Now with the "select-shift" that can be done. For it to be done properly in a Mustang, paddle shifters would be the only way IMHO.

 

If done right it's the best of both worlds. Take a look at the 370Z or 335i (iDrive). Those are fun to drive automatic. I would take it over a manual. Of course, DCT is still preferred.

 

They have the manual and the auto. They decided that the middle ground was not necessary as this is a performance car.

The majority of the market for this car is interested in either the auto (for those that don't want to row their own gears) or the manual (enthusists that enjoy total control of the car).

You can't make everyone happy, but they have the options wanted by the majority.

 

That is a bogus excuse. A lot of other sporty, and non-sporty, cars have automatics with paddle shifters or a "Manumatic" type shifter. I've never met a Mustang GT owner that wasn't interested in performance - regardless of transmission. How many automatic owners would want this feature? The large majority I bet. If Ford did it to save pennies, paddle shifters should have been optional. $300? I'd pay it. BMW does this very thing with iDrive. Paddle shifters can be added for a couple hundred bucks.

However, I've driven a lot of cars with poor paddle shifters. If it has a ridiculous amount of lag, don't bother adding it.

 

There are performance cars that cost a lot more than the Mustang that use the paddle shift instead of a stick shift. If you opt for the automatic on the 911 turbo, it's faster than the stick. In this modern age where computers control everything in the car it is a mistake to think that having a stick shift somehow gives the driver total control. That applies to an era of cars that is long gone. Don't get me wrong, I like the stick just as much as the auto.

 

The vehicles you are referring to are in a completely different price bracket than the Mustang. Those transmissions are leaps and bounds ahead of anything Ford would bring to the Mustang anytime soon. I really think Nissan did theirs right. It still uses a torque converter but it rev matches and "feels" more like a manual. If Nissan can do it in the 370Z I think Ford can do it in the Mustang.

 

LOL, OK, my Mazda 3 had a manumatic. Now what?

 

And it's better than a manual? No. I'm referring to the 911, M3, etc. Those are the trannys that will hands down beat a manual in every situation. You can't really compete with shifts that take only milliseconds. I bet the Mazda manumatic is sluggish. As I stated above, if the paddle shifters aren't performance oriented then don't even bother adding them.

 

You won't get paddle shifters on a Mustang for an extra $300, not unless the cost of the automatic tranny also goes up by a large amount.




911 Turbo PDK tranny isn't just an automatic, it is an automated manual that is actually two tranny's in one box, very sophisticated, much, much more so than the 6R80, and very expensive. And even Porsche didn't start out offering true paddle shifters for the PDK, they started out using steering wheel buttons.


I still say that if Ford would just get a shifter with a manual gate in it, that would be enough, they wouldn't have to go to the expense of paddle shifters.

 

Paddle shifters don't automatically mean dual clutch transmission. Add revmatch functionality and stiffen up the shifts then throw on some plastic made-in-china paddles. Done. How much would that cost Ford if they utilize the same transmission?

 

Oh, be careful about what is or isn't better now because one mans better is another mans not so good. I understand what you're saying about the porsche and what not. What I was pointing out with that is YSU referred to the Mustang as a "performance" car and thus it should have a stick shift for the "enthusiasts". I was just pointing out that a car can be a performance car and not have a stick shift. They can easily put one in the Mustang and it wouldn't be in Porsche 911 price range. Heck they could do it and not change the price at all I'd be willing to bet. Granted it won't be the double clutch tech like the Porsche but all we are talking about here is a manumatic. It's not like it's cutting edge technology. It can be done and it would still be a good performance car and it wouldn't require a price increase. Heck I'd bet they could do it and make a manumatic that performs better than stick.

 

I agree completely.