Taking test in automatic car - can you drive semi-automatics

neilmcl

Robisere wrote: »

Comments about manual cars being easier to reverse, etc., is laughable: move into Neutral at lights/junctions, wait for the manual driver(s) in front to engage gears, select "D" and move off. Reversing is made simple by sensors: again, move one stick, watch door mirrors carefully, listen for the beeps, adjust position slightly and park or drive away. Simples!

Not quite the point I was making. I specifically mentioned manoeuvres where you have to make a number of quick, successive gear changes between forward and reverse. In my experience, even with the latest and better autos such as the excellent BMW 8 speed ZF box, it's infinitely quicker and easier to do this manually than it is with an auto and with a lot more finesse and control.

James2k

neilmcl wrote: »

Not quite the point I was making. I specifically mentioned manoeuvres where you have to make a number of quick, successive gear changes between forward and reverse. In my experience, even with the latest and better autos such as the excellent BMW 8 speed ZF box, it's infinitely quicker and easier to do this manually than it is with an auto and with a lot more finesse and control.

And i'd still think you are wrong.


even if we say you are right, that's what, 2% of the drive cycle? greeeat.

Car_54

George_Michael wrote: »

Why no mention of using the rear view mirror? (provided there is one fitted).

Perhaps because you should do what the Highway Code, and common sense, says - turn round and look out of the rear window. Mirrors give you no peripheral vision. If you’re looking in the direction you’re travelling, you’ll see hazards approaching before you see them in the mirror(s). Like the pedestrian about to step out from the kerb.

George_Michael

Car_54 wrote: »

Perhaps because you should do what the Highway Code, and common sense, says - turn round and look out of the rear window. Mirrors give you no peripheral vision. If you’re looking in the direction you’re travelling, you’ll see hazards approaching before you see them in the mirror(s). Like the pedestrian about to step out from the kerb.

I didn't state that you should only use the mirror did I?
If you are going to be pedantic, maybe you should quote everything that the highway code actually states and not just bits of it.

use all your mirrors
•check the ‘blind spot’ behind you (the part of the road you cannot see easily in the mirrors)
•check there are no pedestrians (particularly children), cyclists, other road users or obstructions in the road behind you.

Herzlos

James2k wrote: »

And i'd still think you are wrong.

even if we say you are right, that's what, 2% of the drive cycle? greeeat.

It's probably the most stressful part of the drive cycle, though.


I agree that in probably 10 years manual cars will no longer really be a thing for new car sales, but it'll easily take another 10 years for them to become rare. Plus at the lower end of the market (where a new driver is going to be looking), the auto selection is pretty limited and pretty poor. The auto boxes in new higher end cars are amazing, but that hasn't filtered down yet.


Autos mean less choice and likely more cost, make things like borrowing a car or sharing driving harder. They generally mean higher tax and more fuel used.



So I'd always recommend someone tries to learn in a manual first as it gives them more options. Once they pass they can always get an auto car, or they can get a manual.


I've driven both and have to admit I prefer the control of a manual when you're dealing with out of sequence gears, pre-emptive changing (autos can only rely on engine load and speed, they can't see what's ahead) and towing. But I will concede that I've done maybe 80,000 miles in manual cars and 5,000 miles in autos.

shaun_from_Africa

I think that the worst possible vehicle to drive is an automatic with a poor quality transmission.

I'm currently using a Nissan Navara 2.5L diesel auto and it's like driving a tractor.
There is a lag between gear changes and apart from increasing the engine noise, the kickdown has very little effect in accelerating the wagon.

This isn't a one off vehicle with a problem as whenever it goes for service or repair, the replacement I'm given is exactly the same.

Lucky_Duck_2

neilmcl wrote: »

Not quite the point I was making. I specifically mentioned manoeuvres where you have to make a number of quick, successive gear changes between forward and reverse. In my experience, even with the latest and better autos such as the excellent BMW 8 speed ZF box, it's infinitely quicker and easier to do this manually than it is with an auto and with a lot more finesse and control.

Bought my first automatic just under a year ago and my current car has that gearbox (not a BMW though) when parking in tight spaces or getting it in and out of the garage I much preferred being able to use the clutch and brakes to control the car rather than just the brakes.

For some reason going between first and reverse seemed easier with the manual although it should be simpler with the automatic.

almillar

And I think you are incorrect. unless moving a lever back and forward is harder than moving a lever back and forwards AND pushing a clutch?

I drive an electric, a manual, and an Audi DSG.

Ease of use whilst manoeuvring:
Electric
Manual
DSG

Ease of use in stop start driving
Electric
Manual/DSG (if you actually have to stop, and don't want to sit in 'D' in the DSG, it's harder).

The DSG does get confused sometimes, and insists on putting your foot on the brake if you try to go into 'D' whilst crawling. It can be very good and convenient, and has shift times a manual can't manage, but isn't infallible. Some of my complaints above do also relate to the electric handbrake.

Yes, manual cars' days are numbered, but whilst you still get a car serviced/rent a car/drive for a friend, as of today, I'd say you should go for the manual test if possible. Master clutch and gears in a carpark/off the road, then learn the road once the mechanicals need less thought.

'Please use the brake'
'Please shift to Park'
Blah Blah Blah! Shut up, car!

iolanthe07

James2k wrote: »

someone who clearly hasnt ever driven a good dual clutch.

Id have a normal torque converter if i did a lot of city driving, its just better suited to slow speed driving.

But for spirited driving? forget about it, dual clutch is awesome.

Yes, I wasn't thinking of high quality dual clutch systems, but the cheap and nasty electro magnetic semi-autos fitted to small European cars like the Fiat 500 and VW Up!.

Gloomendoom

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

There is a lag between gear changes and apart from increasing the engine noise, the kickdown has very little effect in accelerating the wagon.

It must be a bad one. On a good one you wouldn't be able to tell when it changes gear. Sound proofing probably has something to do with that though.