Why a Tiptronic is Better than a Manual Transmission 

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Stop telling people about it, right now the tip's are a deal and if you keep telling people they are actually good It is going to cost me money as I am saving for a turbo with Tip ;)

I have had three 996's with a Tip. I like them as I can change up and down through the gears with just a slight movement of the heel of the hand. I don't get this thing about a manual being more connected and involved. Each to his own, of course, but I thought the involvement in driving was to do with steering and braking. I believe the manual gear change process just interveres with that and doesn't assist the driving bit.

Got a 996 turbo tip and love it.

Wonder how the 996’s tiptronic stacks up against the transmission on a Merc E55

So the first reason is ...because it works. Well, so does the manual The second reason is . . “ my knee hurts “. Not everyone is a wimp ! I couldn’t be bothered with the rest of the video, sorry

just FYI that tiptronic is not made by porsche, its made by mercedes benz

cope

Yes its better if you are gay

Is the changeover to Mercedes AMG PaddleShifts costly and complicated .......

I have a 99' 996 that I've owned for 11 years now with 102k AND a tiptronic, and I am so much happier that I got the tip than a manual, because I too drive in traffic and it's a pleasure to have then, but also I like having the option of shifting it with the buttons or just leaving it in auto and then blowing the doors off most other porsches I run into from a standing start, and the look on their faces ?? Well, I don't get to see it because I am too far ahead of them by that time : ) Also, my girlfriend doesn't know or wants to learn how to drive a manual, so that was another reason to get the tip, especially if she needs to drive it in an emergency, which is the only time I will let her drive it anyway ! haha

The Porsche Tiptronic transmission is actually a Mercedes Benz 722.6 5 speed auto trans that was used a lot in their high HP high torque models like the E55 AMG and the McLaren SLR. This unit was known for being light weight and capable of handling 1000 HP/TQ. It was used in a lot of Chrysler products where it was known as the NAG1.

The Tiptronic Turbos can be bought for a steal right now and I don’t think prices for either a manual or tiptronic turbo will ever be this cheap again. A truly brilliant car whichever gearbox you choose and the bargain of a lifetime

Thanks for the info, but I m still not convinced. I really prefer the manual gear box. I have a 996 manual, but also a 986 tip and a 991 GT3 PDK, guess which one I like most. Right, the manual ;-)

Excellent video. Having owned 3 996 manuals and a TT Tip, I would say assuming you can rev match on down shifts then a manual is the far more rewarding drive. The connection with the car you get from a manual and the driver involvement is key. Turbo Tip is a lot of fun and the kickdown puts you in the perfect turbo range.

80% of my driving is in stop-start traffic under 20mph so a Tip makes more sense for me. And I get to enjoy the car in the other 20% of the time. Ended up with a 996 Turbo Tip. :) It's a steal still in the UK, so thanks to everyone for getting the Mezger engine confused with the standard engine.

I own a 911 with a 6 speed and another one with a Tiptronic and enjoy both. Previously I owned a 911 with a PDK and that transmission is an amazing machine. One can’t go wrong with a 911 regardless of the transmission you choose, all will bring a smile every time you get behind the wheel. Porsche sells a lot of automatic 911’s for a reason, customers want them. The important thing is to relax, drive your 911 and enjoy the day.

Very good video mate. I mean I’d still choose the manual & pdk over the tiptronic, but entertaining all the same. 👍👍

It was my dream to own a manual but after driving a tip I quickly changed my mind. It feels great being able to keep both hands on the wheel while changing gears, even in the craziest situations. I simply feel more in control with the tip on manual and more control means more fun.

Totally agree with your perspective here. We personally love the Tiptronic transmission

The tiptronic is the best AT made by Porsche. But it’s not better than the MT. I’ve driven a lot of porsche cars.

It all depends on the driving experience you want. The tiptronic is definitely very convenient and allows you do things like accelerate to pass cars and creep in traffic with ease. I like manual just because I feel more connected with the car and I like having full control. I can launch exactly how I want to and servicing the trans myself, it should easily outlast the rest of the car.

