Any driving instructors? (future cars)

inflames · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:19

We have been discussing this today as for the future of learning to drive shall change due to all the new rules about emission and so on. For example most hybrid and electric cars are all automatic as far as i am aware. Will youngsters in future be shocked that we all learned to drive manual cars? If their is any instructors on here, how do they view the future of the business? Are they worried? Will they be changing the car they teach in to be hybrid or electric? How do you view the potential of driverless car in the future?

adolf hamster · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:32

Its gonna be fun while we have the transitional phase before all cars are driverless only, i'd imagine we'll be keeping the current rules for a long time and to later generations doing a manual test is a bit like how we view older generations now who never did a driving test at all.

Rroff · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:34

I've mixed views on it as while I'm not the biggest fan of manual - I find with manual I'm looking at the road ahead more and thinking more about the road conditions due to making decisions over gear changes. When driving automatic I tend to be much more going with the flow and more towards reactive to change rather than pro-active.

Hawk Tuah · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:37

Electric cars aren't automatics. There's quite a difference in driving experience between a slow sluggish automatic gearbox - and having no gears.

Rroff · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:40

True though many modern automatics aren't slow and sluggish - but still a world of difference to the way an electric motor works.

Clarkey · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:41

I'm surprised people go for manual even today, manual is super old fashioned really.

Rroff · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:44

Clarkey said:
I'm surprised people go for manual even today, manual is super old fashioned really.

I think a good number still think of automatic as that thing that you sit there for 5 seconds wondering if its going to change or gets it wrong when you need the power on a roundabout, etc. etc.

Glanza · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:48

Depends what you want from a car, people still like manual due to the 'feel' of having control on when to shift other people want a stick it in drive and cruise along.

adolf hamster · 18 Oct 2017 at 14:57

Rroff said:
I think a good number still think of automatic as that thing that you sit there for 5 seconds wondering if its going to change or gets it wrong when you need the power on a roundabout, etc. etc.

The issue is that with manuals you can select gears ahead of time, the auto has yet to be invented that can see a car 3 ahead in the queue ready to turn off, or read the drivers mind.

Admittedly good auto's these days are absolutely not a problem in terms of driving effectively on the roads, but tbh i for one find that for every "thank god im in an auto with this traffic" moment i get at least an equal if not greater number of "man i wish this thing was a manual" moments.

Clarkey · 18 Oct 2017 at 15:02

I don't understand that though, I started out driving manual like everybody else. After a while decided to try an auto and realised why the large majority of the world drive them, for a commuter car why would you want to bother manually managing the driveline when the car can do it for you?

MooMoo444 · 18 Oct 2017 at 15:09

Manual is cool for the more hands on driving, but auto is just pure bliss if you're after convenience. Until they stop selling manual cars, the manual test is here to stay and that isn't going to be for a long time yet.

Are the youth of today that shocked that cars used to be pulled by horses? Tech moves on. Doubt it's going to be mindblowing to anyone.

inflames · 18 Oct 2017 at 15:22

adolf hamster said:
Its gonna be fun while we have the transitional phase before all cars are driverless only, i'd imagine we'll be keeping the current rules for a long time and to later generations doing a manual test is a bit like how we view older generations now who never did a driving test at all.

This is how i view it, i can imagine my grandchildren if i have any, saying something like you learnt to drive a manual car, you use to control it all? Wow..... that sound dangerous!

AHarvey · 18 Oct 2017 at 15:37

just to throw a spanner in the works, with increased progression in Virtual Reality, will that become the new norm for starting to learn to drive?

No massive outlay for instructors, you can learn in any vehicle, then once up to a competent level you can move to real vehicles.

Also, is the future driverless?

adolf hamster said:
The issue is that with manuals you can select gears ahead of time, the auto has yet to be invented that can see a car 3 ahead in the queue ready to turn off, or read the drivers mind.

Admittedly good auto's these days are absolutely not a problem in terms of driving effectively on the roads, but tbh i for one find that for every "thank god im in an auto with this traffic" moment i get at least an equal if not greater number of "man i wish this thing was a manual" moments.

I always said I wouldn't get an auto, loved manuals, I now own a mk5 golf gti with DSG gearbox and I don't think I'd go back. It's so much easier, I can easily use my phone or drink my beer while driving, not to even mention 'favours' from the wife. On a serious note, several levels of auto, has next up and next below in gear already selected, sports mode, manual options to take control at all times. best of both

Jumper118 · 18 Oct 2017 at 20:38

personally i think everything but sitting in traffic is better in a manual. very rarely sit in traffic for very long so i wouldnt get an auto. i would get bored really fast if i didnt have to change gear. left leg would be numb and bored, i'd probably have to take up left foot braking

Amp34 · 18 Oct 2017 at 21:07

You can already take your test in an automatic by request can’t you? With the obvious proviso that you can only drive autos with it.

Presumably more and more people will decide to just take the (easier) auto test if they have no intention of driving a manual as electric takes over from ICE. The biggest change will probably be modifications to the test regarding self and semi driving vehicles. When to use them, how to stay safe in the transition from and too self drive etc.

IC3 · 18 Oct 2017 at 21:14

Amp34 said:
You can already take your test in an automatic by request can’t you? With the obvious proviso that you can only drive autos with it.

My mates sister did hers on an automatic, it states on her license that she can only drive automatics.

I see it pointless doing it on an automatic, your choice is limited... Not to mention most fun cars have manual gearboxes

Amp34 · 18 Oct 2017 at 21:48

Presumably it’s a fair chunk easier and cheaper (less lessons needed), so unless you know you’re going to want to drive a manual it’s getting to the point where there’s much less reason to do the manual test.

adolf hamster · 19 Oct 2017 at 00:07

Amp34 said:
Presumably it’s a fair chunk easier and cheaper (less lessons needed), so unless you know you’re going to want to drive a manual it’s getting to the point where there’s much less reason to do the manual test.

thing is it limits your ability to choose cars, there's still a lot of manual cars in the uk and it'd be silly to ignore the bulk of the secondhand market unless you were forced to (eg by disability)

Amp34 · 19 Oct 2017 at 00:46

By getting to the point I don’t mean tomorrow, I mean in 10 years time when quite possibly the majority of new cars sold will be hybrids/electric.

theone8181 · 19 Oct 2017 at 07:45

Amp34 said:
Presumably it’s a fair chunk easier and cheaper (less lessons needed), so unless you know you’re going to want to drive a manual it’s getting to the point where there’s much less reason to do the manual test.

Does an auto license allow use of a semi-auto gearbox? I know its a stupid question, but arent there some that use a clutch pedal but arent quite fully manual (i hope that makes sense as re-reading it i'm not sure

).