[lhoboy]

That does not seem to me to be that bad.

I agree. The delay sounds like it may be a second at most compared to the 4-5 second reports we have heard. With gated synchros, you can't shift much faster than that antway.

 

[lhoboy]

A fully manual tranny with a clutch peddle would be harder to drive in the urban environment the smart is designed for.

I just don't understand that. For as light as the Smart is, driving a full manual transmision in any environment (except maybe San Francisco) is incredibly easy and effortless. Once you get use to driving a manual in city traffic , it's just not a big deal and you get much better control over the vehicle. Try rocking a car out of a pile of snow with anything other than a manual transmission. It's just not as effective.

 

[lhoboy]

I wonder how complicated it may be to convert to a true manual, the mechanical side may be fairly stight FWD but all the electronics tied to this system may be a challenge.

I've been thinking that the automated clutch servo could be replaced with a slave cylinde, depending on the design. (I'm still looking for an exploded view of the clutch/transmission). I would tend to stick with the shift by wire, because designing a precise feeling mechanical shifter that reaches back to a rear mounted drivetrain is going to be too challenging.