Auto or manual

ttaskmaster said:
Having driven quite a few automatics and owned three of them, while also having to endure driving the wife's cars, I wouldn't ever get an auto unless there was no other option.
I just find there's somthing about them which seems to make people into lazy drivers. Everyone I know who has gone automatic has become a worse driver. It's like the lack of palpable engagement with the clutch pedal also robs them of their mental attentiveness, or something.

Besides, I actually enjoy the physical act of, and modicum of skill required for, changing gears... and while I'm sure all the secret agents involved in high speed escapes down the B337 on their way to Tesco will benefit from it, I don't really drive anywhere fast enough on a daily basis that shaving a quarter second off my gear change is going to make much difference.
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I should maybe add i drive an auto van for living, you are right in a way, I am a lazier driver as said in previous statement lol. But I wouldn't say it makes you a worse driver. Being a lazy driver can just mean not being bothered to constantly up and down shift, i live in a city so...

I also plan on keeping my manual mondeo, which I will use for comuting most days, the mrs will use the new car for work, and i do all the driving any other time. If she is off when I'm on then I will use the new car

Uncle_Gravy said:
My next car will def be auto, i'm bored of getting stuck in rush hour traffic and having to work the clutch all the time.
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My point exactly
 
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Another vote for auto. I know i have one of the better ones in the form of a ZF8 but 90% of the time its absolutely spot on for gear and when I do chuck it in sport its great fun. The only time it doesn't do what I want is a case where I could have gone manual but didn't bother, I like to rev right through a gear sometimes out of a bend but it changes up or when I go to accelerate and it changes down two and goes lairy on me when I really only wanted one :D
Its not a mind reader but as I say, most of the time its exactly where it needs to be and in traffic its so much less stress.
 
Mr mondeo said:
I should maybe add i drive an auto van for living, you are right in a way, I am a lazier driver as said in previous statement lol. But I wouldn't say it makes you a worse driver. Being a lazy driver can just mean not being bothered to constantly up and down shift, i live in a city so...
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It doesn't directly make you a worse driver, but it does make you lazy, which then leads to other bad habits... at least in the experiences of those I've either discussed it with or observed, myself included.
Personally I don't find the constant shifting to be a problem, even in London traffic. I barely notice it, TBH.
 
Toothy1911 said:
Auto unless you want the mechanical involvement, or there are any common faults with the auto on the car you're looking at.
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Yh im not the most mechanical person lol, i do basic stuff but dont delve into the engine as I don't have a clue.

ttaskmaster said:
It doesn't directly make you a worse driver, but it does make you lazy, which then leads to other bad habits... at least in the experiences of those I've either discussed it with or observed, myself included.
Personally I don't find the constant shifting to be a problem, even in London traffic. I barely notice it, TBH.
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I agree with the fact it can make you lazier in a sense, i mean dont people get auto to make the drive that bit easier? Not sure what bad habits you can pick up just from not changing gear tho?
The mrs will be using it aswell, and she has been driving a few years, still nervous when it comes to shifting, so she is one of the reasons switching to auto. And the other reason is for me not being bothered to shift lol.

I just wasn't sure what newer auto cars wher like, i didn't want to waste getting something with bit more power just to lose it in a rubbish auto gearbox.
I'm not familiar with auto cars but driven a few vans, one of which was an iveco and the semi auto gearbox was horrible
 
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Howard said:
I have the Powershift dual-clutch in my Mondeo and it's a little bit clunky at times but on the whole it's great, and a revelation for general driving.

I sometimes miss having a manual when I'm on an empty twisty road but most of the time I'm not!
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I have the same gearbox, agreed especially when cold it can be clunky but otherwise it is pretty good for an 'older' dual clutch, the manual changing mode is pretty damn quick and for daily driving an auto is definitely the way to go.

Having said that, if I had a 'weekend' car for anything, I would get a manual as they are more enjoyable to drive when not on the daily grind
 
Howard said:
I have the Powershift dual-clutch in my Mondeo and it's a little bit clunky at times but on the whole it's great, and a revelation for general driving.

I sometimes miss having a manual when I'm on an empty twisty road but most of the time I'm not!
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Oh OK, what year is it?
 
Mr mondeo said:
Not sure what bad habits you can pick up just from not changing gear tho?
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The short version - Fewer things to actually do while driving, leading to relaxed attentiveness, inattentiveness, more focus on radio/phone/conversation and so on, leading to more automation, which furthers driver attention and increases reliance on automated features.
It's a bit more complex than that, but there are a fair few studies on it. I do recall Bloomberg Tech did one that I read not so long ago, as we got a safety briefing about it at work.

Besides, manual is just fun and since I 'daily drive' the sort of car I'd also 'weekend drive', it makes no sense for me to go Auto.
 
ShivP said:
I have the same gearbox, agreed especially when cold it can be clunky but otherwise it is pretty good for an 'older' dual clutch, the manual changing mode is pretty damn quick and for daily driving an auto is definitely the way to go.

Having said that, if I had a 'weekend' car for anything, I would get a manual as they are more enjoyable to drive when not on the daily grind
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Tbh my manual mondeo is clunky at times when cold lol, i will still be keeping my older manual mondeo, and will still be using it prob half of the week. The other half week I will be driving the newer car.
 
ttaskmaster said:
The short version - Fewer things to actually do while driving, leading to relaxed attentiveness, inattentiveness, more focus on radio/phone/conversation and so on, leading to more automation, which furthers driver attention and increases reliance on automated features.
It's a bit more complex than that, but there are a fair few studies on it. I do recall Bloomberg Tech did one that I read not so long ago, as we got a safety briefing about it at work.

