Doug Demuro reviews the 2026 GT3 Touring. Manual Transmission is not nearly as good as previous models, says it reminds him of a BMW manual?
Posted by LongjumpingLock5875@reddit | cars | View on Reddit | 67 comments
Pretty interesting video, especially during the driving impressions section, with him being very critical of the manual transmission in the new GT3 Touring.
Not sure if something changed since he didn't have that same experience in the 992.1 GT3 Touring that he reviewed a few years ago.
But overall pretty interesting video.
Enjoy.
Skodakenner@reddit
Doug Demuro has some of the wierdest most circlejerk oppinions i think that are possible
UmaThurmish@reddit
he stopped doing the score summary because it makes no sense how he scores the cars.
c9isbetterthanskt@reddit
He literally does it in this video though?
UmaThurmish@reddit
no, the explanation for every score. he stopped doing that a few years ago
jehsn@reddit
It always feels like to me that he’s got a final score in mind relative to some competitors, and then backs out from there to get to that score.
UmaThurmish@reddit
pretty much. at the same time, he doesn't punish impractical sports cars for being terrible in the daily scores as much as he should. he just gives them average score usually, which really makes no sense
pusch85@reddit
I think he, and YouTube personalities like him, have mistaken “lots people watch my videos” with “lots of people care about my opinion”.
We’re here for you to show us how the back of the hood release latch has braille that spells out BMW, and not what you think of pedal feel dude.
RamenWrestler@reddit
I think his opinion on things like this is warranted, because he has driven basically every enthusiast car ever made in the last 30 years. So he'd recognize a difference and have some insightful commentary on things
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
It is sorta funny that a bunch of people on reddit who definitely have not driven the car are immediately jumping in to push back on the one guy who did drive the car and has also driven far more comparable cars than anyone in this sub.
Like doug or not, if he's saying something is different there then something is likely different there. Up to the buyer to decide if it's a problem or not of course.
Geofferz@reddit
Yeah but also often things are entirely unremarkable and unrankable and all kind of just absolutely fine, but you can't say that in a review vid.
newtonreddits@reddit
Don't people naturally defer to someone for their opinion if said person reviews a lot of a certain type of thing?
humdizzle@reddit
i was laughing at the first part of his vid because Doug "not a porsche guy, but his favorite car is a porsche" Demuro was talking about al the issues people complain about with the CGT clutch (on/off switch, easy to kill, etc).
bikedork5000@reddit
The hand wringing over the "goodness" of various manual transmissions is irritating. I've driven ones with bad (ie, poorly functioning) clutches, bad synchros, shitty old truck manuals, VW manuals that everyone groupthinks are "bad", Tremecs in Mustangs, etc etc etc. And you know what? After a few days with any one of them you adjust and they work just fine. I guarantee you this Porsche manual is universes better than a ton of the other options.
e30kid@reddit
VW manuals are dogshit lol. It’s not groupthink
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
The problem is BMW takes what should be a pretty solid manual and makes it bad. The Supra has a far notchier and better feeling stick, and the clutch is easily fixed with some small adjustments, which means the base elements here are quite good - but the same unit in the older 240 is just far worse to operate because BMW decided that it's buyers actually want vague mushy engagement.
yobo9193@reddit
I'd say it's the other way around; it starts as a bad shifter and Toyota put effort into making it feel good. The Z4 supposedly has similar changes made to make it feel better.
yobo9193@reddit
Are we talking about shifters, clutch feel, or all of them together?
I liked the shifter and clutch in my buddies Mk. 7 GTI and in my Mk. 8 Golf rental I had in Europe. The shifter is better than what's in any BMW, but I don't think any BMW has a "bad" shifter
I think all the Germans do clutch feel better than the Japanese, because the Accord 2.0T and Integra A-Spec manual I drove both had wonky clutches, where it felt like I never knew when the clutch would grab; never had those issues with any German car I drove, even though all of them use CDVs now.
