Interested to know how a manual 3.5L is like to drive?

In the sense that is it easy to get smooth gearchanges?
Smooth take off?
Does it feel natural?
Do you need to get used to it to drive it well?

I ask, as I have gotten into some cars (Mazda 6, CX7, Nissan Juke) all of which manual and from the first moment they felt easy/good to drive. Felt as if I've been driving them for a long time.
In contrast, I own a manual Audi (new) which is horrible to drive and I cannot get used to it.

Which would the Magna compare more to?

Well put it this way, I'd never driven a manual before getting my car converted, within a couple of days I was driving it fairly naturally. I can't compare it to other cars, but it was VERY easy to learn in. I found the clutch etc. was very forgiving.

Being from Scotland I have driven various manuals, the last over there being an Alfa. The manual Magna I currently own is great to drive.The gearbox is very smooth and you can drop a gear and get that engine roaring very quickly. About town driving the box is quick & natural. On a country road the box is easy to move up & down, e.g. dropping a gear before a corner. So I have been very happy with it.

The throw is a little long but its direct unlike some others i couldnt care to mention.

Its easy to get along with and doesnt mind a quicker change. The pedals are well spaced for heal-toeing if thats what you like doing

After coming from a four speed, I was a bit worried about how easy/dificult they would be to drive...
But the standard clutch is very light, and the gears are well gated and smooth, though the gearsticks leverage changed slightly through the models, I think there's a bit more throw and height in the earlier shifters...

I was surprised how short the gearing was.. But that is what makes the so quick to climb...
Its very easy to get the clutch out quickly in first, Very quickly, and changes through the gears could easily be done @ 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 kmph.
And if you feeling lazy, You could laze around in first, third and fifth. But theres power everywhere, overdrive seems a bit lacking, but maybe thats the weight of my car.
I think 110kmph is about 2800 rpm (5th gear) or something, which was only 2100 RPM in my old 4 speed, Thats about the only negative.
Its a very natural, easy, car to drive.
I've no doubt, my missus, who hasnt driven it yet, will be surprised how easy it is, and would really enjoy it...

I found I was back into it quickly after not driving a manual in Ages, Though my first 3 cars were manuals. Dont think I have stalled it yet..

It frees up the power of the motor well, and torque steer shows it head a bit more when its under the pump.

I drive a manual TH 3.5L and its a dream... Granted the whole thing can be a bit daunting to start but i have found that the Magna is immensely forgiving on the clutch. To the point where you don't even need to accelerate in first because (and this might just be my car because its had some timing belt modifications before i got it) just launches off itself.

I love how its a cheap car and yet somehow i can end up accelerating enough that I'm pushed back by a small amount of G's you dont find in regular cars =P Always good for a bit of fun.

But keeping in mind I'm not a speed freak but more of a comfort over performance minded person. MCS_Xi also noted that manuals can be easier on the fuel to. So thats a bonus.

So far the fuel use in the magna seems to favour the four speed, but its still early days , and I'm still playing with the newly found power...

It is however, a lot harder to speed, you dont accidently creep over the limit anywhere near as much, as the amount of control the shorter gearbox gets from the responsive accelerator/drive setup.

Our TF was a delight to drive. The only thing was that we had to be very careful if the road was wet or icy. Even on a dry road, it was very easy to spin the front wheels if you brought the clutch pedal up too quickly with a bootful of revs. On the other hand, slow manoeuvering was a dream with the idle speed controller doing the work for us. Our driveway entrance has a bit of a steep transition across the footpath, and the ISC allowed us to crawl into the driveway without slipping the clutch. Our new Outlander is not as forgiving - we have to slip the clutch.

Both my old TE and current TJ have been manuals. After you've driven one for a day it'll feel very natural. Had issues in my TE that made it hard to crawl without riding the clutch, have not had any issues with the in the TJ. Crawls along nice and slow when needed. erad mentions that it's easy to spin the wheels with a bootful of revs , while this is true, you'll be able to find a sweet spot that launches well. Once you get going you can feed it as much as you want (in the dry). As with all cars, the tyres matter. I've also found them to be pretty easy on clutches. I've done over 100,000kms on the current clutch with some spirited driving on most days.