Yeah, and I can get a Toyota that is a better car than a 1976 911. But I'd still rather drive the 911.

Good click bait brother!! I fell for it. Long live Porsche manuals ✊

I just test drove a very nice '02 4 Cabriolet with Tiptronic (something I wouldn't have even considered until recently) and here's the thing: I loved the damn thing. I was pretty much set on a 987 Cayman S 6 speed, but I think the 996 is going to beat it out. Not only is it ten grand cheaper (the Cayman is a really nice 35K mile example) but for day-to-day driving I absolutely loved the 911. First of all, the seats are WAY more comfortable. Secondly, it just feels like a more solid, well-built car (even being a Cab.) And there is just something about driving any gen 911 that just just feels so PORSCHE, like no other. Then there's the Tip. I found it silky smooth with perfect shift points in auto, and in manual the shifts are fast enough. Maybe I'm just a little older and live in a city with horrible traffic and drivers, and I just might not be all that keen on rowing myself anymore through the grind. And the Tip just feels perfectly mated to this car, this motor, and this driving experience. Almost positive I'm joining the 996 Tip family this weekend. And I can't wait.

Sacrilege! I love my manual! The driving in town is a hassle, but I only drive my Boxster on the weekends. I do believe there to some bias on this video lol.

Tiptronic in a 993 is fantastic. Lets face it all the die hard Manual drivers will say its crap but how many times are you on the track? City driving give me a tithonic everyday. country drives give me a Tiptronic any time.

Recently bought 996.2 with 3.6 litre and more torque. With the tip I flick between 2nd 3rd and 4th and it’s totally sweet…. Think about the future of collector cars. Most drivers will only have an auto license so the market for manual cars will be limited.

The Tiptronic is unbelievably slow and no comparison to the PDK. Also the buttons on the steering wheel are stupid because you touch them in some random order if you drive corners quickly. If you live in a city where you reappy need a AT, maybe a 911 isn't the best choice at all. Plus you have only 5 gears instead of 6 and the top speed is lower while having more fuel consumption.

The manual is a huge part of the driving experience. Shift with one hand ?? I do that with a maual trans now

I have a 996 C4S Cab after my 986. I almost got the tiptronic but after a comparison I feel I woundn't enjoy the car half as much without the bolt action feel of the proper Porsche manual. Heavy traffic is a little frustrating but the second it clears up feeling the car and selecting you gears as needed just makes you feel so much more connected than the tip that feel like you are just driving to commute. Also I constantly see on forums posts of how peoples tips are not going into gears or playing up now, don't think I've seen anyone post about their manual box going bad.

I’ve had 2 manuals and 2 tiptronic, I prefer the tip which I have now, the manual is fine but it is a one trick pony whereas you can go full auto or manual change on the buttons with the tip, a lot of people rubbish the tip but I have found a lot of them have never had one or they don’t know how to use it properly.

I have a Boxster with the Tiptronic. You missed the best part about it. When I either nail the gas or dive into a corner the transmission goes into sport mode. It holds it in gear longer or downshifts sooner. Let off and after about 5 seconds it goes back into economy mode. Pretty cool feature. Just wish the upshifts were a tick quicker.

Hmmm, you sound a bit biased! I prefer MT even over PDK. It makes the driving experience much richer. Great vid. Keep them coming!

This video should have just been two words. "It's not"... Lol

Not bragging but i bought two of those, one automatic and the other one in manual. Both are stock but the manual one has a custom exhaust.

Well, we all know exactly what Walther Röhrl said about the Tiptronic back then. Andxwhy he pulled out of the product launch 😂 Also, it wasn't really made by Porsche, it was Daimler.

I wanted a manual for my 2002 C4S and ended up with a tip. Found out it works smooth and does not need change of clutch plates also! So, a important other plus. And... Guess what, I found a way , while downshifting, to give a bit of throttle which makes a verrry nice sound, like with a manual. Try it and watch out to not ref it too much doing it. You will find out why

lol I live in NYC and own a manual......love it.

