Johannesburg - The world is changing, the bright young things tell us, and dinosaur technologies are on their way out. Like newspapers and manual transmissions in cars.
I have a Mark Twain-esque approach to the prophets of doom in that I believe reports of the death of these technologies may be somewhat exaggerated.
Yet, there is no doubt the world wants a more digital, and less analogue approach to news and the way gears are changed in cars. And this is, I believe, not for the experience itself, but for the convenience.
It's easy to get news on your computer or, increasingly these days, via your smartphone. We at Independent Media have just climbed on that bandwagon with an app called My.Independent, that allows you to access all 21 of our titles for a ridiculously low monthly fee (and I didn't get ordered or paid to say that - it really is cool).
But ultimately, I love the feel of newsprint in my hands and, despite what all the techies say about the Web, a newspaper broadsheet page offers far faster download speeds than any fast bandwidth connection, using an interface called the human brain.
AMAZINGLY FAST AND SLICK
I also still love manual transmissions in cars, but I have become more and more inclined over recent years to autos, as they just get so amazingly fast and slick.
Best exponents of this art are VW and Audi's dual-clutch gearboxes, but the straight autos from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Jaguar also offer the fast-change benefits of a manual with the convenience of an auto.
When Subaru announced it was bringing out its new WRX hot sedan with a CVT (constantly variable transmission) I almost threw up my hands in horror.
A few years ago, a truly horrible CVT in a Mitsubishi Outlander totally ruined the car for me, and its promised fuel economy was illusory because my own manual Subaru Forester bested it by at least 10 percent.
True, Subaru has done wonders with the CVT technology in the new Forester and Outback; the cars feel as good as top autos and almost as good as dual-clutch set-ups.
Still - in a WRX, the quintessential driver's car? Surely a mismatch?
Yet, good as Subaru's manual gearboxes are, they can get a bit wearying if you are stuck in traffic - as I was one time for two hours in a WRX STi, and hobbled away with severe pain in the ball of my clutch foot afterwards. Okay, that was an extreme example, but it underlined the luxury and convenience of a self-shifter in city traffic.
TUNED FOR ‘SPORT’
In the new WRX, the CVT is said to have been tuned for 'sport'. And it shows. Changes, through a virtual gearbox (which allows six speeds in normal mode and eight speeds in close-ratio sport setting), are lightning fast - and smooth. There is no howling of the engine while it waits for the transmission belts to catch up (as in the Outlander) and changing gear is seamless.
If I have a criticism of the CVT in the WRX it is that there is a slight hesitation on pull-off as the CVT and the 197kW from the turbocharged flat-four 'boxer' engine get their act together. The manual seems to be slightly quicker off the mark - although launching an all-wheel-drive car with a powerful turbo motor and manual transmission is an art in itself.
On the move, though, the CVT is as good as the manual - better, if you just want to putter around or are stuck in traffic. You'll have the bonus of slightly better fuel consumption too because the CVT in the WRX is said to be more efficient and because there is also a trick electronic power map setting called SI-Drive which makes the most of torque and transmission ratios.
The next car I buy is probably going to be a WRX.
After 20 years of looking after the family, I deserve a reward. My wife agrees - she loves Subarus. I always thought it was a given I would get a manual. But, traffic and the fact my wife will also drive it means the CVT is not a bad option at all.
Life is all about moving on and changing.
Saturday Star