In contrast, I own a manual Audi (new) which is horrible to drive and I cannot get used to it.
Which Audi do you have?

I own a B6 S4 and the clutch feel is quite light, especially for a V8. I recently had to replace the flywheel and clutch stupid dual-mass flywheel... grrr) and it changed the feel of it quite significantly, there is a lot more bite - may have something to do with the fact that I'm now running an RS4 pressure plate!

Another thing to remember with the Audi is that it's drive by wire, which gives it the sense of disconnect you feel. A tune will help rectify that ;)

Some people complain of the box being a bit baulky from 1st to 2nd, sometimes a bit of crunching on faster changes. Usually on higher km boxes with synchro wear but this was reported on new cars during contempory tests. My Ralliart can have this issue when cold but much better since changing the oil to Redline MT90. Otherwise very forgiving and hard to stall. Third generation manual Magnas (and 380s) have always had a reputation for great throttle response - much better than the auto. Obviously the sports/VRX/Ralliart variants even more so. 5th gear is quite low, especially on the Ralliart which really cries out for a 6th gear.

Manuals also last longer but clutch replacement not the cheapest.

Our TF had a baulky first to second gear change - only when cold. Once warmed up it was fine. Incidentally, the Magnas have synchro on reverse gear as well as all forward gears. My Pajero has it as well. That gets me ito trouble with my Toyota mates because I always forget and cruch it into reverse.

The clutch had done 250000 km when we traded the car in on a new one. Having said that,we live in the country and drive as little as possible in the city. Incidentally, being a manual tranmisson worked against us (I think) when it came time to trade it in. It seems that people want autos these days. Given the streams of threads on auto problems on this site, that would be the last thing I would want (our new Outlander is a manual transmission and it was hard to get one).

My change 1-2 is clunky, rest are fine 02 ralliart

My old TE also had a baulky/crunchy 1st to 2nd change. I twice took it back to the dealer I bought it from and demanded they fix it under the used car warranty. Both times they claimed they renewed the MTF, but both times it made no difference at all. I learned to live with it.

It was worse when the motor was cold and worse at low revs. If I wound first gear right out and slammed it through to second it was not a problem at all, but that's not a great way to treat your car.

I eventually got into the habit of double declutching on the 1st to 2nd change, which worked to prevent the graunch.

Other than that problem the TE manual was very good, and the same with my 380 manual. The clutch is light and progressive and the changes are smooth and precise. The gear lever throw is a little long but OK, and it's vital you have a nice heavy gear knob (the stock knob on a 3rd gen or 380 is fairly heavy) and not some featherweight after market thing.

Had a laugh when I read the first post.
Driven manual and auto Magnas and previous efforts from Mitsu. Currently have a 5 speed manual Lancer and a couple of auto third genners.

Manual Mitsus have a light clutch and generally a good shift action. When to change gears takes some getting used to, but becomes a no-brainer after a while.
Whenever the 1st to 2nd problem popped up, I'd blame a sticky clutch plate, a couple of normal takeoffs in second gets some heat into the clutch plate and that fixes the problem.

Manuals require more driver involvement and are more fun to drive (except in stop-start traffic), autos are for lazy people. Pity manual Magnas are so scarce.

I would prefer an auto as I want some easy and comfortable to drive, but I don't want to end up stuck on the highway with a broken transmission so wondering whether a preemptive auto to manual swap is worth considering?


Which Audi do you have?

I own a B6 S4 and the clutch feel is quite light, especially for a V8. I recently had to replace the flywheel and clutch stupid dual-mass flywheel... grrr) and it changed the feel of it quite significantly, there is a lot more bite - may have something to do with the fact that I'm now running an RS4 pressure plate!

