Manual vs automatic?

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I'm learning a manual at the moment which is going okay so far. But please just pick whatever you want whether it is manual or auto. At thr end of the day it is what makes you feel safe and comfortable when driving and your going to be paying for all these car see e.g. insurance, road tax not the people who are telling you to learn to manual just because 'it's the proper way of driving' follow your heart.

Aw thank you :smile:

Reply 41

dxna.s

Original post by dxna.s

Aw thank you :smile:

Wish my heart could tell me straight up whether to drive a manual or automatic rather than play games with me :/

Reply 42

silverfox44

I originally started learning in a manual and didn’t get on with it (made me really nervous on the road) I then switched to automatic and passed my test yesterday first time :smile:

I really enjoy automatic and I feel a lot safer (I like that I can keep both hands on the wheel and not have to take one off the change gears) you could always start learning in a manual and if you don’t like it switch?

Reply 43

Alfissti

I've had quite a few cars in my lifetime, several 2 door coupes and several fast sedans/SUVs. Had always preferred them to be manual as their automatic variants weren't the best when it came to reliability.

These days I see no point whatsoever in buying a manual as automatic gearboxes have improved leaps and bounds from the past. Thus far have yet to have issues with any of my cars due to the gearbox being automatic other than the Alfa which well is still an Alfa and as they say if the car is reliable then it isn't an Alfa Romeo.

All the cars I own now are automatics as the variant of the car isn't available as a manual and I probably wouldn't buy a manual one anyway.

Reply 44

RoyalSheepy

Manual, as you actually have full control over the car.

Automatics are just harder and costly to repair when they go wrong, and they get less MPG.

Reply 45

NX172

Auto / Semi automatic, I guess.
Automatics are just nice for city driving and being stuck in traffic. However, for anything more than that they're just a bit dumb as road situations are highly dynamic, it's difficult for it to know which is the right gear to be in ahead of time.

However, there's already advancements in smarter gear changes that you can already find in most high end cars. These cars are actively scanning the road conditions to adjust headlamps, maintain braking distances for safety systems, etc. With cars like the new S class, they even use GPS to prepare the car for a corner.

Otherwise, you can control gear changes to some degree by selecting the respective comfort/sport/race profiles in your car which either shifts earlier or later. In most cases the middle profile gives a good balance between throttle response and fuel efficiency. Personally I leave it in sport and kick-down when I need the extra response/power or go semi auto by just shifting with the flappy paddles if I need a fast change.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 46

Euci

I've got a manual.
My driving instructor said I have one of the smoothest gear changes for a beginner driver.

Reply 47

Lee.Millar3

Original post by dxna.s

What type of car would you drive and why?

Definitely a Manual... most of the time. Apart from serious traffic, best of boths worlds really! currently driving my vw polo 1.4 as a manual but always dreamed of driving a car like my grandads ... (Audi Q7 :lovedup:

)

Reply 48

Lee.Millar3

Original post by NBingham

I've got a manual.
My driving instructor said I have one of the smoothest gear changes for a beginner driver.

Nice one! My instructor never gave me too much feedback. Now I've realized the first lesson I had with him he said he wont say anything unless I'm doing something wrong, so I guess that's good? :smile:

Never been a big fan of roundabouts though...

Reply 49

trapking

Manual all day long.

Love the feel of rapid gear changing and feeling everything that my car does. It makes you a better driver but I gotta admit sometimes on long AF journeys an automatic would be nice so I can rest my feet a bit :colondollar:

Reply 50

username3515634

Manual then it’s easier to get to grips with automatic 👍🏻

Reply 51

Starwreck

From a mechanical perspective, Auto gearboxes are higher maintenance they require oil changes every 40k for most vehicles, and they can't take the "abuse" a new driver would bestow on it.
where as a manual can go 90k+ without a fluid refresh it is "tougher" but still not indestructible.

remember neglect and abuse them and their lifespan will be dramatically shortened.

From a driving perspective

Manuals are more involving for a new driver + its exciting lol

Automatics are easier to drive, most of the time. They are slower than their manual compatriots and fuel consumption especially on an aged slush box is crap.

i would recommend a Manual for the toughness and the ease of maintenance.

Reply 52

DJKL

A manual tends to give greater enjoyment on winding , climbing and falling roads, much more involvement and I feel more connected with the car, but on a 850 mile road trip, where your leg starts falling asleep on the pedal, an automatic with cruise control is a joy.

Have never had a flappy paddle automatic, though a few cars have been side tap gear change models (Mercedes and now big Mini), the Mercs have been comfortable but slightly boring, the AWD Countryman is a bit more engaging. and to date has been pretty limpet like (or I have not yet abused it enough )

But for just plain good fun (but not for long journeys) my Scimitar SS1 1600 (in pieces at moment) is hard to beat, not especially fast but at circa 900kg it can be thrown about and a 1800T version is even better (and pretty cheap, easy to service and has scope for a lot of DIY mods, see website below for ideas)

http://www.ss1turbo.co.uk/hot_hatch_hunting.htm

Reply 53

It's****ingWOODY

I did my test in manual, got to grips with the gears very quickly. Passed my test, then drove a manual car for a year, thinking "Yeah man, it's all about manual, REAL drivers drive manual cause it takes more skill and you get more control!". Then the novelty wore off pretty ****ing quickly because constantly shifting between first and second in a trafficky area like mine is tedious AF :rofl:

Tried out an automatic, been driving an automatic for 2 and a half years now and I never want another manual if I can help it.

People whinge about the lack of gear control in an automatic but actually, once you get the feel of the speeds and revs that your car changes gear you can actually predict and manipulate the gears by modulating the gas pedal - so you'd obviously speed up at a steady pace to get the gears going up; or if you need a bit of juice when already travelling at a moderate speed/gear then add some revs and it'll change down a gear (known as "kickdown"); or you can change down gears while lowering your speed just slow down in good time. So you can pretty much change gears more quickly and efficiently in an automatic in most cases and contrary to popular belief, you can totally control it.