The end of the manual transmission is near? • Hacker News Board

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#691

Post by gbronner » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 1:56 PM UTC

From personal experience, the new automatics are better than manuals.

I found going from a 5 speed to a 6 speed annoying -- it added a lot more shifts. After 26 years of driving a manual, my car got totaled and I pretty much had to get one with an automatic.

The new car has hill descent mode, which is pretty similar to what a manual does, and it has some more sophisticated limited slip traction control modes, which eliminates the only other real advantage of a manual.

The only remaining advantage of a manual now is cost, which matters far more in developing countries than in the USA.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#692

Post by rkangel » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 1:56 PM UTC

distortedsignal wrote: post #379

namdnay wrote: post #338

Earlier quoted context omitted.

+ explosive charges that will deform the hood to better catch a pedestrian. I’ve seen one go off when somebody drove into a bollard

Could you point me to the car manufacturer that puts explosive charges in their cars? Asking for a friend... who is myself.

The Mazda MX-5 bonnet system:

https://owners-manual.mazda.com/gen/en/mx-5/mx-5_8fl9ee16j/c...

They wanted to keep the profile of the car low which didn't allow for the space normally needed, so they provide it 'on demand' in case of impact. Unfortunately for a friend of mine who is an owner, that turned a fairly minor collision with an object into a several thousand pound repair as the system shears the bonnet mounts and deforms the bonnet.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#693

Post by pc86 » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 1:58 PM UTC

capableweb wrote: post #532

lisper wrote: post #352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I drove a manual for about 20 years and I still really enjoy them, but there is one thing that made me happily leave them behind: stop-and-go traffic. Not having to clutch constantly when driving in the city is a big enough win that I'm willing to give up the fun of a manual for it. But I do sometimes miss having a stick on a windy mountain road.

I currently use a (automatic) borrowed car from the shop while my (manual) car is being repaired. I mostly do city-driving. One of the biggest issues with the automatic is stop-and-go traffic. It's absolutely trash at accelerating smoothly but fast, and I have no choice but to either go very slowly forward to not make it janky, or really aggressive acceleration. With a manual car, smooth-but-fast acceleration is easy…

I'm not exaggerating when I say this is the first time in my life I've heard anyone say manuals are better than automatics in stop-and-go traffic.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#694

Post by everdrive » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 2:00 PM UTC

gbronner wrote: post #691

From personal experience, the new automatics are better than manuals. I found going from a 5 speed to a 6 speed annoying -- it added a lot more shifts. After 26 years of driving a manual, my car got totaled and I pretty much had to get one with an automatic. The new car has hill descent mode, which is pretty similar to what a manual does, and it has some more sophisticated limited slip traction control modes, which e…

It's sad, but I agreed. Manuals may be more fun, but they are no longer the more practical option.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#695

Post by kube-system » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 2:02 PM UTC

1234letshaveatw wrote: post #667

dumpsterlid wrote: post #610

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would say crocs and pickup trucks are opposite. Many many people hate crocs and how they look but they are in many regards actually an extremely practical shoe for most peoples' day to day life. The opposite is true for trucks.

Does everyone here live in a studio apartment? Pickup trucks are the most utilitarian vehicle you can buy. Whether you use it for hauling furniture from the antique store, or you transport firewood or a load of topsoil or throw a kayak in the back, or one of a million other jobs. I don't get how people can become so radicalized that they develop a hatred for pickup trucks. We are doomed as a country

I’ve owned several pickups. My current pickup has two doors, a vinyl floor, roll up windows, a key to open the door, and dents all over it. That’s a utilitarian vehicle. The $60k luxury barges I see at the mall are not that.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#696

Post by VBprogrammer » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 2:04 PM UTC

hikingsimulator wrote: post #374

mnd999 wrote: post #347

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, they probably care less about failing European safety standards since pickups aren’t a big market in Europe.

sadly I've seen an increasing amount of American-style SUV and pickup trucks in France since the start of covid.

I think lots of people assume that the Toyota Hilux / Ford Ranger type pickups are as big as American pickups. In reality the pickups sold for the UK/EU are modest compared to the US. Even an F150 is quite a bit bigger, nevermind when you get into the F350 etc.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#697

Post by giraffe_lady » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 2:07 PM UTC

treeman79 wrote: post #675

branon wrote: post #613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your comment is dripping with more political vitriol than I've seen in "that country" in a while You can find plenty of more compact pickups - I've been searching for the best one for a while because the Dodge Ram and Ford F150 are just too big. The Honda Ridgeline, the Ford Maverick, the Chevrolet Colorado, the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Toyota Tacoma, are all more compact, only seat 2-4 people, and have more bed than…

Got the f-150 as the main family vehicle. Extra width is a huge deal. we don’t feel squished together on trips. Kids and and dog have plenty of room. And the bed is plenty big for all luggage / camping gear. Plus it’s useful when we do need to haul couches or bigger items. Downtown park isn’t fun but is doable.

so what you need is a minivan and what you got is a truck. this is pretty much what we're complaining about yes.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#698

Post by The-Bus » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 2:08 PM UTC

branon wrote: post #613

bregma wrote: post #546

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand, but a modern pickup truck comfortably seats 6 in its King Cab (and good luck finding a truck without a King Cab) and has a bed that is useless for carrying anything except maybe your gym bag or a dozen cases of empties. There is no doubt the purpose of a modern pickup truck is as a passenger vehicle and secondarily to provide an advertising medium for you political beliefs. The fact that modern American…

Your comment is dripping with more political vitriol than I've seen in "that country" in a while You can find plenty of more compact pickups - I've been searching for the best one for a while because the Dodge Ram and Ford F150 are just too big. The Honda Ridgeline, the Ford Maverick, the Chevrolet Colorado, the Hyundai Santa Cruz, the Toyota Tacoma, are all more compact, only seat 2-4 people, and have more bed than…

The Honda Ridgeline has a wheelbase that's almost two feet longer than a mid-80s Ford Ranger. The body is almost a yard longer.

Bring back small, capable trucks.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#699

Post by proamdev123 » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 2:09 PM UTC

tigershark wrote: post #395

euroderf wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And don't forget leaving from a stop uphill.

Automatic transmission is much worse than manual in mountain roads and uphill. But I always forget that a lot of people have no idea on how to drive uphill with manual transmission.

Apparently I’m one of those people, given I had no idea this was a thing.

How is driving uphill in a manual different than flat driving in a manual? (Serious question)

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#700

Post by zhdc1 » Thu, Aug 25, 2022, 2:09 PM UTC

MarkusWandel wrote: post #612

I finally had to switch to a slushbox for family reasons. Driving is less fun, but it gets the job done. One thing that's neat though, that a stickshift can never do, is automatic engine braking. Driving along on cruise control, if a long downhill is encountered, the car will shift down to engine brake. That's cool.

> Driving along on cruise control, if a long downhill is encountered, the car will shift down to engine brake. That's cool.

You can also downshift in a manual...