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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?

#871

Post by NonNefarious »

taxyz wrote: post #304
NonNefarious wrote: post #282

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Sixt rental cars in France hasn’t been doing manual transmission cars for years - automatics get better gas mileage and are actually better on overall emissions (you’ll notice modern manual cars keep the revs up even when you let off the throttle). Germany has followed, I believe. But you’re right, it’s probably those dumb Americans’ fault.

I didn't say it was their fault. I just said they're ignorant and lazy... which stands. I drive amongst them every day, and have for decades.

I didn't notice this auto-revving behavior, however. I was driving a Ford in England, so maybe they don't have this "feature."

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#872

Post by midasz »

Judgmentality wrote: post #105
voldacar wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government has made it all but illegal to make a car that isn't ugly

As someone who hates how ugly modern cars have become, I can also acknowledge the extraordinary leap in safety they've achieved since then. Many of the rules are designed around safety. Although a counterpoint to this is the giant A pillars limit visibility so much as to be dangerous themselves.

I've got a Kia Proceed and I think it looks pretty damn nice, only downside is the rear window - kinda tiny - still doable though

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#873

Post by ansible »

hedora wrote: post #784
ansible wrote: post #500

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can sort of see the argument for hybrids, but charging networks will make them obsolete very soon. Eh, I don't know about that. The current-gen Prius can easily get over 600 miles on a tank of gas if you aren't a lead foot. And a refill takes 5 minutes. For longer trips, that still makes quite a difference.

I suppose some people can cope with sustained 10 hour drives broken up with five minute bio breaks, but I cannot. Also, unlike with gasoiline, you don't need to supervise an EV while it charges. Stopping for 30 minutes (bathroom breaks included in that time) every 5 hours doesn't seem too onerous to me.

How fast are you driving that a 30 minute charge (even at a level 3 charger) gets you sufficient range for 5 hours of driving? It should be closer to an hour of charging I'd think, if you are driving at highway speeds.

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#874

Post by SuperQue »

doliveira wrote: post #737
SuperQue wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it really is pretty easy. I learned on a '85 VW Jetta manual. Took a couple tries to figure out, then it wasn't an issue. There are some cars that have very touchy clutches, but most are just fine.

What's the top reason for people failing driving tests? Down here it's letting the engine die while switching gears and failure to park

That seems unlikely. Driving testing is like a lot of public certifications. You fail because you're unsafe.

https://yogov.org/blog/most-common-reasons-people-fail-their...

https://www.insurethebox.com/what-are-the-most-common-reason...

Re: The end of the manual transmission is near?

#875

Post by fredsted »

hnov wrote: post #409
fredsted wrote: post #388

I'm on my way to pick up a manual car today (BMW M2) I've just had about a year with a similar automatic car, but I miss the feel of the car when I'm shifting through gears. The next car for me is probably going to something similar - or an EV.

The M2 is an interesting one because the manual in that car isn’t that good (typical BMW rubbery shifter, high clutch pedal with detent, clutch delay valve) while the Getrag 7 speed DCT feels like something out of a Lamborghini, but people were still buying a LOT of manual M2s.

I've read a lot about people complaining about the rubberyness and smooth shifting being difficult, but it's perfectly fine.
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