Learner driver - any point in manual?

IMO learn in a manual.

Much better sense of speed through corners and generally on the road.



It’s harder to learn, takes longer, but I’m a significantly better driver in a manual car compared to auto.


My other half really didn’t like the idea of learning to drive a manual. She was set on auto, but I convinced her to try it.



She’s now well chuffed she did it, as she feels she has much better sense of the road and more engaged with the drive.

She will eventually get an auto, but feels it’s beneficial to have a manual license.
 
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I just watch the speedo and lift my foot off the accelerator to stay within the speed limit, my HUD displays the actual MPH as well as a needle which shows the speed although not as precisely.
 
I think it's always better to learn a "skill" and maybe not need it, than to maybe need that skill later on but not have it.

As an aside, having owned cars with both Manual and torque converter based Auto gearboxes (no DGS etc) I prefer the TC-based Autos for bimbling about in traffic, pulling away from hills etc (i.e. anywhere where clutch control is needed) but far prefer a Manual once I get going and I get especially happy from a really well executed rev-matched change down just before a corner, sad I know :D
 
nlel1975 said:
My biggest issue with manual is not changing gears, it’s the clutch pedal at junctions. Driving auto means you can concentrate on the road rather than the clutch. I know it becomes second nature after a while but I still prefer not having one.
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I prefer auto as well. My car has been an auto for nearly a decade and for my car, I will never buy another manual ever again.

But it isn't difficult to drive a manual and I do worry a bit when people seem to have so much difficulty with it. It isn't the most difficult part of driving so what else can't they do?

Unless you have a medical need I think everyone should learn to drive a manual.
 
Are you setting yourself up for higher hire car prices abroad/on holiday - have only hired manuals in France, whereas in USA you do get autos by default.
 
i'd say try to learn in a manual, if you can't do it (most will be able to ime) then learn in an auto. i drove my 1st auto's (DSG) in over 30 years of driving this year, took a little getting used to but can see why many people prefer them nowadays, it's the future no doubt. Edit: they do lack something compared to a manual, i feel there's greater control or something in a manual.
 
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Hodders said:
by the time I'm 25 there will be very few manual cars as they will all be electric
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dont count on it, there will have to be a very large price drop for them to become the norm.

30K for a naff Astra, i dont know people daft enough to think that is a good deal.
 
throwaway4372 said:
I would never go back, it's 99999% easier to drive. (ppl here will say it's a skill issue but it doesn't change the fact that auto is easier, not everyone is an elite motors forum driver). I think it makes you a safer driver because your brain doesn't have to think about gears it's better at awareness as a result. If I was prime minister I would ban new manual cars for the reason of making roads safer. So if you care about safety, choose auto.
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While that's a sound theory, I find the opposite to be the reality - Because your brain and body have less to do in terms of vehicle control, they idle more and so there's actually less attention on the road. Those driving manual naturally factor in a bit more time for fiddling about with those controls, and so allow themselevs a bigger safety margin. It's the same as riding a 125cc bike or generally lower-powered one, such as a mid-range Cruiser - Lacking the power to go speeding out of trouble forces you to pay more attention, plan your manoeuvres and build in a bigger safety margin to avoid getting into trouble in the first place.

It does depend who is driving, but generally those I know with the option manual and auto for both seem to become far lazier drivers when in an automatic, myself included.

In various research papers, those more prone to distraction (younger drivers, ADHD, etc) have also been shown to fare better with manual cars, while elderly drivers were better with autos. There's also the fact that mobile phone use is signifcantly harder when driving manual, which impacted the safety stats.

Autos are the future only because crash stats, technology advancements, the greater importance of checking Twit-Tock on your phone, and the ability to track your movement/habits before selling that data, will be the justification for removing human drivers altogether.
 
Auto cars suitable for first time drivers aren't as easy to find as manuals.

As others have said learn in manual and have options later.

In future the likely good is most cars will be auto, but it's going to be some time till it's the norm.

Auto boxes have only really gotten good in the past 10-15 years ish (possibly less), prior to that they were horrible thirsty slush boxes that were only really suited to big cars like jags and BMW's mercs etc.

New autos are a wonder and are pretty much all 5-8 speed now (think some have 9, and some are CVT so technically infinite but CVT is truly awful or at least it's not yet been done well)

Another thing to note is that when an auto box fails it's highly likely to write a car off, they don't fail as often but they can and do still fail.

