Automatic vs Manual

I think it depends on the car tbh. Wouldnt have an auto on a small hatch or sporty car etc. Wouldnt be without an auto on a large engined saloon, luxobarge etc. Not having an auto on these cars is a good way of devaluing them lol
 
I'm actually driving a Chrysler Sebring Convertible automatic in the US right now, and don't be fooled by it. It's an ancient 4 speed transmission driving a pretty heavy car. That suits US driving, as it has enough grunt at high speed when it gets there, but it would be pretty annoying in the UK. That's with a 2.7 V6. Living with a 1.6 automatic would surely be hell! :p
 
PMKeates said:
I'm actually driving a Chrysler Sebring Convertible automatic in the US right now, and don't be fooled by it. It's an ancient 4 speed transmission driving a pretty heavy car. That suits US driving, as it has enough grunt at high speed when it gets there, but it would be pretty annoying in the UK. That's with a 2.7 V6. Living with a 1.6 automatic would surely be hell! :p
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I had a 2.7 Chrysler 300 auto in vegas once, if its the same combination it was blumin awful.
 
I would actually prefer an auto for about 75% of my driving, the problem is I enjoy the 25% too much to make the change. I think a DSG might be on the cards for my next motor :o
 
Sone said:
I had a 2.7 Chrysler 300 auto in vegas once, if its the same combination it was blumin awful.
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Pretty much. The Sebring has a fraction more power, but is a fraction heavier. I had a 300+hp spanking new Cadillac CTS last time, so please send your sympathy in the mail! :p
 
jamoor said:
Automatic must be coupled to a largeish engine, don't get a 1.6 auto or something like that.
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I agree with that.

Whilst I would never even consider something such as a 318i Auto, I love my 328i auto.

A large engine & auto box makes for a very relaxed drive imo. :)
 
R420LA6X2/4MNA said:
I agree with that.

Whilst I would never even consider something such as a 318i Auto, I love my 328i auto.

A large engine & auto box makes for a very relaxed drive imo. :)
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It's all about torque-weight to be honest. I was driving a 4.7 V8 auto the other week, and it wasn't as relaxing as the 3.5 V6 auto I drove the week after, that was in a much ligher vehicle. If you've enough torque to mean that the transmission barely changes gear, then it's nice to drive :)
 
I'd agree with the comments here

I've driven three automatic cars - a Vauxhall Corsa 1.0, a Nissan Primera 1.8 and an Aston Martin DB9

The Corsa and Primera were awful. Painfully slow and unresponsive. Driving became a dangerous chore and I really really hated it

I drove the Aston around a track using the paddles to change gear and I loved it. I know I wasn't using it in fully automatic mode but lots of torque and a decent gearbox makes a huge difference

The MD at work has just bought a previous shape Audi S4 (2005). He test drove both the manual and the automatic and he said that he preferred the automatic as it was more relaxing to drive and less 'busy'. Previously to this he has always hated automatics!
 
Both is best. I really wanted a semi-auto for my next car, so I could slap it in auto when mindlessly going from A to B and put it in manual for thrashing at the weekend.

I ended up going from 2 and a half years of autos to a manual in my mx5 and it's OK now that I am used to it again (and fun), but I always find myself wondering why most of these commuter boxes everyone else is in aren't autos. Sitting in a queue of traffic in a manual is so tedious fiddling around with gears and the clutch, when I was in the auto all I had to do was take my foot off the brake....and the worst aspect of manual driving is when you've worked your way up through the gears and some idiot who can't take an a-road corner without slamming the brakes on puts you right back down to 3rd and the whole cycle starts again.

Plus I can never get the seat distance *quite* right in a manual. In an auto, who cares, put it all the way back. Just general unnecessary fiddlyness.
 
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I disagree with the must have a big engine for an auto thing here. It depends on the car and what its needed for. I had a micra 1.2 auto and it zipped about in town traffic a treat and wasnt to slow at all, probably as quick as the manual from the lights and quicker if moving as you didnt need to find the right gear to suddenly speed up. Where it did fall down was any high speed work(+60mph) where the engine had to rev fairly hard to keep up momentum but then any small engine is the same manual or auto.
 
I have to agree with Dandle. Roundabouts and junctions are so much easier in an auto because all you have to do is look for a gap and put your foot down. In a manual, you are messing about with feeling for the clutch bite (or whatever it's called) which means you cannot move off anywhere near as fast and you're thinking about two things instead of one.
 
Automatic plus these things on the wheel......best of both worlds

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I guess we'll have to agree to disagree! Auto F T W

Mind you, if we all liked the same thing, life would become pretty boring!!!
 
Clarkey said:
Not really, 2 pedal will never be anything like a 3 pedal.
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Yeah, tbh I have only found them useful when mountain driving, day to day driving, I just use sport mode if an overtake is nearing.
I could never see myself using it in normal driving as the gearbox is actually quite clever.
 
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