I've driven manual shift sports cars my whole life - from a '67 AH to a '98 328iC and this 6 speed rocks!!! First - the clutch is not long throw - if you depress it until you can slip the gear (just past 1/2) then travel another inch you can drop into the next gear. It seems to adjust to my driving style depending on how far down I push the clutch pedal. That fixes most of the jerk I generated on my test drive. Second - if 1st is too jerky, the engine can handle a 2nd gear start up to a minor hill. Third - with ANY performance manual transmission out there, it is easier to hit 1st after you align 2nd. Fourth - a standing start on anything other than perfect pavement will generate a hiccup with the traction control enabled as the computer kicks in. To get the feel for how hard to get on the gas through the shift, disengage the TCS on a wet road and figure out the clutch/gas feather with no traffic around. Finally - God bless Syncromesh, and if you don't know what that is, find a friend with a 60's manual trans and take a lesson...

-Ward