ZF are by far the best at auto boxes reliable, smooth and quick changing.
 
nlel1975 said:
My biggest issue with manual is not changing gears, it’s the clutch pedal at junctions. Driving auto means you can concentrate on the road rather than the clutch. I know it becomes second nature after a while but I still prefer not having one.
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You have to concentrate on using your left foot? Were you not born with one?
 
tom_e said:
If using a manual gearbox takes up so much concentration that it lowers your standard of driving maybe it would be safer if you weren't in control of a vehicle on public roads full stop.
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I drove a manual 107 for nearly two years, I got the hang of it obviously as I passed my test in a manual. I just prefer the extra simplicity of an automatic. One less thing to deal with and makes driving easier. That’s a good thing in my book.
 
sx_turbo said:
but CVT is truly awful or at least it's not yet been done well
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I'm not a big CVT fan but the main negatives are the whine and sometimes "rubber band" power response - though most CVTs in sport mode actually pick up fairly well - just tend to drink a lot of fuel that way. Some older implementations the power can drop right out on hills if you aren't careful. They aren't bad for general driving but not great either. I actually don't mind it for highway driving, etc. just have to remember to pop it into sport if you anticipate needing responsive power.

I like the Jatco RE7R01B in my pickup - updated version of the auto transmission used in the 370Z - smooth and responsive, a little slow on the downshifts and can hold in gear a bit longer than you would manually when in normal driving mode but overall really feels in tune with you as a driver - if you get involved with the process it'll suddenly jump to life.
 
Rroff said:
I'm not a big CVT fan but the main negatives are the whine and sometimes "rubber band" power response - though most CVTs in sport mode actually pick up fairly well - just tend to drink a lot of fuel that way. Some older implementations the power can drop right out on hills if you aren't careful. They aren't bad for general driving but not great either. I actually don't mind it for highway driving, etc. just have to remember to pop it into sport if you anticipate needing responsive power.

I like the Jatco RE7R01B in my pickup - updated version of the auto transmission used in the 370Z - smooth and responsive, a little slow on the downshifts and can hold in gear a bit longer than you would manually when in normal driving mode but overall really feels in tune with you as a driver - if you get involved with the process it'll suddenly jump to life.
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Yes it's the elastic response of a cvt that's a problem, that's why I didn't buy a lexus. Felt like it wound up then suddenly took off

Most modern auto boxes are very nice to drive with.

Soo much better than the autos of old that sapped power upped emissions and felt like eternity to change gear
 
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Autos are easier to learn and they are making up an ever increasing % of new cars.

But (and its a big but), the vast majority of used cars on the market are manual and they will be for a long time to come. Particularly in the small hatch back segment typically bought by 18-21's as their first car.

With more and more people doing auto only - its going to put pressure on auto's in that end of the market. For context, there are 12,000 Ford Fiesta's for sale on Autotrader, under 1000 are automatic. 4500 Fiat 500, 300 are automatic. 8000 Corsa's, 800 are automatic.

I could look up more but I got bored :p
 
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b0rn2sk8 said:
With more and more people doing auto only - its going to put pressure on auto's in that end of the market. For context, there are 12,000 Ford Fiesta's for sale on Autotrader, under 1000 are automatic. 4500 Fiat 500, 300 are automatic. 8000 Corsa's, 800 are automatic.
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A little bit larger but the crossovers tend to have higher numbers of automatics i.e. Juke - probably one of the reasons they are relatively popular despite the look.
 
sx_turbo said:
But these cars aren't typically people's first cars at the age of 17-20
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True but if you want an automatic the older ones aren't that much more money now than the little hatchbacks, etc.

Though I'm seeing an increasing number of younger people financed to the hilt on a fancy first car :s
 
Rroff said:
True but if you want an automatic the older ones aren't that much more money now than the little hatchbacks, etc.

Though I'm seeing an increasing number of younger people financed to the hilt on a fancy first car :s
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Yeah back in my youth it was customary to have a banger as a first car, no power steering, wind up windows, just about had a heater..

Usually £50 tax and tested and cost about £20 to fill it.... Back then though was more interested in booze and girls...The good old days..
 
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