Grrrrrind…
“It’s been a while since I’ve driven a manual transmission,” said my colleague.
I was in the passenger seat logging data, feeling a little glad that this was a test car and not mine. I mumbled some acknowledgement as I fiddled with my software.
VROOOOM… lug… lug… stall…
Magically, the car started right up after stalling when he simply gave it gas while in gear. A stop/start system[1] in a manual transmission is a bit weird but seemingly helpful. I would like that feature.
Grrrrrind… lurch… vroooom…
We headed for the test track without further incident, but that wouldn’t last long.
Grrrrr…. grrrrr… grrrrrind… lurch… lug… lug… vroooooooommm…
This went on for some time as we circled the track.
GRRRRRrrrrrrrrrriiiiinnnnnddddd….
Grrrrrind… shift-5… lug… oops… grrrrind… shift-3…
That was it—I couldn’t take it any longer.
“What the hell is wrong with you?! Can’t you see what you’re doing to this poor little car? Have you no pity?! Don’t touch that shifter again!!”
But what came out of my mouth sounded more like, “here, let me try it for a while.”
It was really a nice car. It was even a hatchback, which I have a strong fondness for. We went around the track for a while shifting up and down in the early coolness of summer. Such a good little car. It was too bad my software change didn’t work.
“To perceive is to suffer.”
—Aristotle
[1] On a stop/start system, the engine would turn off whenever the car would come to a complete stop, and start automatically when you step on the gas pedal to go again, thus saving gas.↩
Crankiness Rating: 9 out of 11 (Cars have feelings, too.)