Thanks for this video. I'm currently test-driving cars right now as I'm in the market for my first Porsche (likely a 996 due to budget) and I've test-driven 1 manual and 2 tips so far. Having driven manuals (Acura, BMW's, Hondas) as daily drivers for the last 22 years, I have to say I was expecting to prefer the manual immensely, but thus far I was more impressed with the tip car. It was higher mileage, but just purely was faster than the manual I drove and seemed to pull harder. So will test drive another manual or 2 for comparison, but was surprising. May be better for LA traffic too!

You should be showing the speddo/tach while you're accelerating & going thru the gears, not the roads ahead

As the population gets older, Tips will become more in demand. Lots of Porsche Tip haters out there yet. The Tip are bullet proof and can handle whatever mods you throw at it. While Mercedes version is mundane with only a few shift points, Porsche reprogramed the algorithms with just about infinite shift points depending on speed, yaw, steering angle throttle position, etc; so the Porsche version is extremely responsive holding its gear longer, down shifts, depending on what the computer determines what the car is doing. Go into a corner hard and the trans will not upshift giving you torque to pull out of the apex. This is great for the turbos as it keeps the rev range higher in the rpm.

These points don't make it the best transmission, they make it the best for your personal preferences. The manual is in my opinion far superior, the pure driving experience is amazing. I've had a manual 986, and now a manual 996, and they are sublime. Never considered a tip.

Slower and less involving. You quote stats about how quick the tiptronic is, but the tiptronic cars always have worse acceleration figures than the manuals of the time...The tiptronic also has one less gear ratio than the 6 speed so the ratios are further apart which doesn't maximize acceleration. The manuals are more involving, quicker and hold their value better.

Couldn't agree less. The tip is slow, doesn't know what gear to be in half the time, doesn't downshift when you ask it to there is a delay. Also, it should have been a 6 speed. I will give it to you that it is better in traffic than a manual, but the PDK is better in every way.

It is better on a daily basis…I’ve got the same tranny in my 03 e500 no car needs 10 gears that’s just confusion! Shifts beaut and the torque converter is 10/10

Cut your carbohydrates. Your knees and other joints will appreciate it. Thanks for the excellent video. Keep up the great work.

A tiptronic could shift even quicker if some good person could program the engine to drop spark during a shift. That way the engine rpm doesnt raise during shifts as they do and the trans and tq convrtr cud jus do their thing quicker. I have a tiptronic and i may try to make that happen myself

Totally agree, the Tiptronic transmission is excellent. The PDK has 7 or 8 gears and to use that manually you just get lost with which you gear you're in at any time. The Tiptronic has 5 gears and it's much easier to use in manual mode and be in the right gear. The other point is that the manual does 70mph in second gear and 110mph in third so driving fast through the curves on the road there's no need to be in anything other than 2nd (possibly 3rd very occasionally, and illegally) so there's actually no need to change gear, so where's the fun that everyone talks about with gear changes? You're only changing gear, in order to change gear, you don't actually need to on the road! Obviously I accept track driving is different, but how many people actually track their car? For the road there's no doubt that Tiptronic is best.

this is a good video. encouraged me to test drive a 997 c2 .. if all goes well on PPI tomorrow, it'll be my first Porsche and a true poster/dream car! i've driven manuals for the past 18 years and was really worried but after actually test driving, found there is nothing to worry about. the upshfits are butter smooth, faster than i can shift my manual. the downshifts do have a noticable lag from the moment you push the button but left to its own vices, this auto gearbox seems to perform really well during both traffic driving and spirited driving. i would still have loved a manual or even a pdk, but the manual here in new zealand is approx an extra $30k NZD (17.5k usd)..or about 150% of the cost of same car with an MT. compromise has been made due to being a bit poor, but for now seems like an acceptable one

Tretronic transmission junkyard..I rather keep regular manual transmission ahhhhhhhhhhh....

