Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayles76
I was a die-hard Manual only driver and first scoffed at the A8... then I drove one. I will never own another late-model Muscle car in a Manual. My reasoning follows.
I would say if the source of your information on the car is a legit guy/gal that you trust you'll be fine. The best thing to do, and what I would do if I were you, is take it for a test drive straight to your local Chevrolet dealership and have them do an full inspection on the car to ensure everything is in working condition.
On to the subject of the Automatic. I 100% believe the Automatic is the better car out of the 2. The manual is by no means a bad car, let me make that clear. They are both incredible feats of engineering and performance.
My personal reasoning why the A8 is a superior car is because:
1. FASTER ACCELERATION.
2. Better fuel economy.
3. Comfort.
4. Ease of use.
5. Competition Stabilitrak mode (I will elaborate on this below).
Reasoning
1. Even with the A8 is put against a professional driver in the M6 using its trick "No-Lift-Shift" the A8 is still faster. It just is. No matter how many people out there swear they can shift as fast as the A8.. they can't. Plenty of reviews and videos on Youtube to back this up.
2. With the manual I get better fuel economy in town and on the highway than I ever saw in any manual car. I average on the highway around 32 MPG and in town around 18 or so.
3. The A8 shifts buttery smooth when it's warmed up. When it's cold the 1-2 shift can jerk a little when under very light acceleration but thats the only one I've ever noticed can be a little rough. Once it has heat in it it's smooth through every gear under any acceleration.
4. Put it in drive and go. Or if you want to shift the car yourself then slide it over to Manual mode and it will behave like a manual. It will hold a gear as long as you want it to without shifting out like most Manuals.
5. Leaving the car in Automatic mode and putting the car in track mode is one of the best things about the car. Launch control is a sling shot from 0-60 in anywhere between 3.9 to 4.2 seconds. Quarter mile is dealt with in anywhere between 11.9 to 12.5 @ 117 - 113. Heavily depending on your launch and surface you're driving on. These times are possible with the OEM tires, youtube it.
All this being said, I couldn't be happier with my decision to go with the A8.
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Those are all legit reasons EXCEPT for the fact that at least 50% (according to the polls here) have the A8 shudder issue. AND.....there's no fix.
So if you want to shell out your money for an A8 knowing there's a 50% chance you'll have an annoying shudder with potentially no fix......go for it. I wouldn't touch it based on this info.