switching from manual to automatic

DeeJay-Mo

DeeJay-Mo

DeeJay-Mo

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the dirty souf
Looking for a car that is cheap to run and reasonably comfortable. Interested in maybe a Hybrid, but most recent models seem to be automatic transmission only. The only one I can see that is manual now is the Honda CRZ, which doesn't actually return great fuel economy, and doesn't fit into my budget of around £2500.

Quite interested in the Honda Civic Hybrid, but not sure if I will be able to get on with a CVT, having only ever driven manuals and gotten very used to having gears.

Anyone who's made the switch care to share your experience? Will it kill the enjoyment of driving completely? Should I forget about Hybrids and buy something like a Toyota Yaris 1.4 diesel car instead? Is all the hype around diesels being a bad idea warranted?

What should I do?
 
My personal vehicle isn't an automatic, but I do drive them for work. Depends on what you use the car for if you sit on motorways or traffic for a substantial amount of the time I'd probably consider one. If you're looking at a CRZ for manual then tbh I'd say you're not going to me missing out on much fun :p
 
I wouldn't want a car with an ageing auto box, they aren't cheap to replace if they die.
 
Hyburnate said:
My personal vehicle isn't an automatic, but I do drive them for work. Depends on what you use the car for if you sit on motorways or traffic for a substantial amount of the time I'd probably consider one. If you're looking at a CRZ for manual then tbh I'd say you're not going to me missing out on much fun :p
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Orly, I heard that the CRZ was actually really fun to drive, but not actually that economical compared to a diesel super-mini. Yeah, I will be on the motorway for most of the time. I live just west of Reading and work in Slough.

LiE said:
I wouldn't want a car with an ageing auto box, they aren't cheap to replace if they die.
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Yes, that is why I was looking at Hondas, which have a good reputation for reliability.
 
I just made the change from a 6 speed manual to a 7 speed dual clutch auto . Love it to be honest. I did make sure i got something with a full manual mode and paddles though so i can still take over if i want.

Makes driving in traffic a million times nicer obviously.

As has been said though, i would be worried about owning an old one out of warranty.
 
in terms of drivability you will love it and hate it.

it does suck a considerable amount from "spirited" driving on back roads, but anywhere in traffic it's a definite boon.

i'll be honest mine's an auto because it shaved £1k off the price for an equivalent car, and i wanted to try it out. there are definately times when i miss the manual, almost to the point of being tempted to do a manual conversion, but when it comes to ultimate lazy/tired driving it makes the world of difference.

be warned though, the whole sequential shift thing on even a good regular auto box is not that fun, that's why dual clutch boxes exist.
 
Jono8 said:
I just made the change from a 6 speed manual to a 7 speed dual clutch auto . Love it to be honest. I did make sure i got something with a full manual mode and paddles though so i can still take over if i want.

Makes driving in traffic a million times nicer obviously.

As has been said though, i would be worried about owning an old one out of warranty.
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Now that sounds like the sort of car I could get on with. Paddle shift would be fine, but I gather that CVT is a different kettle of fish!

adolf hamster said:
in terms of drivability you will love it and hate it.

it does suck a considerable amount from "spirited" driving on back roads, but anywhere in traffic it's a definite boon.

i'll be honest mine's an auto because it shaved £1k off the price for an equivalent car, and i wanted to try it out. there are definately times when i miss the manual, almost to the point of being tempted to do a manual conversion, but when it comes to ultimate lazy/tired driving it makes the world of difference.

be warned though, the whole sequential shift thing on even a good regular auto box is not that fun, that's why dual clutch boxes exist.
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Thanks for your insight. Could you expand on the sequential shift not being fun please?
 
Given the cars you are looking at is there any enjoyment in manual shifting anyway. :) I went from 20 years of manual cars to an autobox, though a sportier car with 8 speed auto, the only time I miss it is when having a b road blast. It does have flappy paddles which are ok the 1 time out of 10 I use them but they are in no way a replacement for manual gears.

For 90%+ of the time an auto box is nicer to drive. However I have only ever had one auto car so unsure how older cars would be.
 
