People who hate automagics...

almoststew1990

almoststew1990

almoststew1990

Soldato
Joined
12 May 2011
Posts
6,305
Location
Southampton
I have a hatred of auto boxes that stems from my dad saying they're slower, less efficient and driven by old people. I've driven an auto Auris for a few hours and found it to be a bit thick- changing down 2 gears when I slightly increase the throttle in anticipation of a slight hill, a pain in the arse around town if I needed a burst of speed...


Have any of you fellow haters bought an auto and found that they're not as terrible as you thought they'd be? Or is it an old fashioned opinion and modern autos are good? Or will I hate it?

I ask because when I look at second hand bmws, Mercedes etc I get quite a lot more choice if I go for an automatic...
 
Automatic boxes are absolutely excellent, your dad is simply completely ignorant as to car technology. I wouldn't even consider a manual transmission car.

The number of used auto's on the market within the premium sector speaks for itself, as does the modern range of gearboxes on sale today - try and buy a manual high end car, not that many even exist any more!
 
Auto boxes are very good, I've never owned one but being a mechanic I drive plenty. It's mostly down to how you drive, and learning the box, anticipating how it will respond to what you do with the controls.
 
High end I can understand, how about the lower end of the range such as a Focus or Mondeo? What are these auto gearboxes like?
 
Small engined cars with an auto, no thanks. They lack.power and tend to be fitted with poor gearboxes.

Large engined cars with a modern auto yes please. My next car will be an auto.

10 years ago your dad was probably right. On new cars absolutely not.
 
I think the engine plays an important role in this decision.

I had a Golf MKV GTi with the DSG gearbox, and it was great. I then moved to a new Polo 1.4 (85BHP) with DSG, and like the Auris you drove, it was hard work. This was compounded by the fact that it was a 7 speed box, whereas the Golf had a 6 speed.

EDIT: Beaten by the Fox :/
 
Whether a modern(ish) autobox sucks or not is generally down to the engine it is paired with.

There's no way I'd want an automatic 1.3 Ka in the same way as there's no way I'd have wanted my old 4.3 S-Class to be a manual. I'd like my S6 to have a faster autobox but there's no way I'd want it to be a manual.
 
As above, you tend to find small engines with auto boxes to be nothing but a pain in the arse - though the Vag dsg does not too badly in its smaller engines...then again it's not really a true auto

Generally speaking a large or at least reasonably powerful engine mated to a decent auto box is a nice experience. Not really one i'm interested in but I can see the appeal all the same
 
[TW]Fox;25562442 said:
Small engined cars with an auto, no thanks. They lack.power and tend to be fitted with poor gearboxes.

Large engined cars with a modern auto yes please. My next car will be an auto.

10 years ago your dad was probably right. On new cars absolutely not.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. I could never see any point in running my current car with a manual box, it makes no sense and would add little if anything 99% of the time bar annoyance. Modern gearboxes in the right car are superb and though occasionally even the very best get confused they are still superb. What's not to like about 8 speeds and gear changes in milliseconds.

In a sports car different but in a big wafty saloon car used for mile eating I'd not take anything else.
 
Driver, Car, Purpose.

As mentioned above auto gearbox are perfectly good these days, as long as they are:

A.) Mated to the right car/engine
B.) A well designed gearbox

I personally prefer a tight, direct, manual gearbox in general - that's my preference.

However, whilst this is the case, sitting in traffic in the Evo which has a heavy clutch - makes me want to kill myself - that's purpose.

I totally appreciate a good auto , but I'm not sure I could see myself buying one in the near future though.
 
For me, 99% of the time, an auto is absolutely perfect in every way in my car - there is very rarely a time when I think to myself that I would really prefer a manual (lets leave the £2k gearbox rebuild bill to one side for a moment...). That 1% though, that's an incredibly frustrating 1%.

Robotised Manual systems like SMG, DSG etc would remove that 1% for me so I think if I buy a performance car with an auto box in the future it will have to have one of those in it!
 
Gayjin said:
Driver, Car, Purpose.

As mentioned above auto gearbox are perfectly good these days, as long as they are:

A.) Mated to the right car/engine
B.) A well designed gearbox

I personally prefer a tight, direct, manual gearbox in general - that's my preference.

However, whilst this is the case, sitting in traffic in the Evo which has a heavy clutch - makes me want to kill myself - that's purpose.

I totally appreciate a good auto , but I'm not sure I could see myself buying one in the near future though.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't want an auto as a preference on a sports car but I am big enough to realise how that is going to become they way of things over the next few years. I get in my wife's MX5 and realise how much fun stirring a gearbox and heel toeing on down changes is, but sadly it will become a thing of the past on modern cars as electronic clutches do the work. Needs to be a good box and good pedal layout but when it's right, for me, it adds to the experience even if it is less efficient.
 
I used to be the same, i assumed auto's were crap for years, until i actually drove a few.

I actually quite like autos and my opinion has completely changed.

I dont own an auto but i wouldn't mind if i had one as a next car.
 
I engine brake a lot and i like the ability to drop it down when I want the turbo to kick in. I'd only consider an auto on a high end car where i'm likely to kill the gear box putting that much power through it lol

MW
 
almoststew1990 said:
I'm looking at 8/9/10 year old 3L 5 series' and e classes for about 4-5k. What are these auto boxes like as I have so much more choice!
Click to expand...

Very good at that age, perhaps push fox's comment back to 15 years and your dads opinion does start to become true.

Example: the 2003 E-Class Mercedes had a 7 speed fast shifting "modern" automatic fitted, the same one that my SL500 has. Its an absolutely excellent box with very fast shifts. Move back to a 1998 model though, and things change, those have a much slower possibly even 4 speed box.

The 5-series had an older box than the E-Class of that era, the BMW box being a 5-speed. They are still very good smooth boxes though, I have the same fundamental box in my Range Rover and I enjoy driving it very much indeed, it suits a large car perfectly.
 
If I had to drive far for my commute (probably motorway), an auto would be my choice every time, but I only have a 4 mile commute through mostly country lanes and I would never think of using an auto for something like that.
 
We've got a 2002 Grand Cherokee which runs a Mercedes 2.7 Litre Diesel & Mercedes Auto Gearbox, despide it's 295lb/ft of torque I find my Manual 2003 Mondeo nicer to drive.

I find myself flooring it and fiddling around with the accelerator to try & force it into the gear I want it in, I do not like not having control of the gears.

The only place I prefer it is in really slow traffic, something a 2 Ton 4x4 is not really suited for.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom