Manual v Auto

PMKeates said:
I'd bet you've never regularly driven in heavy traffic.
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Whilst I do not currently drive in heavy traffic I have in the past and never found it to be any sort of hardship. What advantages does it really hold? After driving for 18+ years changing gear as desired seems completely automatic to me. Perhaps its the type of cars that I have driven and it might seem different with something with more power.
 
I personally prefer manual cars which is why I buy manual cars instead of auto, even though in order to do this I usually end up searching for months to find the right car.

That said I enjoy driving automatics as well and the benefits in heavy traffic are indisputable.
 
No, it's definitely old age :p

I don't dislike a manual, just for the majority of my driving an auto just makes sense.

Just can't afford any autos I'd like at the moment.
 
ColourPurple said:
Whilst I do not currently drive in heavy traffic I have in the past and never found it to be any sort of hardship. What advantages does it really hold? After driving for 18+ years changing gear as desired seems completely automatic to me. Perhaps its the type of cars that I have driven and it might seem different with something with more power.
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I typically drive 600 miles a week specifically in heavy, rush hour, London M25 traffic. Road speed varies constantly, with it almost impossible to maintain any sort of speed for any great length of time. 'Good' traffic typically drifts between 30 and 60 MPH, utilising 4th, 5th and 6th gears. It is not uncommon for me to spend 2 hours of a day in literal bumper to bumper snaking congestion going in and out of 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Ten times a week I queue for the Dartford toll. I have done all that in a manual and I have done all that in an automatic - it is infinitely more relaxing and less stressful in an automatic.

Driving up a hill at 4 MPH in a manual that does 5 MPH on 1st gear idle, having to ride the clutch non-stop, for 30 minutes, is a hardship. Sitting there with your foot gently resting on the brake is like a dream come true.

I find that anyone who cannot appreciate an automatic in traffic just hasn't experienced proper traffic on a regular basis, or are mental.
 
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Liampope said:
I used to share the same irrational aversion to autos as most british seem to (judging by numbers of autos compared to manuals in 'everyday' cars. That was until I decided to build a toy car for proper fun and decided the normal car should therefore be a comfy luxo-barge, and it was an auto.

I'm now a fully paid up auto convert for any sort of normal driving, to such an extent that I find our obsession with changing our own gears in boring cars used primarily/entirely for shopping/commuting (which isn't shared by many other countries, particularly in Asia and America) a bit wierd. We've gladly let go of double declutching, operating manual chokes, etc etc, so why are we under some sort of illusion of 'enjoying the involvement' of changing gears when we're in a Ford Focus in a traffic jam? :) Auto all the way for me now for anything other than a proper sports car.
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I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head. I love a manual in a proper car, but something used for shopping and lugging stuff to the tip? I don't think so.

Besides, watching the state of 99% people's clutch control and ability to pull away, most people are so crap at driving. An auto would probably save them quite a few $$$ in fuel :p
 
I prefer driving a manual on the most part, mainly due to a more involved drive, total (and more often than not -retarded) control, and not having to hear the horrible noise that auto's make when they change gear.

From having a car with a very heavy clutch, I totally appreciate the benefits of having an auto when in traffic or when doing motorway journeys. However, nearly all of the drives I go on have "fun bits" that I'd nearly always prefer a manual for.

I can't really see myself buying an auto in the future, but it may well happen if a car I want only has that as an option.
 
I think traditionally the British aversion to automatic gearboxes is one of fuel economy. Fuel has always been quite a lot more expensive here than it is in the US. This is why most of our cars have small capacity 4 cylinder engines. Traditionally speaking, you paid a very heavy penalty fuel consumption wise with an autobox - they were noticeably more thirsty and therefore considered a more expensive way to drive.

This coupled with the fact they generally tend to be more suited to bigger engines meant they were reserved really for larger, more luxurious cars, which of course didn't sell here in the numbers they traditionally did in the US.

These days of course the gap in fuel consumption between auto and manual is far far smaller, in some cases autos are more economical, but the aversion to Autoboxes remains deeply rooted in society. To most people the concept of an auto is just alien - whereas in the US the first car they ever drive will be auto.
 
I like both, a good smooth automatic box mated to a good big engine does the deal for me though for day to day use..

But then again thrashing something fun with a manual box is very rewarding
 
I genuinely think that the societal aversion to automatics is going to disappear soon. As European roads become more congested and automatics simultaneously become smoother, faster responding and vitally start ticking the right CO2 and economy boxes, more people will consider giving them a go. More people will get them as company cars and tell their friends how awesome the automatic is. More people will realise that, in today's world, an automatic is a very nice way to get around. It'll approach a critical point and the tide of change will institute the automatic as the norm.

This will all be aided by the constant development efforts by automatic transmission manufacturers such as ZF, who are developing things like the well packaged 9-speed automatic for front wheel drive vehicles. The reality is that the manual transmission hasn't really changed for years, yet automatics have and will continue to develop further and further, to the point where the only reason for having a manual will be the sense of control. I suspect for the majority of people who will be driving around in 1.0 3-cylinder turbocharged econoboxes the faster, more effecient and easier 9-speed automatic sounds like a great idea.
 
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The day they build a performance VTEC with an auto gearbox is the day I torch my local Honda dealership.

Saying that, there's not much danger of that given they've practically packed up making performance VTEC's these days.
 
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I was thinking just this morning that while I enjoyed manual boxes in the UK, I've definitely got very used to the ease of an automatic especially mated to a nice big V8 engine, it's just effortless to be honest. It does help that it seems to be a pretty 'intelligent' and smooth-shifting box on the Caddy too, I have driven POS's like the Chevy HH or HR whatever and the autobox is a pile of crap, but then so is the car so... :p
 
Fox has a point when it comes to economy. Emissions are also higher on the older versions of cars when mated with an auto box. Our focus is something like 230mg or whatever the measurement is, with about 21mpg average I think.
That's terrible for a 1.6 shopping trolley!
 
Gayjin said:
The day they build a performance VTEC with an auto gearbox is the day I torch my local Honda dealership.

Saying that, there's not much danger of that given they've practically packed up making performance VTEC's these days.
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Better get burning then as the NSX was available as an Auto...
 
Maybe it's me getting old, but I prefer an auto over manual especially with the state of traffic around here. Going into town usually consists of sitting in crawling traffic for an age. A decent auto box does help, one in the wifes civic is ok, nice & smooth. The MiTo's TCT box is a cracker, best of both worlds. Auto or manual via paddles/gear lever and has the added benefit of less co2 emissions than the manual version!
For towing I wouldn't even contemplate a manual, far far easier with an auto.
 
Gayjin said:
The day they build a performance VTEC with an auto gearbox is the day I torch my local Honda dealership.

Saying that, there's not much danger of that given they've practically packed up making performance VTEC's these days.
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Erm, welcome to 1991, you can find the NSX and the Prelude over there >



Morba said:
Emissions are also higher on the older versions of cars when mated with an auto box.
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Wasn't the Manual Supra TT withdrawn from sale in the US in 1996 because it couldn't meet the new emissions laws but the auto could? (the manual returned the next year with lower emissions)
 
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ubersonic said:
Wasn't the Manual Supra TT withdrawn from sale in the US in 1996 because it couldn't meet the new emissions laws but the auto could? (the manual returned the next year with lower emissions)
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That's true. I believe it was reintroduced with the newer revision of the engine with the VVTi which met the emissions standard and produced a bit more power as well. The UK never got the VVTi model as production ended before they were released :(
 
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