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The end of the manual transmission is near?

popularmechanics.com

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Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#321

Post by donkarma »

bergenty wrote: post #150
blackfawn wrote: post #141

I doubt I'll never buy an automatic transmission vehicle. If that means never buying a new car after some point, then so be it. I've had quite a few manual transmission cars over the years and have driven them through all the things people complain about like steep hills in icy winters, stop and go traffic for an hour or two commute, etc. and I'd still go for a MT every time. Not only is it cheaper and less complex,…

Manual is stupid. Automatics have been better than manual for a while and who the hell wants to spend all that time changing gears for no reason. Boring is the silliest rationalization there is.

you need to drink more gasoline, it makes all my angry opinions disappear

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#322

Post by _huayra_ »

analog31 wrote: post #203

I probably own my last manual car, a Scion XA. When I was a teenager, driving stick was fun. It conferred a feeling of skill and exclusiveness, and also a way to drive like a teenager despite an underpowered engine on my way to my cello lesson. Today, I've paid my dues. I've pushed the lever back and forth, and stepped on the pedal, probably millions of times. It makes me feel like I'm in one of those psychology expe…

All of the "smart driving" stuff like adaptive cruise control is why I finally bought my first non-MT car. I guess the manual was more fun (although I had it living in a condo complex with a ludicrously steep driveway -> goodbye clutch :( ), but the amount of ease adaptive cruise control gives me for those long highway drives is well worth it.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#323

Post by yawnxyz »

emp wrote: post #49

If I could afford a Porsche I would still get a manual option. Changing gears cleanly, heel-toe blipping the throttle when gearing down, getting the right gear at the right time - simple pleasures. It seems the more refined cars become the less character they have. Even the equivalent cars to my old dependable friend feel like lesser cars. Annoy CVTs, electric power steering, and finishes that feel cheap. And windows…

Dual clutch in more expensive (fast) Porsche's are a lot more fun bc you have less to worry/freak out about going at speed (I'm not that good of a driver...).

In cheap Porsches like the Boxster the manual is a ton more fun, since those cars don't really go very fast, so you feel more engaged. But Porsche manuals are kind of janky and notchy in those.

Maybe I'm just reminiscing "good ole times" but the manual in my S2000 was and is still the best manual I've ever driven.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#324

Post by cm2187 »

hinkley wrote: post #123
recursivedoubts wrote: post #7

I reiterate my compromise proposal: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32397975 I will give up my manual transmission, if you will bring back pull-knobs, twist knobs and other tactile switches for the main controls of my vehicle, with the appropriate tactile feedback at set points so I can set them without looking. After thinking on it, I am going to raise my demands, however: you also need to produce cars that are…

A great number of the cool designs from the 50's and 60's are illegal because the front of the car eats people. Swallows them, chews them up, and spits them out. The sloped design of new cars isn't just about aerodynamics. In a low-speed impact a pedestrian is lifted onto the hood. Forward leaning grills, such as on the Dodge Charger, some of the beefier Mustangs, and any number of other muscle cars or sedans, instea…

Well, what about if self driving cars become safe enough?

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#325

Post by _huayra_ »

ufmace wrote: post #284
lapcat wrote: post #9

There's nothing worse than getting stuck in traffic going up a slick hill in a Midwest winter with a manual transmission. Your car goes backward!

I've driven a manual for many years, and I never got this complaint. I always found it perfectly straightforward to get moving on a steep uphill with just a little clutch control. Maybe you roll backwards a few inches if you're a little slow, but so what? Despite appearances, you're never actually that close to anything.

I take it you live somewhere with ample parking lots? I definitely don't miss the dance of clutch, handbrake, and gas whilst trying to parallel park in a spot I would barely fit into on a hill.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#326

Post by pixelpoet »

ImprovedSilence wrote: post #126
melony wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a better compromise, a semi-automatic: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-automatic_transmission You choose when to change the gears but the computer deals with the clutch, best of both worlds.

meh, my wife's car does that, but to me it's not the same. I think if I can put into words what I like about manual transmissions, it's more than just the control to change the gears, it's the actual tactile feeling of removing power from the drivetrain (via clutch), then re-applying it. it's the cliche feeling of "connection" to the car, road, and what's happening. But I understand why the manual is dying. Most peop…

Even as someone who hates cars and has never in 40 years had a driver's licence, I get this (have learnt how to drive).

Automatic instead of manual feels how I imagine pre-chewed ice cream feels.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#327

Post by freeqaz »

Buttons840 wrote: post #149
boppo1 wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>because the front of the car eats people. Swallows them, chews them up, and spits them out. How so? Could we just use modern crumple materials in the same shape?

A crumple material that will crumple in a car vs pedestrian collision? Like NERF foam or something?

This comment actually got a laugh out of me. I truly have no idea what would be feasible in a collision like this. Probably packing peanuts? Airbags on the outside of the car that deploy when a pedestrian is detected?

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#328

Post by icelancer »

AlexandrB wrote: post #299
Retric wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You asked why, and the answer is cost vs benefit. Car styling alone doesn’t justify the risk to pedestrians, large truck utility can. Yes, this tradeoff kills people, but so do all sorts of things like not physically preventing cars from driving 80+MPH.

This is a non answer. Australia has a vehicle style commonly referred to as a "ute"[1]. I think it stand for "utility". Which is basically a car with a truck bed in the back. This provides many of the advantages of a pickup without the increased danger to pedestrians. Why are car companies not marketing/selling these to the average consumer instead of the monster RAMs and F150s? I suspect the reason has everything to…

No, this has everything to do with unintended consequences of litigation and regulation.

Enjoy the Chicken Tax. It's why we can't have the Hilux in the States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tax

edit: I suppose it's not unintended consequences. It's LBJ's corrupt decision to trade tariffs for votes / curry favor with unions that harms US consumers.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#329

Post by Mikeb85 »

cm2187 wrote: post #324
hinkley wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A great number of the cool designs from the 50's and 60's are illegal because the front of the car eats people. Swallows them, chews them up, and spits them out. The sloped design of new cars isn't just about aerodynamics. In a low-speed impact a pedestrian is lifted onto the hood. Forward leaning grills, such as on the Dodge Charger, some of the beefier Mustangs, and any number of other muscle cars or sedans, instea…

Well, what about if self driving cars become safe enough?

Well that's not anytime soon at this rate...

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#330

Post by originalvichy »

masklinn wrote: post #274
eric4smith wrote: post #113

Manual transmissions are dead. I grew up learning to drive a manual transmission car. Awesome. I loved the feeling of driving and shifting gears up the hilly, mountainous, twisty horrible roads in Jamaica. Exhilarating! But cars got better. I got older, and now automatic transmissions are so much more efficient than manual transmissions * for ordinary people *. We're not talking about people who love driving here. We…

> I got older, and now automatic transmissions are so much more efficient than manual transmissions * for ordinary people *. It’s not just ordinary people. The opposite, if anything. F1 and rally cars haven’t been manual for decades. I don’t think any modern super is manual. Though with the ev-ification the point is moot as save for a few rare exceptions they’re single-gear.

Saying they aren’t manual can be misleading. F1 and rally cars have automatic clutching but they certainly gear up and down manually.
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