V6 auto or i4 DCT

[jamesgareth]

A very good afternoon to one and all.

I am kinda new here so apologies if you've raked through this topic a million times - I've looked and can't see anything much but if there is please provide a link and I will leave you all in peace.

So I found £45K behind the sofa and together with my hard earned savings I have around the required £65K to get me into one of these cars. I took a look at one last year but they wanted £85K then.

How times change.

So - I'm old - old-ish (64 to you). With a slightly dodgy left knee (due to WAY too much football and squash). This doesn't mean I can't drive a manual - I test rode an Emira manual version last week and got on OK (loved the car of course) - but that was for a few minutes - not every day. So I have some concern that longer term my knee just won't like the manual.

So then of course - which auto to go for (assuming I do go the auto route which is no certainty - most people out in internet land seem to say the manual is the one to go for - with or without a dodgy knee).

Which is where you come in...

Anybody here got any actual experience - that does not include watching youtube videos - of these two autos? Of course I like the sound of the V6 but the drawback there of course is that the auto box on that is not dual clutch. I currently drive a Scirocco R DSG box which is great - so to go back a generation techology wise...... not sure I'm going to like that - I mean how bad are those old non-dual clutch automatics?

I tested an 07 Vantage with a sports shift and hated it. Like how anybody could put up with that is beyond me.

How bad/good are the V6 3.5L auto boxes?

How bad/good is the i4 auto box?

Anybody?

 

[schuey100]

A very good afternoon to one and all.

I am kinda new here so apologies if you've raked through this topic a million times - I've looked and can't see anything much but if there is please provide a link and I will leave you all in peace.

So I found £45K behind the sofa and together with my hard earned savings I have around the required £65K to get me into one of these cars. I took a look at one last year but they wanted £85K then.

How times change.

So - I'm old - old-ish (64 to you). With a slightly dodgy left knee (due to WAY too much football and squash). This doesn't mean I can't drive a manual - I test rode an Emira manual version last week and got on OK (loved the car of course) - but that was for a few minutes - not every day. So I have some concern that longer term my knee just won't like the manual.

So then of course - which auto to go for (assuming I do go the auto route which is no certainty - most people out in internet land seem to say the manual is the one to go for - with or without a dodgy knee).

Which is where you come in...

Anybody here got any actual experience - that does not include watching youtube videos - of these two autos? Of course I like the sound of the V6 but the drawback there of course is that the auto box on that is not dual clutch. I currently drive a Scirocco R DSG box which is great - so to go back a generation techology wise...... not sure I'm going to like that - I mean how bad are those old non-dual clutch automatics?

I tested an 07 Vantage with a sports shift and hated it. Like how anybody could put up with that is beyond me.

How bad/good are the V6 3.5L auto boxes?

How bad/good is the i4 auto box?

Anybody?

I have an i4 and it’s amazing, bought it new 6 months ago and only done 450 miles, I was the same as you in thoughts but wanted then newer, modern tech that the 2.0 AMG has and the dual clutch is great, no lag, instant changes when in sport mode and cheaper running costs and less weight that the V6 auto, my opinion it’s the way forward and mega to drive! All the best in your purchase

 

[JimH]

I have a V6 Auto (cancelled my i4 order and bought an ex-demo from a dealer when the delays and price rises were happening and after Scott Walker arranged a drive in a press I4 at Hethel) and would advocate for that too - the Auto (previously known as IPS in the Evora and Exige V6) has been developed by Lotus over many years and is now (in normal road use at least and in sports mode, which is streets apart from tour mode but that's great for motorway runs etc.) virtually indiscernible from a DSG gearbox in terms of speed, use and it has auto-blip on downshifts in Sports mode too!

My recommendation would be to drive both if you can - I'm the same age as you and much preferred the V6 auto after a back -to-back comparison....

 

[NigeT]

A very good afternoon to one and all.

I am kinda new here so apologies if you've raked through this topic a million times - I've looked and can't see anything much but if there is please provide a link and I will leave you all in peace.

So I found £45K behind the sofa and together with my hard earned savings I have around the required £65K to get me into one of these cars. I took a look at one last year but they wanted £85K then.

How times change.

So - I'm old - old-ish (64 to you). With a slightly dodgy left knee (due to WAY too much football and squash). This doesn't mean I can't drive a manual - I test rode an Emira manual version last week and got on OK (loved the car of course) - but that was for a few minutes - not every day. So I have some concern that longer term my knee just won't like the manual.

So then of course - which auto to go for (assuming I do go the auto route which is no certainty - most people out in internet land seem to say the manual is the one to go for - with or without a dodgy knee).

Which is where you come in...

