Manual or Automatic to learn to drive?

Davey2009

Depends how easy you find the process of changing manually has it caused you problems - I recall a long long time ago aged 17 I couldnt get my head round the idea of clutch's & gears but in the end driving a manual is so easy it is almost an automatic process.

Premier_2

Phantom_Flan_Flinger wrote: »

Shouldn't be, although they are dearer to buy from new and have higher CO2 emissions.

I thought automatics generally have lower (official) CO2 emissions compared with the equivilent manual car.

This is because CO2 emissions is directly related to fuel consumption.
In official tests, automatics are generally more fuel efficient compared to their manual counterparts, since the fuel consumption test specifies which gear the manual car must be in for each part of the test; the automatic is allowed to change to the most appropriate/economic gear.

Of course, official fuel consumption tests, and hence CO2 emissions, have nothing to do with real world driving.

Premier_2

Kimberley wrote: »

Thats what I was thinking. Pass my test in an Automatic and hopefully that means I learn quicker and then once i've been driving for a few months I could have some lessons and then a test in a manual car ...

What do you think?

Bad idea.

The techniques of driving an automatic and a manual are very different.
Even an experienced driver often has difficulty switching from one to the other. As a leaner, I'd imagine it'll me a nightmare.

jaydeeuk1

Unless there is a medical condition, then I don't understand why people would want to pass a test in an automatic. Clutch control is just a small part of driving, if you can't manage that confidently then you shouldn't be on the road.

movilogo

Even an experienced driver often has difficulty switching from one to the other.

One who can drive a manual, driving an automatic is a doddle. However, the opposite is not true.

@OP
If you want to learn in an automatic, just go ahead. I know several people who only drive automatics and never had a problem.

angeltreats

Oldernotwiser wrote: »

Just as a matter of interest, I wonder if people could say whether they're male or female. I appreciate that it's a bit of a generalisation but, in my experience, it's often women who sing the praises of automatics whereas men prefer manuals.

I'm female and I sing the praises of manual! But all the automatic drivers I know do happen to be women.

BillScarab

Premier wrote: »

I thought automatics generally have lower (official) CO2 emissions compared with the equivilent manual car.

This is because CO2 emissions is directly related to fuel consumption.
In official tests, automatics are generally more fuel efficient compared to their manual counterparts, since the fuel consumption test specifies which gear the manual car must be in for each part of the test; the automatic is allowed to change to the most appropriate/economic gear.

Of course, official fuel consumption tests, and hence CO2 emissions, have nothing to do with real world driving.

Modern clutchless manual type automatics such as the VW DSG box may show slugihtly better economy and emissions. But I'm pretty sure the older Torque converter types are all worse for economy and emissions.

e.g. a Ford Focus 1.6 5dr style hatchback auto has CO2 184 and MPG 36.7
a Ford Focus 1.6 5dr style hatchback manual has CO2 159 and MPG 42.2

The manual is £975 cheaper as well.

Personally although I tend to drive manuals as they work out a lot cheaper on our company car scheme I do like autos a lot. If you drive in heavy traffic a lot an auto is fantastic.

frugallass

this is my experience....

I always struggled with my lessons in a manual and gave up in the end

hubby suggested that I try lessons in an auto - which I did and loved - I passed my test within about 5 months

I've had a number of wee auto cars - the gearbox went on one but the others had the same technical problems as any manual would have

They weren't terribly expensive to run (as is claimed by some people)

I tried lessons again in a manual and I didn't enjoy them so resigned myself to the fact that I will always be an auto girl !

Ignore all that rubbish about 'Clutch control is just a small part of driving, if you can't manage that confidently then you shouldn't be on the road' - I am a competent and confident driver who just happens to drive autos.

Phantom_Flan_Flinger

Premier wrote: »

I thought automatics generally have lower (official) CO2 emissions compared with the equivilent manual car.

This is because CO2 emissions is directly related to fuel consumption.
In official tests, automatics are generally more fuel efficient compared to their manual counterparts, since the fuel consumption test specifies which gear the manual car must be in for each part of the test; the automatic is allowed to change to the most appropriate/economic gear.

From MSN -

Traditional automatics
These have come in leaps and bound in recent years, both in terms of their refinement and in the way they exploit the best aspect of an engine's performance and economy. A general rule is that the more gears the better, this offsetting the drivetrain 'drag' that often causes worse mpg and CO2.
On a VW Passat diesel the additional cost of the auto is a typical £1,270, with economy 3mpg down on the manual gearbox car. Perhaps of greater significance is the hike in emissions from 186g/km to 199g/km. This just scrapes into the same VED band but company car drivers will see their tax bill rise by 2%

Premier_2

BillScarab wrote: »

...e.g. a Ford Focus 1.6 5dr style hatchback auto has CO2 184 and MPG 36.7
a Ford Focus 1.6 5dr style hatchback manual has CO2 159 and MPG 42.2

...

Interesting...

Ford Focus 2.0 5dr auto has CO2 189 and MPG 35.3
Ford Focus 2.0 5dr manual has CO2 169 and MPG 39.8


Jaguar X-type 3.0 4dr auto has CO2 249 and MPG 26.9
Jaguar X-type 3.0 4dr manual has CO2 244 and MPG 27.5


Edit:
The Focus has a 5 speed manual and 4 speed auto (like the 1.6 previously referred to)
The Jag has a 5 speed manual and a 5 speed auto