A lot of you may know that I was struggling with the decision to go with the automatic or manual in my 2010 Camaro. After a long decision, I eventually chose the A6 at the last minute. Since I have taken delivery, I have been asked quite a few times and if I like it and if I regret getting it. Now that I have nearly 1,000 miles on my 2010 Camaro, I think I can answer that question.

First, let’s take a step back and talk about why I even considered the A6 transmission. After having the M6 in both my 1996 Camaro SS and my 2002 Camaro SS, I was interested in trying something different. With the first ever 6-speed automatic with tap-shift in a Camaro, it was hard to turn down. Plus, I will be supercharging the car in preparation for SEMA 2009 and I wanted to retain some driveability.

So now that I have the A6, when people are checking out the interior, they sometimes look at me and say, “Wow…you got an automatic? Ugh…” Yes, they actually say that and I just smile.

Let me be the first to say that in no way do I regret getting the A6 transmission and there is no shame in it. Here’s why…

First, it is fun to drive. Yes, a performance car with an automatic transmission can indeed be fun to drive. I can power around curves with ease, and I can quickly shift in the middle of it with the pads on the back of the steering wheel without losing any speed. After all, isn’t fun what it is all about?

Second, it is great for just cruising around. Leave it in Drive and just take it easy. No need to have to stretch your left leg every few minutes because it is cramping up during traffic jams, long car show lines, or staging lanes at the track.

Third, I can manually shift it if I want. Just drop the gear level down into S(port) and  tap one of the pads behind the steering wheel which then display that it is in M(anual) on the Driver Information Center.  At that point, I am in complete control. When I am done playing, I just pop the gear lever back into D(rive).

Did you know that when in Manual shift mode, the automatic transmission in a 2010 Camaro will not upshift until you tell it to with a tap of your fingertips? That’s right, and if you are slow on the tap, the engine will bounce off the rev limiter until you shift. It leaves you in complete control. However, another thing that is cool is that if you are cruising along in Manual mode and slow down for whatever reason and forget to downshift, the car will downshift for you, “automatically”. Pretty smart.

I suppose that if I were to change anything, it would be to firm up the shifts a bit and make them snappier. Surely, the shifts are a bit soft for longevity reasons, but that can be taken care of with a little bit of tuning.

In short, I like having the A6 in my 2010 Camaro. Maybe in my next Camaro I will go back to the M6 but for now, I will continue to enjoy what I have.

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