Anybody here got any actual experience - that does not include watching youtube videos - of these two autos? Of course I like the sound of the V6 but the drawback there of course is that the auto box on that is not dual clutch. I currently drive a Scirocco R DSG box which is great - so to go back a generation techology wise...... not sure I'm going to like that - I mean how bad are those old non-dual clutch automatics?

I tested an 07 Vantage with a sports shift and hated it. Like how anybody could put up with that is beyond me.

How bad/good are the V6 3.5L auto boxes?

How bad/good is the i4 auto box?I am kinda new here so apologies if you've raked through this topic a million times - I've looked and can't see anything much but if there is please provide a link and I will leave you all in peace.

So I found £45K behind the sofa and together with my hard earned savings I have around the required £65K to get me into one of these cars. I took a look at one last year but they wanted £85K then.

How times change.

So - I'm old - old-ish (64 to you). With a slightly dodgy left knee (due to WAY too much football and squash). This doesn't mean I can't drive a manual - I test rode an Emira manual version last week and got on OK (loved the car of course) - but that was for a few minutes - not every day. So I have some concern that longer term my knee just won't like the manual.

So then of course - which auto to go for (assuming I do go the auto route which is no certainty - most people out in internet land seem to say the manual is the one to go for - with or without a dodgy knee).

Which is where you come in...

Anybody here got any actual experience - that does not include watching youtube videos - of these two autos? Of course I like the sound of the V6 but the drawback there of course is that the auto box on that is not dual clutch. I currently drive a Scirocco R DSG box which is great - so to go back a generation techology wise...... not sure I'm going to like that - I mean how bad are those old non-dual clutch automatics?

I tested an 07 Vantage with a sports shift and hated it. Like how anybody could put up with that is beyond me.

How bad/good are the V6 3.5L auto boxes?

How bad/good is the i4 auto box?

Anybody?

I can understand it’s a difficult decision. I agonised over whether to order the manual or V6 auto. I test drove only the manual as the V6 auto was not available at the time. I eventually decided long journeys and for regular use the auto would be more suitable for me as the manual shift novelty while great would eventually wear off, that’s just me – I know lots will disagree on that point. Anyway, I opted to order the V6 auto and have not regretted it. I love the V6 engine sounds, and the shift speed is fast and has been tweaked slightly with a software upgrade for faster shifts. You can at least test drive all variants to see what you like and can live with for the long term.

 

[Robbierob]

Try to test both, but the V6 sound is so much better….

 

[DJManc]

I have driven them all and would say you wont be disappointed with any of them. That said, I would narrow it down to between the manual v6 and i4. I currently own the i4 sport chassis and it is a second car for me but I still thought the auto was a better choice given how much time I can spend in heavy traffic and I love it!. Ok, so there is no question that the V6 sounds better, but for a 4 cylinder the i4 sound is not bad when its on song! One thing to note is the clutch in V6 is very heavy compared to some (I'd bear this in mind if you have a dodgy knee). I would also say the the i4 sport that I own has a slightly sharper feel than the v6 sport that I have driven several times. The gearbox in the i4 is ok in auto for the most part of driving, however it could do with being a little quicker in manual mode, but doesn't bother me much. I am booked in for a software update on ECU late November so we will see if that makes any difference.
Another consideration for some is fuel economy. I did an 80 mile run twice last week and averaged 46 mpg in the i4. The V6 would probably do just over half that! On longer motorway runs in the V6 I also noticed there can be a slightly annoying drone which can get a little tiresome.
Time will tell which model is the more reliable, but my bet would be on the i4. None will be perfect!

 

[Nick P]

I really don't think that either of the v6 auto or the i4 are anything other than fantastic cars. I collected my v6 auto in August and, after 1000 miles, I am still totally enamoured with it. I test drove both cars back to back. They are both very fast and (in the UK, at least) with (just) 360hp, the i4 doesn't feel any less rapid. The characters of the cars are subtly different. If anything I felt that the DSG box made the power delivery feel slightly more frenetic in the i4.

Ultimately, I could have gone with either car but I always wanted a v6...so that's what I chose.

 

[gdotp]

I’d agree with all the above comments. I’ve done 3k in my i4 now and love it. The engine is a bit of a monster on boost and when going sounds good ….just not as good as the v6. The dsg is also good but could be a bit quicker on downshifts but in reality I don’t notice a delay.
For me I like the madness of the i4 when really pushing on, it’s super torquey and I enjoy keeping it in the zone. I did test drive a v6 auto and manual and I think the i4 does feel a little sharper , mins on touring suspension which is good for uk roads. Fuel efficiency is a factor, on longer motorway slogs the i4 is surprisingly good which does make a difference if you intend to use it