i drive a 2000 TL, which has dual auto/manual transmission.
here's large pic for those that care:
http://z.about.com/d/cars/1/0/-/o/jf...ls_shifter.jpg
In auto mode, you shift between park, reverse, drive, low, by moving the gear shift forward and backwards.
When it's in Drive, you can move the gearshift to the left, towards yourself, and it's in manual mode. (There's a + and - shown in the pic) Manual means you control "when" it shifts, but the transmission still does the shift, so you don't have to use a clutch or anything. Also, it has some sort of protection override, so if you're going 60mph and try to downshift to 1st gear, it won't let you.
If you want to downshift, you pull the gearshift towards the -, then release it and it goes back to the center. If you want to upshift, you push it forward towards the +, then release it and it goes back to the center.
You can go back to auto mode by moving the gearshift to the right, back to the normal auto mode. You can shift between auto and manual on the fly (ie, while driving)
I find it very useful when going up hills, or when passing, or when entering onto the highway. I downshift so the gearing is "peppy", then when I hit the gas, it accelerates quickly without the time-lag you get with normal auto transmissions. Same with hills, easier to stay in the gear that gives the power you need to go up the hill, without the toggling between gears that auto transmissions do.
Sometimes early on, I'd forget to switch back to auto, and find 10 minutes later i'm still driving in manual at a lower gear than I should be, wasting a little bit of gas.
Overall, acura has a very smooth 6 speed transmission.
I've enjoyed my acura. very smooth ride, good performance when you need to accelerate. Decent gas mileage. Haven't had any mechanical problems.
Comes with lots of nice extras, as all the "options" are standard. Wouldn't have bought seat warmers if I had to pay extra, particularly here in TX, but since they were included, they're nice to have on cold days. Also find the button on the steering wheel to adjust the volume and switch stations to be very convenient. (This is enough confession of frivilous luxury to have me booted from a homesteading forum I'm sure!)
let me know if you have any more questions.
--sgl
