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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?

#591

Post by woodruffw »

bambax wrote: post #399
Retric wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s more than just about style. As much as modern pickup trucks have become a fashion statement, many large pickup trucks are providing real utility to construction, farming, etc. And much like 18 wheelers they can’t scale down the front while maintaining utility because they need large engines and high ground clearance.

> As much as modern pickup trucks have become a fashion statement Pickup trucks are the opposite of fashion. There are to cars what Crocs are to shoes.

You and I might disagree about their fashionability, but they are indeed a fashion (and political) statement for many people.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#592

Post by CraigJPerry »

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…

Ordinarily I’d disagree with the idea that cars looked better in the 50s or 60s however

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=uxHVVEEGx7Y

The Cyan Racing Volvo P1800 “restomod” is, in my opinion anyway, the most desirable car in the world.

Anything with a Koenigsegg sticker comes a close second.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#593

Post by calvinmorrison »

zaarn wrote: post #560
superhuzza wrote: post #552

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He meant 500 milliseconds not 500 metres. Not having any pickup over 500 metres would be insane.

I am sure that doesn't change the argument at all, most electric motors don't need 500ms to apply force.

Surely they don't. But that's not what it's about. It's about the fact that I can't reliably gauge how this car works or have good feedback in comparison to my manual.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#594

Post by jiri »

capableweb wrote: post #478
domh wrote: post #466

I always found it strange how people in the UK prefer driving manual transmissions, there's always talk of liking the "feeling" and "control" when driving, this is coming from people who are not enthusiasts and don't even like driving sometimes. 90% of driving tests in the UK are done in manual transmission cars[1]. Taking your driving test in an automatic means that you are not allowed to drive a manual[2]. After li…

Im not from/in the UK or US, but not sure that matters. I also prefer manual transmission. As my car is currently in the shop for repair, I have a borrowed car from the shop, who has automatic transmission instead of manual. It's true that it takes less effort to drive. Easier to drive by just using one leg and easier to use one arm. But the loss of control is real, at least for me. One example is moving from zero to…

In my Land Rover, everything is very smooth with automatic transmission. I can switch to manual mode but it seems so unnecessary as I can hardly make car goes smoother than with default automatic mode. I think that plenty of power and superb automatic transmission make the difference. Sure for budget cars that lacks power, manual transmission is preferable.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#595

Post by wobbleblob »

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…

Automatic transmission is very rare in Europe.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#596

Post by ghaff »

chucksmash wrote: post #193
quacked wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to amend my comment to say "new", because you're completely right... the last Tacoma I test drove (automatic) had 290k on it, the transmission slipped during all gear changes, and they weren't taking a dime under $9k. I have no doubt they eventually found a buyer, too. Same thing is happening in power tools and large appliances. Things used to work, I guess.

I reread after I posted, saw the "new" and was wondering how I'd missed that. I was also looking at Rangers and Tacomas earlier this year. I've seen pre-2020 model year Tacomas listed for $45k. Surreal to think, " Hmm that 4 year old, used mid-size pickup is a little pricey, maybe it's better to get something more frugal like a BMW."

Used car prices have been pretty insane recently. I bought a new vehicle to replace my ~13 year old Toyota 4Runner with some very obvious, and not wholly cosmetic, physical damage and got a $15K trade-in for it. I was shocked.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#597

Post by tibbydudeza »

valine wrote: post #553
tibbydudeza wrote: post #544

Also nothing beats a snap change to third gear when you need to perform a overtaking maneuver on that slow trailer truck and there is oncoming traffic in a distance. My experience of autoboxes is the slow glacial pace of stirring an engine.

The 1 speed automatic transmission and instant torque of an EV is gonna beat manually dropping to 3rd every time.

EV is a long way off for me - costs of EV does not compare well to ICE cars.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#598

Post by johnwalkr »

pmalynin wrote: post #67
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!

Shiet, I used to drive a manual 5L Mustang in the depth of the Edmonton winter. There was definitely one hill going into the city where if the traffic stopped (due to there being a pedestrian crossing right at the top for some reason) it was definitely time to start praying to the old gods and the new. One time, after a particularly snowy night I drove into downtown and after making a right turn the car had its belly…

Please don’t take this as an insult but I’m originally from Edmonton and complaining pedestrians as if pedestrians and not traffic is what causes traffic, as you drive your 5.0 into Edmonton from presumably the suburbs, is the most Edmontonian thing I’ve heard in a while. And then you one-upped yourself because bragging about driving in the snow is the third most popular past-time in Edmonton (after making fun of Toronto for not having 500 snowplows at the ready for a once in 10 year snow storm and making fun of Vancouverites for not being able to drive in snow even though they have to drive on ice/hills and not on snow/flat).

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#599

Post by macintux »

quacked wrote: post #142

I would pay $25,000 cash for a new manual transmission '00s-style mid-sized pickup with hand-crank windows and knobs for the temperature and radio. Last time I drove a car from after 2018 it started automatically keeping pace with the car in front of me on the highway, and you couldn't manually close the trunk but instead had to push a button and wait for it to close. I hate modern cars.

Jeep Wranglers still offered hand crank windows and a manual transmission until very recently. I think the hand crank windows are now gone, but the MT survived for at least one more generation.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#600

Post by robohoe »

jlkuester7 wrote: post #93
PheonixPharts wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it's in your budget I highly recommend test driving the Porsche Macan. It has a screen but as far as I can tell it's not required for anything that doesn't implicitly require a screen (i.e. GPS). Overall the car is amazingly well designed. The tactile experience is there, you can feel your way around everything without moving your eyes from the road/immediate dash area. It still has an analog clock. I also feel li…

Pretty cool to read about somebody using their Porsche the same way I use my 12yo Toyota Rav4! My record is still fitting a full-sized washer and dryer in the back... Don't feel silly for utilizing your vehicle's capabilities!

You should see the way I use my Cayman. It’s starting to see more track miles than road miles. Finally using all the speedometer I paid for.
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