Not "may be better", IS better...by a FAR margin.

so now i want to buy 1 more porsche!!! 😀 i wish i have 10 cars garages so i can buy all different porsche!!! 😀

I like the Tiptronic. I think the main points for me are it is about driving the car and controlling the shift point before the change and likewise driving the car

I’m certainly with you on this one, love my Tip

3:50 get out of jail free card doesn’t actually exist unless you’re a celebrity or politician

Just say your knees are bad and using the clutch hurts due to old age lmao

I totally agree with you!!

Have a 2001 996TT with Tip. Just runs beautifully. No issues. Just a beast...smooth through the gears. Just wants to go harder. I have knee issues, too, and can't do a clutch any more. Last clutch I had left me drinking 20 ounces of bourbon every night to relieve the pain. Not a great solution.

I’m a fairly keen and competent driver, just embarked on my 6th decade…….. still ride motorbikes like I stole them and an eclectic mix of manual, auto and DSG vehicles……. I found and bought a silver 996 turbo coupe with no sunroof, Fuchs style black/polished 18” wheels and a Tiptronic box…….. it’s the car I wanted and at full chat, I’m glad the man from Mercedes is cog swapping for me……. it is brutal or benign. In town it is gentle and sweet……… under load it is sharp and explosive. I share a birth year with the model and always promised myself one……. No regrets 🥳🇬🇧

I have both a 997 Turbo with a tip and a 996 Carrera with a MT - love them both equally. The tip is a great gear box on the Turbo, so much power without having to change gears. And the fact that it was $15-$20K less then the TT with MT made it that much better.

I've got a 986 boxster s with tiptronic, it's perfect for daily driving and it certainly kicks ass pretty quickly when you floor the accelerator pedal

Lets be honest, you want to change gears by yourself.

I just wish I could see how many times this was downvoted

Welp my tiptronic in my 1999 is starting to kick when hot Im guessing no one ever changed the filter or oil. Its got 99k when started to act up it has 103 now. Only kick 4th to 5th and when pushed hard

I was going to click the like button but it was on number 911. So I left it alone. :) But great video!

Porsche made? Is it not a Mercedes transmission?

Love my Tiptronic... Just did a 6000 mile trip to California...

These are great cars.

That jump between 1st and 2nd, omg could not stand it 😮

Had a 2011 Panamera 4 with PDK and now a 996.2 C2 Cab TIP. Dont think one is better than the other between a manual or tip depends on your driving habits and where/how often etc. I daily commute in Toronto traffic and a Tip is the best for it, cant stand manual in traffic like my Mazda 3 but hey still got original clutch with 312,000 Miles on that rust bucket!

I just threw up a little in my mouth

Tiptronic is not better. Unless you’re a woman or an old man, or you’re buying a 996 to…wait, did he say commute, or drive around town, or both? OK, in that case I suppose it’s the right choice. But then why not just get a Camry or an Accord?

I love also my Tippi .. It feels just right to drive it in any situation of traffic matters .. On track , it even is fun to drive .. The up and down shifts work just fine ! It also Matters , the way you drive with that system in general ! A stick of course has its moments , but my 996.1 just suits me great as a Tiptronic S !! Question tough : What did you mean with , doing an Italian job to the Tip Tranny ?? Thanx for Reply .. Have a Good time with your Beauty, !Mine is Black too , with the rare cinnamon leather Package 🤘🏼🔥👍🏽

I have ankle issues so my manual driving days are behind me. I want a 986 tiptronic.

The stick is bad because it hurts your knees? I think what you are looking for is a nice Cadillac Escalade. You don't have to bend down to get in; you can turn on the SuperCruise and avoid wear on your joints.

