That's about the size of it but not because Geartronic doesn't work - quite the contrary. Geartronic works better than Audi's Tiptronic or BMW's Steptronic in my experience (I have Geartronic on our S80 T6 and V70 T5). Geartronic gives you much more control than other automanuals - it's the only one that will let you thrash the engine in the redline zone while other automatically shift for you way too early. Geartronic only shifts down when you come to a stop. Other than that Volvo completely leaves it up to you to shift when you want. The downside is that even though Geartronic shifts as fast or faster than other automanuals it's still not as fast as a true manual.

ON THE OTHER HAND (and I'll get some flack for this) I feel that Volvo's automatics simply can't be beat if you're an aggressive driver. If you constantly hammer the accelerator like I do then your transmission is setup for sport driving (holding the lower hears longer). Volvo's tranny logic for automatic mode is as good as it gets and you'll have a really hard time outperforming it in a straightline with a manual if you know how to manage the automatic for maximum thrust (the corners are a different story where a manual has an advantage but I've also found that Geartronic is useful here because I can preset the gear I want for the backside of the apex in order to get maximum torque to the ground).

Overall, I find that Geartronic works OK but it's not a manual. On the other hand, I find almost no situations where a manual would be an advantage in daily driving (if I were to go to a race track it would be another story of course).

Good luck in your choice.

-rdo

I test drove or rented a few of these although not Volvos prior to picking up my 01 Saab manual. I drove Acuras Type S, 300M and Lexus IS300. I found the Lexus one neat as it had buttons on the wheels, but felt that would get tired quickly. I found the Type S was confusing and gimmicky. The 300M was very sloppy and really hammered the tranny. I think the manufactures here are just trying to get stick drivers into their cars (as Type S and IS300 did not offer manuals at the time, don't know about 300M) but adding these features.

I agree with the last comments. If you want to shift get the manual. If you want an auto go with it. If the 'manumatic' comes with the auto free, then take but I certaintly would not go looking for one or pay a premium for it. Unfortunately for Volvo, some model versions don't come with manual. Our 99GLT is auto only. Need to go to the base or T5 to get a manual.