Besides, manual is just fun and since I 'daily drive' the sort of car I'd also 'weekend drive', it makes no sense for me to go Auto.
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I would say them bad habits are done just as much with manual. This seems to be one of them topics that will always get mixed views lol. Thanks for your input tho.
 
paradigm said:
Why will you? I've had a DSG box rebuilt (mechatronic and a new clutch-pack) and the price was comparable to a clutch and dmf replacement in a manual box.

Nothing like good old Nashernonsense™
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Lol and how often do you have to replace a DMF. You can do a clutch yourself or at any indi garage pretty cheap. GL servicing a dual clutch box yourself and if you need to replace it, its as expensive as an engine.
 
I appreciate my auto when it comes to constant stop-start stuff like the 2 mile tunnel queue in the morning to work. I could see the appeal of a manual for when it's just you and the road, but between location and increasing electrification, I'm not sure I'll see a clutch again outside of trips abroad.
 
Surprised at the amount of auto drivers here, given there are plenty petrol heads. I went automatic as soon as I passed my test in a manual. Can focus on the driving, not what gear I'm in. I realise it becomes second nature to people but it's not for me, especially as most of my driving is city(ish) driving.
 
For me, a manual only has a place in a sports car. Think; Mazda MX5, Caterham, S2000, Boxter etc. Anything normal should be auto. The way I see it is if I'm driving somewhere I have to be (work, meeting, shopping etc) then I want to get there with as little fuss and hassle as possible. Choosing what gear to be in I see on the same level as faffing with the heater controls on a pre climate-control car.
However in a sports car when one is driving purely for the pleasure of it and the feeling of involvement, you can't beat a manual and 3 pedals.
 
Nasher said:
Lol and how often do you have to replace a DMF. You can do a clutch yourself or at any indi garage pretty cheap. GL servicing a dual clutch box yourself and if you need to replace it, its as expensive as an engine.
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You change a DMF when you change the clutch most of the time as the cost is mainly labour and not parts. You'd be a muppet to put the car back together without changing it.

How often do you think a DSG box needs a rebuild? So far that's once in my TT's 130,000 mile life.
 
As above, I can't agree with the sentiment of autos making people into "lazy" drivers. With an auto, I can always have two hands on the wheel. With two hands on the wheel I can still operate nearly all of the car's controls, including most radio functions, and even temporarily change gear. With overtakes, I can concentrate more on making sure a gap is suitable, watching mirrors and cars around me, knowing that when I put my foot down I'll get a quick gear change and the car will take care of me getting the performance I need, as well as having two hands on the wheel under (possibly) heavy acceleration. Things like this don't make a driver lazy, it means they can focus more of their attention on what's around them.

The same applies for things like climate control - I have my side set to 20ºC permanently, knowing the car will just keep me at the comfortable temperature, I don't have to look down to change the temperature knob, fan speed, air distribution etc. It just works, even compensating for how much the sun is shining.
 
Mr mondeo said:
I would say them bad habits are done just as much with manual. This seems to be one of them topics that will always get mixed views lol. Thanks for your input tho.
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Like I said, there have been studies and it's a bit more complex than my very simplified version. One example we had in the safety brief was about braking distances, and how manual drivers tend to brake earlier to allow time for gearing down. Certainly as autos have become more prevalent, I do find more people driving much too close these days, and we've switched many of our work vehicles back to manual because the insurance is much cheaper.

Rilot said:
The way I see it is if I'm driving somewhere I have to be (work, meeting, shopping etc) then I want to get there with as little fuss and hassle as possible. Choosing what gear to be in I see on the same level as faffing with the heater controls on a pre climate-control car.
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If I have to, as well as if I want to, be somewhere then I want to have as much fun getting there as possible... especially if it's somewhere I don't want to be but have to!

I know how you feel about changing gears and having to fiddle with the controls, though - I feel the same about having to actually press keyboard keys and move the mouse around... I just made a coffee and since we live in a very third world country here, I actually had to stir the spoon myself. SUCH a hassle..... God help anyone around me if I'm ever in a situation where I'd have to manually operate the indicators, or something!

squerble said:
Things like this don't make a driver lazy, it means they can focus more of their attention on what's around them.
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It should mean that, in theory... but the insurance costs suggest that the statistics behind it say otherwise.
Have a look around next time you're in heavy traffic, see what other people are doing. My favourite was the woman in her automatic SUV with kids in the back, who was driving in slow-moving (stop-start at 0-20mph) traffic up the A33 and across the M4 junction, while on her phone and eating one of those pot porridge breakfast things.
 
Mr mondeo said:
Yh im not the most mechanical person lol, i do basic stuff but dont delve into the engine as I don't have a clue.
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The mechanical involvement I think @Toothy1911 was referring to was the interaction with man and machine, moving to auto means you loose that, auto are faster and smoother than manual but even with flappy paddle don't offer the driver interaction with the machine, so if you like the act of driving, doing the gears, getting the pedals right etc, auto won't be for you, I find them absolutely dull and wouldn't choose it for a car I want to enjoy but for the trundle through Bristol in stop start traffic auto is amazing.
 
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