Manual v Auto

Lopéz said:
F1 gearboxes are not found in road cars, daft comparison.
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Point entirely missed, which is that unless you are saying your driving style is more edgy and aggressive than a F1 driver, you do not need a manual box to suit your driving style.

Lopéz said:
Call me Mr 1%.
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I'll be happy to, once you explain what about your driving style makes you that guy.

My guess is that the real reason you say you prefer manual boxes, is that you mainly drive crap old cars and you feel better about saying it's cause you prefer them, rather than you can't afford a decent autobox.
 
Morba said:
Ok, what is so special about the gear change in particular?
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It's just a really good gearbox. Feels good to change gear:p

I think I'd take an auto if I was commuting in heavy traffic daily, but no other reason. Pointing and steering doesn't appeal massively:(
 
Would never go back to a manual now I've had an auto. If I had something a bit sporty I would love a "flappy paddle" though!

First drive in an auto was a strange experience - my feet were very confused. It was almost like driving a toy car :p
 
loltim said:
It's just a really good gearbox. Feels good to change gear:p

I think I'd take an auto if I was commuting in heavy traffic daily, but no other reason. Pointing and steering doesn't appeal massively:(
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So its all about the gear change and the actually driving of the car is nothing?
How does pointing and steering not appeal?
 
Robbie G said:
My guess is that the real reason you say you prefer manual boxes, is that you mainly drive crap old cars and you feel better about saying it's cause you prefer them, rather than you can't afford a decent autobox.
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I drive what could certainly be described as an old car if not a crap one, probably ballpark similar in value to Lopéz's Manta yet it has one of the best "compromise" - as in an auto that'll let you drive it almost manually - gearboxes in it! - namely BMW's steptronic auto.:confused:

Your budget / affordability argument is lost on me there mate.
 
Robbie G said:
Point entirely missed, which is that unless you are saying your driving style is more edgy and aggressive than a F1 driver, you do not need a manual box to suit your driving style.



I'll be happy to, once you explain what about your driving style makes you that guy.

My guess is that the real reason you say you prefer manual boxes, is that you mainly drive crap old cars and you feel better about saying it's cause you prefer them, rather than you can't afford a decent autobox.
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Where's all this business of "need" coming from?

It's what I like.
 
Driving around at speed, changing gear CAN be satisfying. However, you have to accept the fact that most of the time you'll be sat in top gear, or crawling in traffic, at which point a manual car becomes a huge pain in the arse.

With a decent box and engine, automatics are fantastic, and you have the paddle shifts (I know it's not the same thing) and sport modes to liven the car up if you think it's 'boring'.

I can see why some people might prefer it if they rag the car everywhere and aren't sat in traffic much.
 
[TW]Fox;19415573 said:
Seriously?!

So why do I prefer manuals?
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I can see why you'd prefer a manual over a slushbox, but didn't your 335i come with a DCT option?

In which case I'd say you're just lying in the bed you made, having banged the manual drum for years.
 
[TW]Fox;19415674 said:
Me neither to be honest, I'm just odd :p
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I think you are just trying to fight the BMW machine that is trying to drop the big engined manuals from the range hehe
 
Plus the pyschological feeling of victory as you coax almost 40mpg from a manual big engined BMW on a Motorway trip is just too good to avoid, even though in reality the difference between 40mpg and 30mpg isn't all that much :p
 
lol :p
335i to cruise at 70mph, doing it in style :D

any thoughts on fords Durashift auto box? any better worse than the auto in the earlier mk3 mondeo / mk1 focus?
 
[TW]Fox;19415857 said:
Plus the pyschological feeling of victory as you coax almost 40mpg from a manual big engined BMW on a Motorway trip is just too good to avoid, even though in reality the difference between 40mpg and 30mpg isn't all that much :p
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Better part of 30% is quite a bit ;)
 
Most of us hit the odd B road from time to time. I'm not the bloke from Jamariquai so don't have different cars to suit my mood. Part of what I want from a car is the toy element. I don't need a manual gearbox but it's not all about need. If I was buying a car for purely utilitarian reasons I'd get a 2nd hand Prius and have done with it. Now there's a car where a manual gearbox would make no sense...
 
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Robbie G said:
I hear this a lot. I suppose you're trying to convey that your driving style is edgy or risque, or particularly technical and skillful, but people seem to forget that F1 cars use semi autos. Manuals are simply old news and pointless for 99% of most people's every day applications.
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This pretty much sums up everything about the Auto/Manual argument.

Big motorway cruisers are better with auto boxes as their designed to be a comfortable easy ride, a manual box will allow you to get a bit better mpg for a lot more effort but buying that kind of car then trying to save a bit of running cost by choosing the cheapo gearbox is a bit self defeating.

Performance cars are better with semi-auto boxes than manuals and have been since the 90's when Porsche released their tiptronic systems that were then licensed by Toyota/Mitsubishi/etc, you have the option of driving in auto mode when on a motorway run or doing it yourself when you want to put the boot down, the tiptronic models of cars like the FTO/Supra/911 are faster than their manual counterparts.

Small engined hatchbacks are crap with any gearbox.

If people really want to go to the effort to press a clutch pedal down whenever they want to change gear that's their choice, but trying to act like it makes a car more manly when this is the 21st century and its in fact a waste of time that increases 0-60 times compared to semi-autos is just silly.
 
ubersonic said:
This pretty much sums up everything about the Auto/Manual argument.

Big motorway cruisers are better with auto boxes as their designed to be a comfortable easy ride, a manual box will allow you to get a bit better mpg for a lot more effort but buying that kind of car then trying to save a bit of running cost by choosing the cheapo gearbox is a bit self defeating.

Performance cars are better with semi-auto boxes than manuals and have been since the 90's when Porsche released their tiptronic systems that were then licensed by Toyota/Mitsubishi/etc, you have the option of driving in auto mode when on a motorway run or doing it yourself when you want to put the boot down, the tiptronic models of cars like the FTO/Supra/911 are faster than their manual counterparts.

Small engined hatchbacks are crap with any gearbox.

If people really want to go to the effort to press a clutch pedal down whenever they want to change gear that's their choice, but trying to act like it makes a car more manly when this is the 21st century and its in fact a waste of time that increases 0-60 times compared to semi-autos is just silly.
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that simply isn't true though is it
 
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