I don't mind CVT transmissions but my early driving years were split between my manual car and my mothers CVT auto's. With a steady foot they are quite effortless to drive. The problems come when you want to make quick progress as pinning the throttle will cause the engine to go to wherever the maximum power is and stay there, the CVT will then adjust the ratios as the speed increases. On the one hand this is quite an efficient way to get up to speed, on the other hand when coupled with a low powered engine it results in 15 seconds of *BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* from the engine :p

My mothers 1.0 Micra was especially painful as this video from a similar car shows :p
 
chroniclard said:
Given the cars you are looking at is there any enjoyment in manual shifting anyway. :) I went from 20 years of manual cars to an autobox, though a sportier car with 8 speed auto, the only time I miss it is when having a b road blast. It does have flappy paddles which are ok the 1 time out of 10 I use them but they are in no way a replacement for manual gears.

For 90%+ of the time an auto box is nicer to drive. However I have only ever had one auto car so unsure how older cars would be.
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Much worse I imagine and not as smooth :p

Fair to say they have come a long way though.
 
Once you go to a decent autobox, you will never go back to a manual box for 'normal' driving :D , made the switch like 8 years ago and once you discover the quirks of what you can and cant do with the box you will think why you never made the switch earlier.
 
Having driven four different Autos (Corsa, Merc C-class, BMW somethingorother and Honda CR-V) in recent years, the more I drive them the more I hate them.
Firstly, I find they make me a very lazy driver... possibly to the point of detrimental driving. It's OK if you sit in traffic queues most of your life, I s'pose, but it's pretty gak outside of that, really. I could almost fall asleep driving over 30mph!

But secondly and more importantly, none of them would change gear when I needed. Usually they change up too late. The Merc was probably the best, as it was quickest as shifting up when I lifted off and not too bad at the downshift, especially with the kickdown switch at the end of the pedal travel.
The Honda is the absolute worst, though, revving far too high for my liking and is most notably useless when driving around the narrow country hillside roads in places like Devon, Cornwall, The Lakes, etc.

Couldn't believe how much I missed my manual Škoda!!!
 
DeeJay-Mo said:
Thanks for your insight. Could you expand on the sequential shift not being fun please?
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on a standard auto box (ie not a dual clutch, those are made to fix this problem) expect laggy shift times, no more time really than your average manual shift (for normal driving) but when you're not in control of the shift or the clutch it becomes an eternity.

ironically just leaving it in the auto sport mode and concentrating on the road is better.

i wouldn't say it's not worth trying an auto, always nice to try something different, and there have been a few long cruises/lazy commutes when it's really been a boon, but i'll confess to looking on autotrader for an old mx5 to fill that back road void far more than my wallet is comfortable with.

that said, there's nothing like using the cruise control to go from 20-70mph because you can't be bothered using your right food :D
 
that said, there's nothing like using the cruise control to go from 20-70mph because you can't be bothered using your right food :D
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That is a good one, using the "RES" option [ resume ] is brilliant, returning to the set speed after you have
tapped the brake pedal to cancel the CC.


The sad devotees of victorian gearing will never experience such a giddy thrill of acceleration.
 
adolf hamster said:
on a standard auto box (ie not a dual clutch, those are made to fix this problem) expect laggy shift times, no more time really than your average manual shift (for normal driving) but when you're not in control of the shift or the clutch it becomes an eternity.
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Not strictly true, the ZF boxes aren't double clutch and have extremely fast shift times.
 
I drive both, manual for personal and auto at work, when your stuck in traffic all day the auto is king but on the way home where it's country lanes I couldn't see myself getting rid of manual.
 
wife has a manual, i have an auto.

personally i'd never go back to manual. all the people saying it's not nippy enough for spirited driving on country roads must have 1.6 tdi engines and or some other underpowered vehicle engine combo.

when i get into the manual i find it a chore having to switch gears. in fact with peoples driving skills these days they will have likely screwed the clutch, flywheel, etc with their dodgy gear changes.

buy a decent automatic. the best ones for reliability are the older 4-5 speed gearboxes. simpler the better. so yes i'd go japanese or old german marques. the newer more modern ones have too much that can go wrong.
 
Auto is nice if you just want lazy driving, but for anything remotely sporty they can be frustrating. They aren't anywhere near as reliable long-term as a good manual either.
 
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