If you want a bad shifter, drive my dad's Suzuki Vitara. That's a truck transmission that feels like one.
bikedork5000@reddit
I've owned a '17 GTI 6mt and currently have a manual Alltrack. They're absolutely fine and I have zero complaints. Everyone seems to think if it's not a Honda manual or a damn gated shifter on a vintage Ferrari then it's no good.
InitialDuck@reddit
MT82s were also not as strong iirc. Drove a Golf GTI once and it's one of the few cars I've driven that I'd not get the manual.
colonial_dan@reddit
FYI it isn’t the Tremecs that people hate on the Mustangs, it’s the Ford units that come in the regular GT and Bullit. The GT350 and Mach1 have the TREMEC unit and nobody complains about that.
anonymousbystander7@reddit
I feel like I have terrible taste in manuals because I loved my Passat’s stick and also have an abiding love for rubbery BMW shifters after my e39
narwhal_breeder@reddit
Disagree - the crunch into 2nd gear with the MT82 on S550 GTs, especially hustling it at Laguna - was always infuriating. Big reason of why I sold it.
Hornycloudlover@reddit
Dude is a chode why do you guys value his opinion lol
GRN225@reddit
Been saying that for years on here and got downvoted to oblivion several times lol
ManufacturerBest2758@reddit
Happening in this very comment chain again! You’re not allowed to dislike him!
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
Well, Elon Musk is like an actual bad person that's done demonstrable harm to the country. Doug is a dude on youtube who has a personality some people find offputting.
It's fine to actively dislike musk, because he's doing bad things that impact all of us. If I had negative feelings that strong towards Doug I'd probably just not watch his videos and not click on links associated with him, which is not particularly hard to do.
Sixspeeddreams_again@reddit
He’s a piece of garbage in person too apparently. Several mutual friends know him around SD.
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
Maybe, who knows, but that's not really something that can't be easily avoided. Again comparing a guy on the internet who's personality you don't like to a billionaire who's creating measurable harm is just absurd.
ineyeseekay@reddit
I feel comfortable agreeing, finally. I could never stand him since he was working with Jalopnik. I figured he was the car reviewer for non-enthusiasts.
Sixspeeddreams_again@reddit
He literally just pump and dumps cars via his YouTube channel to take good cars normies could afford and pump them up so rich boys with too much money can immediately outbid you for any decent example.
Oh and he always makes sure to buy his example before doing a “review”
zarif2003@reddit
Oozing with jealousy
GRN225@reddit
Daddy Doug ain’t gonna let you hit bro.
MaraudingWalrus@reddit
Well it is certainly simpler to review something you have easy access to.
parker2020@reddit
This is a stupid ass take…
ManufacturerBest2758@reddit
I don’t how people can listen to his voice for more than 5 minutes at a time
accountforrealppl@reddit
Absolutely devastated that this car that I'll never be able to afford doesn't have as satisfying of a clutch feel. How will my boss's boss ever recover?
broverlin@reddit
i remember when the 992 came out a few years ago and they were bragging about their double wishbone front suspension, and I told my friend “nice, the 911 finally has caught up to the Miata” lol
MGPS@reddit
Nelson voice “Ha ha”
Loltoor@reddit
Oh you poor poor victim
Aforementionedlurker@reddit
There are some comments where "/s" is superfluous. I'm not sure yours is one of those comments
Due-Combination7924@reddit
I am devastated as well. I will now not be trading in my perfect shifting NA Miata for it.
Baby-girl-54321@reddit
Modern manuals keep getting cleaner and faster, but they’re losing some of that old mechanical feel.
newtonreddits@reddit
Manual fan boys don't want to hear it but modern manuals are just cosplay
colonial_dan@reddit
That won’t be true as long as the cars can’t shift gears by themselves
watduhdamhell@reddit
I mean the thing almost does. It's got every kind of doodad and rev matching and rev assist and uphill star and everything else...
When you add all this automation it seems like a completely pointless thing to do other than for the single line you can say " I still technically have to shift it."
I think that's the sentiment OC is conveying. That you just want people to see that you have to shift it. You're posing is a serious car person, when in reality, you should have just gotten the automatic.
