Yeah Honda's new 2010 VFR motorbike is gonna have an auto option. What is the world coming too when even motorcyclists can't shift.

 

I love driving manual cars and trucks, they are just so damn fun.

 

When I was buying my 08 i test drove a 3.7 with a 6 speed. I was pretty impressed with the power. That deal didn't work out. I bought my 4.7 with a 6 speed. Before I took delivery I got loaned a 3.7 auto. That thing was horrible on the highway. I couldn't believe the difference in the auto vs. the manual.

 

I have to admit I wasn't even looking at a Dodge Ram at first. When I realized they were the only full sized truck that offered a manual that got my interest. After I test drove it I thought the power was adequate. This engine has more torque than HP so you notice that on the highway. But a downshift into 5th and your back in business. I also like the fact that I get 15-17 mpg around town. How much more power did you notice with the 4.7? I wanted that engine but couldn't find one with the 6speed around here.

 

Its great. It is 310hp and 330lbs of torque. With my v8 vs the v6 I notice that i don't really have to downshift on hills or anything. Even with cruise control on it'll hold 70 on good size hills. I start out in 2nd gear alot and barely have to slip the clutch.

 

Wow that is almost 100hp more than the V6. What kind of mileage do you get?

 

With highway driving, around 17.5. Bear in mind I have the 3.92Ls rearend so my rpms are a bit higher. Around town I get about 14-15.

 

The 3.7L and 6 speed are an excellent match for each other. A wide RPM range and close ratios are really nice for highway hauling / towing without screaming downshifts or unsafe low speeds. They have a nice clutch and shift feel, and are rated for much more torque (380 FT-LB) than the engine puts out. Driving my Dak is a much more enjoyable than the NV4500 5 speed in my 2500 work truck, despite the 100 ft-lb torque difference.

 

Yeah I couldn't agree more. I have driven 150 miles the last two days for work with a 60/40 split city/hwy and it is a pleasure to drive. For a truck this size with a V6 you wouldn't expect it to get out of its own way,but the 6 speed makes it work. Its ashame you can't get this egine with the manual anymore. There are some real good deals on these trucks out there, most with really low miles and only a few years old.

 

My Manual Transmission Rant...and rant on Trucks in General:

Yep, manuals are only for the smallest and biggest pickup trucks now. The modern 5 and 6 speed automatics are definitely just as good, or better, as far as capacity. Manufacturers don't want to sink the development costs into a manual model that will be outsold 30:1 by automatics. Sticks are "work truck" equipment, as if that's a bad thing.

Fleet buyers, who *are* interested in stripper work trucks, don't want to sink costs into burnt clutches and blown synchros, due to abuse or the fact that no one knows how to drive them anymore! I work for a utility company, and there are 3 remaining "small" trucks in the fleet with stick shifts. Two Ram 2500's (like mine) and a GMC 3500. The GMC 7500 line trucks have 7 speed Spicers, but are slowly being replaced with automatic Freightliners. The old school guys, especially the dump truck drivers who tow backhoes, long for the days when they could row their own. When I first got the keys to my work truck, the supervisor said, as if a warning "That trucks a stick!"...I said "Sweet "

Give me a rubber floor (or carpeted if I have no choice...even the cheapest Dak has carpet and cloth seats), A/C, crank windows, manual locks, a CD player if you must, 2WD, since I know how to drive in the snow, 3 pedals and a big goofy stick poking through the floor. Engine choice? "Sufficient" is what I say. I think the 4.3L Chevy, 4.2L Ford and 3.7L Dodge are all respectable engines for a working halfton. A "Fast Truck" is an oxymoron. Someone can sink $5,000 into their Hemi Ram and get toasted by a 500CC motorcycle.

Towing or hauling? You need a V8! But no reason why that should restrict you to an automatic transmission. An F-150 with a 302 and a 5 speed sounds perfect to me. Or a nice 4.7 Ram with an 8 foot bed, and that slick G238.

I like the control, simplicity and fun of a manual. Ripping around, double clutching, pulling hills in 3rd just for kicks

P.S. What gears does a quad cab V6 Ram have? 3.92's would be the only logical answer in my mind, but Dodge likes to undergear its trucks.