I don’t know why I am watching this crap 😂

My Dad had a VW Golf with auto/ tiptronic...the gear shifts were much faster and smoother than any manual

Laughable 🥱🥱😂😂😂 this is a typical self persuasive video to try justify that you did a better choice well aware you actually didn’t

I can’t understand why anyone would order a Tiptronic gearbox in a 911 when they could have had a manual

Tiptronic for everyday use. BUT......... Trying to use it as a manual control just takes so much practice. Just that feel of knowing it has changed for you. Maybe it's me. Up and down on both sides is excellent, one less thing to think about

I already have a manual car, and I'm looking into a 996 auto. So far, what I've found, is that the tip is 5-6k less than the manual. Like I can get a manual 996.1 for 27k or I can get a C4S 996.2 in auto for 23k. I think just because it's one of my dream cars growing up, I don't really care much for value over time and if I can drive the car where traffic in my area is like 45-1 hr to get like to a diff part of town, the tip is the best choice for me.

two different worlds.

"Why a Tiptronic is Better than a Manual Transmission". Autos are for girls and millennials lol.

I don't know how you can say a gearbox that's relies on a mechatronic unit is more reliable then a manual gearbox that has zero electronics.

Interesting video. I thought the tiptronic box in the 986/996 generation was a Mercedes Benz sourced 5 speed unit rather than being "built" by Porsche? I may be wrong, but if it is, they're good boxes in a Mercedes not so sure they fit the character expected from a Porsche.

I had to wait 5 min to stop laughing before I wrote something. How can you even compare a tiptronic and a PDK? There worlds apart? The tiptronic is good for its age but you can hardly compare. Rose tinted glasses because you own one, I know you tried to claim on the video this wasn’t the case but it clearly is, or you’ve just escaped from a nut home?🤣 Comparing Tiptronic and manual is like comparing a Boxster and 911. You shouldn’t do it, totally different cars and both have there place. Both are good. As for manual vs auto. Manual all day long, how can push and go from an auto be enjoyable? I own both an auto and manual car, the auto is for lazy town driving when all your concerned about is getting to A to B. Auto is a lazy way of driving, which suits some, and that’s fine. This channel is new to me but I’ll keep watching as I love Porsche and you come across entertaining. Good work 👍

Ha I have both a manual and automatic 928. I can choose,.. they are the same color too. My secret 🤐

Good point well made, my 997S was £2500 cheaper than exactly same manual gearbox, I also own a 991.2 GTS with PDK If I am going to London I take the 997 it’s smooth in traffic, underrated

Yeah, when I am 90 years old.

but then again the manual versions sell for 50% more than the automatic ones after 20 years ; P

got a 05 boxster s with the tiptronic with 12k for quite cheap from family, always garage kept and serviced by the dealer, and the tiptronic makes the car a terrible experience to drive. Shifting is better on my 1990 lexus, or even if I were to drive a manual (which I can't say on any other car I have driven); there is a constant 2 second delay from when you press the button, and the shifts are not smooth at all when in automatic mode. Not to mention that you have to let off the gas before it will engage in 5th gear...

The reasons for a tip is also the reason why I prefer a manual.... I have 996 and 997...both manuals. These are weekend cars and for that I need them to be special... Not everyday cars .... And that's the problem with the 996 Carrera.... I would chose it over the 997 as an everyday car.... Should a Porsche sports car be so refined to want to drive it everyday? It then loses that something special...

😂OH Puhleeze!

If you live in a city and your Porsche is a daily driver, you have a point. And you got the saving 15% part right. It might be more in some cases. So I’ll give you credit for trying 😂

Excellent video ! I only have one question . in a porsche boxster 986 tiptronic , when you accelarate to the limit, if you dont change to the next gear , whats the result ?! you can hear the rev limiter ?! like the manuals ? or it just stops to power up without doing anything and it just cuts power ?! thank you very very much i hope you understand what i said ! hahaha

You don't know what you saying man when that shjt broke 🤣🤣🤣

Good luck replacing ims with Tiptronic and paying arm & leg.

You forgot to mention that the gear box is from Mercedes Benz.

Tiptronic is better than manual (if you're over 85 years of age)