I bought a 6-speed '02 SE about two weeks ago. I had a '95 GXE (auto) for 4 years before that. The '02 feels like a totaly different car.
I do have a few questions and concerns that I would like to get your opinions on.

What RPMs do you have to get it up to in order to get the car moving on a 6-speed? (Moderate launch)
I can't seem to get the car moving smoothly. I give it gas (to about 1200-1500 rpms), slowly release the clutch, it starts moving, but then the RPMs drop and it jerks once, then moves on fine. It's the same even if I give it more gas. This happens on shifts N-1st and 1st-2nd. 3rd and others are fine. Also, there is a very slight vibration in the clutch as I release it slowly.
I am not new to manual transmission; I had only manual transmission cars before my '95 GXE. Also, when I test drove a few other cars before getting my '02 I had no problems launching those cars either smoothly or agressively.
Is shifting on the 5.5 gen that different or is something up with my car? Can the clutch be adjusted? Is it maybe that the throttle position needs to be adjusted or something like that?

 

I came from a similar position, coming from a 99 to an 02. The reason you're having trouble with smooth shifts is because you're reving the engine too much. The car is gonna jerk on a launch anyway you do it. I'll tell you what I did; I went to an empty parking lot, and I practiced getting the car moving in first gear without using the gas at all (this probably isn't great for the clutch, dunno though). Then I learned to feel exactly when the clutch was starting to catch, and then in normal driving I release the clutch till the catch comes, and then I give it a lil gas up to about 1000-1500 rpms and slowly release the clutch until it fully enages. If you release it too fast, it will jerk. You shouldn't give gas before you start releasing the clutch unless you want to launch the car, and that's bad for the clutch.

For 2nd, I do the same thing. I release until it starts engaging, and then I give some gas, and slowly release the rest of the way. This will take some time to master, but you will. If you drive it every day, you'll naturally get a feel for how the car wants to be driven, and your shifts will get smoother as you go. Best of luck to ya.

 

i had the problem too and this is how to fix it
you need to figure out where the clutch engages (mine is very high). its way easier when you figure that out.
this is what is happening with you (just like me) -
you are letting off the clutch and giving gas. the RPMs are getting high before the clutch engages so the car jerks. when you learn that spot, dont give it gas till you are almost there.
its the same with shifting between gears. dont push the clutch to the floor. push it right past the engage point.

EDIT: just realized that i basically said what Rydicule said.

as far as practice, i do it at lights. let the clutch out (no gas) until the clutch engages (you will hear it cause the RPMs will go down). do that for a few weeks to get the muscle memory

 

No gas and slow clutch release in 1st is the way to do it smooth when accelerating normally from a light...the 3.5 has enough torque to do this without stalling the motor.

For 2nd and beyond, unless I am accelerating hard, I let the clutch out all the way and give gas just after fully released...virtually eliminates wear on the clutch and gets rid of the jerky motion. As others have said, getting used to the engagement point is the key. Before I sold my previous car, I would drive the Max on sunny days and the other car all other times. The clutch feel and engagement point were so dramatically different between the two cars that it was very hard to take off from a light smoothly in the Max. Since the previous car is gone now and I only drive the Max, I've gotten alot smoother. Practice makes perfect.

The other thing that makes it hard is that the VQ motor is so quiet with the windows up that the only way to "hear" the motor is by looking at the tach...