SecretPantyWorshiper@reddit
Not sure what you are talking about. Porsche was the only German OEM with a "good manual" as long as you dont get a German MT its fine
yobo9193@reddit
My BMW shifter is mid, but I liked the Mk. 8 Golf shifter. The Germans also do clutch tuning better than their Japanese counterparts, excluding the Miata.
newtonreddits@reddit
Not doubting it's a good manual by feel. But any manual rev matches you for you is just cosplay manual.
SecretPantyWorshiper@reddit
Well its a feature you can turn off lol. Its not permanent
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
It's tough to tell what he's talking about specifically, but I wonder if Porsche went the route of BMW (and others) and utilized a form of clutch delay valve.
My Supra had one, removing it was one of the first mods I did and it's night and day in terms of engagement - what was a sloppy vague clutch turned in to a normal linear experience overnight.
https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=6562
yobo9193@reddit
He's probably talking about the shifter itself. BMW clutches are fine, even with the CDV.
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
In the video he specifically is discussing the clutch engagement. And tbh no they're not, the CDV is really an unnecessary impairment - having done this myself the difference is significant.
ReadWriteHexecute@reddit
that shit doesn’t do anything, bro you should’ve gotten the UCP. It makes the clutch actually feel like a Honda one
yobo9193@reddit
What era of Honda? Modern Honda clutches in their non-Type R vehicles are garbage
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
It's quite possible that I do at some point, but for starters the CDV absolutely did do quite a bit. Engagement and feel is orders of magnitude better.
AmNoSuperSand52@reddit
What is the purpose of a clutch delay valve in the first place?
hi_im_bored13@reddit
Its to prevent shock to the driveline, limiting hydraulic flow on the way out
SecretPantyWorshiper@reddit
Its so that what you accidentally stall the car there is more fluid being pushed to prevent gear grind damage.
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
It's training wheels for driving stick, prevents driveline shock in the event that the driver is a complete moron.
cilantno@reddit
Does the Supra also have a “swirl valve”?
My old MK7 R has a CDV (right by the slave) and a swirl valve (closer to the firewall/master) and the swirl valve delete added some awesome feedback from the clutch, but added a ton of noise.
I removed both, added a stainless line, clutch stop, and my 660lb-ft clutch and that was the best clutch I’ve ever operated.
RIP_Soulja_Slim@reddit
Not that I'm aware of, or at least if it does I've never seen anyone discuss it - I do know that the CDV delete is a very common mod on many BMWs, and specifically comes highly recommended with the Supra so I'd imagine if there was a swirl valve it would be in those conversations.
73629265@reddit
Doug was more refreshing when all his takes were still grounded in the regular car guy sphere.
I'm happy for all his success, but he's become another rich guy car reviewer. He's great on the podcast.
humdizzle@reddit
sounds like topher said the same thing. very light clutch with minimal feel compared to the 991.2 generation.
honestly my 991.2 doesn't have a ton of feel either. i just leave it in sport mode which helps blip the throttle for 0-5mph and helps on upshifts (keeps rpms from dropping to fast).
MoneyPitAuto@reddit
I have a .2 Touring and can understand it. It took longer to get used to than a lot of other manuals I drive. It is a very satisfying car to drive and once you're used to the bite point it's very enjoyable but the friction zone is VERY small.
zarif2003@reddit
His main complaint was on it being uncomfortable for daily use, but better for track use. Which is strange because I don’t expect touring buyers to be tracking their wingless GT3
narwhal_breeder@reddit
Probably due to complaints from the ever increasingly geriatric GT3 customer base.
Chevrolet did the same thing with the C7 - specifically referencing its older client base requesting a lighter clutch.
NoctD@reddit
Remember the 992.2 GT3 got the transmission from the S/T so its nothing like the 992.1. And the S/T as much as its been made out to be the ultimate 911 is far from the easiest MT to drive. Even with a heavier flywheel, its not surprising to find this GT3 MT not sorted at "golf cart" speeds for a Porsche GT car. Of course it all goes away once you're up to speed, which Doug mentions as well.