111–120 of 893 posts
I think anyone who drives off-road in the mountains knows how much better sticks are then automatics. It's extremely frustrating to take automatic trucks on steep off road terrain.
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…
They won't decide the issue as they have no transmission, they are option number 3 so to speak.
I'm a car enthusiast, and I was a manual transmission purist for many, many years. But then I had to be honest with myself, and admit that the VAST majority of my driving is commuting in traffic. And that driving is much less annoying with an automatic. My leisure driving is maybe 5% less fun without a manual, but that's far outweighed by how much better my daily commute is. At this point, I'd only buy a manual for a…
Exactly! For commuting you should get an automatic and for the weekend you should get a manual. I was a fan of manual cars for a long time, but the more time I spent stuck in traffic, the more I love automatic transmissions.
Manual transmission is the best anti theft mechanism in the US.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
How would it be better for society if everybody had automatic transmission?
I don't think the parent has the same idea, but from my personal experience, it is almost impossible to not break speed limits in a stick shift car. Same is not true in my case for automatic. Better have other drivers be safe and eco conscious.
Driving manual in heavy traffic is a pain in the ass. RIP your calves. I've driven manual in Bolivia since I learned how to drive, but when I moved back to the States I picked automatic because I would kill myself having to press the clutch every 40cm during heavy traffic. People have this romanticized view of manual driving, going through empty hills, warm sun beating on your raybans. In reality you'll be stuck in t…
-I believe that to be correct based on anecdotal experience. However, from what I've been told time and time again - in the long run, autos are much more reliable than manuals; flush the gearbox every now and then and it is just about ever-lasting.
So - it is arguably a trade-off. Chances are it will be simpler to find a mechanic who can bring a manual gearbox back up to speed in a faraway location - but having an auto makes it less likely you'll need to find said mechanic in the first place.
I'm a car enthusiast, and I was a manual transmission purist for many, many years. But then I had to be honest with myself, and admit that the VAST majority of my driving is commuting in traffic. And that driving is much less annoying with an automatic. My leisure driving is maybe 5% less fun without a manual, but that's far outweighed by how much better my daily commute is. At this point, I'd only buy a manual for a…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's only correct for modern automatic transmissions. Plus sometimes start/stop. Probably not for old "3 gear with torque converter" or similiar.
Modern manual cars have start/stop technology too. However, it's more convoluted to use. You have to engage the clutch, put the shifter in neutral, and release the clutch again. Compared to automatic where you just have to hold your foot on the brake pedal. Stop/start reduces fuel consumption on test cycles like NEDC for both automatics and manuals, but I'll bet in the real world the benefit is mostly seen with autom…
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…
> The silver lining is that electric cars will just decide this issue once and for all. They won't decide the issue as they have no transmission, they are option number 3 so to speak.
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…
> The silver lining is that electric cars will just decide this issue once and for all. They won't decide the issue as they have no transmission, they are option number 3 so to speak.