Over at MSN Autos, Lawrence Ulrich makes the point that not all automanuals are that bad. Some people prefer them. Even the Audi S3 will get the Audi/VW 7-speed DSG gearbox, a favorite of enthusiasts. We love the manual transmission. We really do. But we'd be lying if we thought every car actually needed one. Is there a point to a manual Taurus? Sports cars should at least come with a manual option for those who, like us, prefer the feel, but a well-made paddle-shifted transmanual in a grand tourer is a completely reasonable thing. Right?

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Looks like Jaguar's taken its new, stickless shifter kit to the streets. The spy photo establishment picked up a few shots of an XKR sans J-gate shifter and with, ahem, no noticeable vertical protrusion from the console. The obvious conclusion is the JaguarDrive system (shown), introduced in the C-XF concept car earlier this year, may not be exclusive to the coming XF model. Will the new, button-heavy configuration set Jag apart from its Germanic competitors, or are we watching another iDrive misfortune in its early stages. Right; too soon to tell. – Mike Spinelli

SPY PHOTOS: Jaguar XKR with JaguarDrive Trans Concept? [World Car Fans]

Related:
2009 Jaguar XF, on the Inside [internal]

If you're addicted to banging off shifts with VW/Audi's DSG box, you'll soon have a new cog to swap. We've already heard Porsche is working on a similar seven-ratio box, but according to the UK's WhatCar? a new seven-speed DSG automanual will arrive this year. VW's new Direct Shift Gearbox, originally the creation of tranny house Borg Warner, will first appear on the VW Rabbit/Golf. The new sprocket will allow a tighter fit between first and second, which will reportedly improve acceleration while allowing for a taller top gear. But the fragile box is said to top out at 184 lb-ft of torque, so don't expect it to show up in the Audi RS4 anytime soon. It's strictly a low-end enterprise, for now. As for Porsche's system, which would have to be at least twice as robust to survive? That's a question best left to the sultans of Bruce. – Mike Spinelli

New seven-speed automatic from VW [What Car?]

Related:
Porsche Working up Seven-Speed DSG for Entire Line; Sportomatic! Next Porsche 911 to get DSG, Direct-Injection; Farago to Wet Self: DSG Cost-Effective! [internal]

If your idea of nirvana is clutchless gear changes with zero lag up and down the cogway, today may be your birthday. So says UK-based Zeroshift, which claims to have developed an add-on mechanism that replaces a manual tranny's synchromesh. It's called the Zeroshift Automated Manual Transmission (AMT), and the company says it can change gears seamlessly — more efficiently than VW/Audi's sublime DSG box. (Here's how it works.) The chart pictured shows the AMT in use on a TVR Cerbera 4.2 equipped with a Tremec T5 five-speed manual. The company says on passenger cars it can reduce wasted fuel, while in more sporting applications — well, you know. – Mike Spinelli

Zeroshift Automated Manual Transmission could be an automotive killer app [Gizmag]

Related:
Competition for DSG: Chrysler to Build Dual-Clutch Gearbox; Sportomatic! Next Porsche 911 to get DSG, Direct-Injection; Farago to Wet Self: DSG Cost-Effective! [internal]