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Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

latimes.com

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Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#291

Post by craigsmansion »

finchisko wrote: post #131

In late 90s, when I was young and beautiful :-), I was joking about americans being too unskilful to drive car with manual, so they need automatic. But honestly, now I thing we europeans were just too stubborn not accepting auto transmission and thinking we're kind of superior because of it. And nowadays automatic transmission is becoming so popular, my 65y old dad is willing to have it.

It might not just be stubbornness if you take into account the general difference in petrol prices (especially back then with more primitive automatics).

I favour automatic transmission, but still usually drive stick because of the mileage.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#292

Post by blub »

fazzone wrote: post #170
Tempest1981 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You say it's useless, but then say "maybe you will save a few bucks on gas if you follow the indicator". Isn't that the point? To teach/remind you how to save gas? I agree that it is imperfect, and imo annoying/distracting. But it may work for a large number of drivers, most of the time.

My point is that they far over-prioritized fuel economy. If you actually drive like that you will be spending a lot more time changing gears than necessary, and that almost any acceleration will require a downshift. I wouldn't recommend trying to stretch the gas mileage in the snow, for example, since you might need power to recover if you start to slide.

Completely agree. Those indicators ignore that we can't accelerate as fast as a double-clutch automatic in case of emergency.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#293

Post by peteretep »

ealexhudson wrote: post #211
akerro wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>that'll earn you a restriction on your license, barring you from driving a manual. It's probably fair, but almost everyone (myself included) chooses to practice in manuals It is fair. When you do motorcycle training for up-to 125cc, you can take a scooter which doesn't have gears, or motorcycle with gear. If you learn how to use gears you know how to ride a scooter, but if you take a scooter, you're not allowed to r…

This is only partly true. While it's correct for the A1 license (up to 125cc), if you have provisional + CBT you can do that training on an automatic bike and then go out and ride a geared bike for as long as you renew the CBT. Personally, I think it's a silly restriction. I learned gears on my own, if you know how to ride a bike it's not complicated to pick up - even in the CBT training they expect learners to pick…

Very much worth noting that the CBT is a UK-only thing, and meaningless outside the UK.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#294

Post by vmasto »

rimantas wrote: post #60
henrikschroder wrote: post #46

I got my driver's license in Sweden, and the official driving handbook completely worships manual transmissions, and makes several untrue claims about how much better they are than automatics. You can choose to do your road test in an automatic, but that'll earn you a restriction on your license, barring you from driving a manual. It's probably fair, but almost everyone (myself included) chooses to practice in manual…

> when automatic transmissions are consistently > outperforming humans at fuel efficiency What? So far each data sheet has shown higher fuel consumption for automatic vehicles.

Source please?

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#295

Post by Broken_Hippo »

ehnto wrote: post #135

Holy crap, I didn't realise it was quite like that. I knew it was rare for people to know manual transmissions but why such a preference for automatic? In Australia pretty much everyone I know can drive manual, most cars come with the option and most cheaper cars are manual. It was somewhat of a masculinity thing too, and still is according to my younger siblings. To be honest I'm surprised the most that America does…

> I knew it was rare for people to know manual transmissions, but why such a preference for automatic?

I think this is twofold. First off, most drivers education doesn't teach a manual transmission anymore, nor is drivers education a requirement. While my parents learned on a simulator in school, I learned it from experience (and so happy I did) - my first car was a manual.

But the second part of this is that there tends to be a very small number of cars that even offer a manual transmission: Generally small cars, pickup trucks, and "sporty" cars. I live in Norway now, and have a smallish 4-door sedan with a manual transmission: The same sort of car is difficult to find in the US.

The masculinity still happens, but I think it is simply plays out differently. In a lot of areas, you are just as masculine in a pickup truck as a vehicle.

Sidenote: I am with you with preferring a manual transmission. In fact, knowing how to drive one and understanding the gears helped me with an automatic once.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#296

Post by chiefalchemist »

You'll know we're serious about climate change when this changes. Manual gets better gas mileage. Sure it might be a small difference but even just 3 miles per gallon is 10% on 30 mpg. Over hundreds of thousands of cars that adds up. But we can't be bothered. It's an inconvenience. You can't drink your soy latte and drive at the same time if the vehicle is manual. I guess you can say it's a matter of priorities.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#297

Post by violentvinyl »

ehnto wrote: post #135

Holy crap, I didn't realise it was quite like that. I knew it was rare for people to know manual transmissions but why such a preference for automatic? In Australia pretty much everyone I know can drive manual, most cars come with the option and most cheaper cars are manual. It was somewhat of a masculinity thing too, and still is according to my younger siblings. To be honest I'm surprised the most that America does…

I would posit that in the US, new drivers are "grand-fathered" in to automatics. There is no driving license restriction in the US for transmission types, so there is little value in learning to drive a manual before your test (you could always learn later if you wanted to). Couple that with the fact that often a new driver's first car is second hand from a more sensible parent or family member who wanted the ease of use of an automatic, repeat for a generation or two, and suddenly you have very few new drivers who even have an opportunitty to learn how to drive a manual.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#298

Post by _pmf_ »

ehnto wrote: post #135

Holy crap, I didn't realise it was quite like that. I knew it was rare for people to know manual transmissions but why such a preference for automatic? In Australia pretty much everyone I know can drive manual, most cars come with the option and most cheaper cars are manual. It was somewhat of a masculinity thing too, and still is according to my younger siblings. To be honest I'm surprised the most that America does…

> To be honest I'm surprised the most that America doesn't have that same psuedo masculinity requirement thing happening.

They have guns.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#299

Post by agumonkey »

fh973 wrote: post #64
henrikschroder wrote: post #46

I got my driver's license in Sweden, and the official driving handbook completely worships manual transmissions, and makes several untrue claims about how much better they are than automatics. You can choose to do your road test in an automatic, but that'll earn you a restriction on your license, barring you from driving a manual. It's probably fair, but almost everyone (myself included) chooses to practice in manual…

Eco driving is also about driving with foresight: don't accelerate if you likely have to stop soon anyway. Braking wastes the most gas.

So many people hate you if you do that. They will pass you angry, just to stop 5m down the road while you get there behind.

Re: Fewer than 3% of cars sold in the U.S. have manual transmissions

#300

Post by peteretep »

saiya-jin wrote: post #221
henrikschroder wrote: post #46

I got my driver's license in Sweden, and the official driving handbook completely worships manual transmissions, and makes several untrue claims about how much better they are than automatics. You can choose to do your road test in an automatic, but that'll earn you a restriction on your license, barring you from driving a manual. It's probably fair, but almost everyone (myself included) chooses to practice in manual…

wow, you are incorrect in almost every statement. I get it, you like easy driving without worrying about clutch and gears, but not everybody is like that. I would never want automatic transmission for my car, it's inferior, expensive, less fun and car has no way knowing details of road situation I am facing and choices I am about to make. And I am far from petrolhead person FYI. Another point - I don't know a single…

    > it's inferior, expensive, less
    > fun and car has no way knowing
    > details of road situation
I agree, and have believed those things since my mother (literally) taught me them! But I've never driven an automatic, and the small number of people I know in the UK who have switched to an automatic are never, ever going back.

Food for thought.

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