Another thing to remember with the Audi is that it's drive by wire, which gives it the sense of disconnect you feel. A tune will help rectify that ;)

It's the current A4 (B8), 1.8T. First gear is the worst as I take off and all of a sudden the boost kicks in which jolts the car, then I let go of throttle and jolts again, and 1st to 2nd is impossible to get smooth. Also sometimes it feels like in 1st and 2nd it jolts when trying to maintain a constant speed, which I assume is the fly by wire system not being perfect.

Yeah, I'm yet to find an implementation of drive by wire throttle that is more comfortable to drive than direct cable throttle.

I hated the drive-by-wire setup in the Renault. Took ages to get used to that very small delay. Its fine now though, you adjust to it. Would like to move back to a cable assembly, something i have been mulling

Yeah, I'm yet to find an implementation of drive by wire throttle that is more comfortable to drive than direct cable throttle.


I hated the drive-by-wire setup in the Renault. Took ages to get used to that very small delay. Its fine now though, you adjust to it. Would like to move back to a cable assembly, something i have been mulling

Agreed. In all the cars I've driven with drive by wire throttle, there's always been that momentary hesitation before any throttle response which is bloody annoying.

So much so that it was probably the most common complaint we got when I was working at Holden when the new cars equipped with it came in for its first service.

Now that you mention it, my 380 doesn't respond to the throttle as instantly as my TE did. When I drop it down a gear or two and boot it there is a momentary hesitation a little like an auto kicking down. Nowhere near as long as an auto kicking down, but enough to notice.

Drive by wire: Our new Outlander seems to have a delay when you plant the right foot. I blamed it on the cam design of the engine. I cannot see how drive by wore should change things - maybe even should improve response.

Drive by wire: Our new Outlander seems to have a delay when you plant the right foot. I blamed it on the cam design of the engine. I cannot see how drive by wore should change things - maybe even should improve response.

How so? The issue is very widespread.

Just google "drive by wire throttle lag"

I've always had a manual car, the last 2 cars I've owned ( Tj s2 sports and now my vz ss) are auto, the magna is still more fun to drive. With regards to 1-2 gear crunch, there is a nulon product in a white tube that helps. When I first brought mine it had the same symptom, it corrected the 3-4 crunch but the 1-2 didn't help. So the dealer replaced the box with a ralliart one.

I've always had a manual car, the last 2 cars I've owned ( Tj s2 sports and now my vz ss) are auto, the magna is still more fun to drive. With regards to 1-2 gear crunch, there is a nulon product in a white tube that helps. When I first brought mine it had the same symptom, it corrected the 3-4 crunch but the 1-2 didn't help. So the dealer replaced the box with a ralliart one.

Nulon G70 MTF additive. I use it all the time (plus Redline MT90 MTF). Wish I had known about it when I had my TE, might have fixed the 1st to 2nd graunch.

Interested to know how a manual 3.5L is like to drive?

In the sense that is it easy to get smooth gearchanges?
Smooth take off?
Does it feel natural?
Do you need to get used to it to drive it well?

I ask, as I have gotten into some cars (Mazda 6, CX7, Nissan Juke) all of which manual and from the first moment they felt easy/good to drive. Felt as if I've been driving them for a long time.
In contrast, I own a manual Audi (new) which is horrible to drive and I cannot get used to it.

Which would the Magna compare more to?

My magna is a manual and if you're planning on driving it daily, it will feel quite cumbersome. If its every few days or weekend car, it's quite nice to drive. The big bonus of the manual box is instant power and you choose the gear.

I love my manual but it does feel somewhat "heavy" to drive. But all I have to compare it to is a 3.0L 96 altera

Nulon G70 MTF additive. I use it all the time (plus Redline MT90 MTF). Wish I had known about it when I had my TE, might have fixed the 1st to 2nd graunch.

it doesnt fix the crunch... i was hoping the same haha

I have tried 3 types of oil, the Redline MT90 worked the best by far. 1st to 2nd gear baulkiness almost gone, crunch very rare. The second oil type was Castrol full synthetic, not cheap either. Better than standard but not as good as MT90.

I didn't notice any improvement with the Nulon additive by the way.