Manual v/or Automatic transmission

alembicbassman

A common error people make is riding the brakes on autos, on my torque converter boxes you can change to a lower gear when descending a hill and still get engine braking just like a manual. I see many drivers hold their foot on the brake pedal all the way down the hill. They usually blow through a set of brake pads in no time. The 1 2 3 numbers on a 4 speed auto box can be shifted just like a manual. I often used them for overtaking rather than wait for the 'kick down' solenoid to fire via the accelerator pedal.

Johnmcl7

I am finding it more difficult to avoid automatics, I'm looking at large-ish petrol estates with the Octavia VRS (half/half roughly on manual/auto), Superb two litre (auto only) and Mazda6 (auto only). I buy my cars at three to four years so they're out of their original warranty so I don't want the additional complexity of an automatic gearbox when I'm happy with a manual.

Graham_Devon

The UK car market is different.

Just checking a Texas based used car sales page, the standard BMW 1 series comes in 3 litre V6 guide.

Your standard ford focus is a 2 litre minimum.

The SUV vehicle, while a relatively new novelty here has been a thing in america for ages. They don't come with 1.4 turbo petrol engines though. They come with 3.5l V8's.

Auto boxes in cars with these types of engine are a far nice experience than an autobox in a 1.2 fiesta, especially so the older boxes.

I remember driving an auto Honda Civic, M reg. Was a 1.6 and it was awful. 4 speed auto which held on to rev's and gears far too long. You just wanted to change up, but in doing so, you'd have no power. I imagine the same box in a 2.5 V6 Honda Civic, which would have been sold in the US at the time would have been a completely different experience.

Now that auto boxes are improving, European style smaller engines are not as held back with an auto as they used to be.

Bonniepurple

Due to an ankle injury I can no longer drive a manual car for more than about a mile. I was forced to switch to an automatic but I wouldn’t go back now. Put it in drive and that is it. With hindsight I should have learnt in an automatic, then, once I’d passed my test and got more confidence, had lessons in a manual.

My Dad and brother are the opposite- after a short spell driving an automatic they were glad to revert to manual vehicles!

EssexExile

Graham_Devon wrote: »

The UK car market is different.

Just checking a Texas based used car sales page, the standard BMW 1 series comes in 3 litre V6 guide.

Your standard ford focus is a 2 litre minimum.

The SUV vehicle, while a relatively new novelty here has been a thing in america for ages. They don't come with 1.4 turbo petrol engines though. They come with 3.5l V8's.

Auto boxes in cars with these types of engine are a far nice experience than an autobox in a 1.2 fiesta, especially so the older boxes.

I remember driving an auto Honda Civic, M reg. Was a 1.6 and it was awful. 4 speed auto which held on to rev's and gears far too long. You just wanted to change up, but in doing so, you'd have no power. I imagine the same box in a 2.5 V6 Honda Civic, which would have been sold in the US at the time would have been a completely different experience.

Now that auto boxes are improving, European style smaller engines are not as held back with an auto as they used to be.

There ain't no substitute for cubic inches, specially when you've got an auto box.

facade

EssexExile wrote: »

I've prefered autos since manuals went up from 3-speed, too much faffing about with that stick thing in the middle.

Exactly. I haven't been working my row out all these years to end up in a car where I have to mess with a gear lever.

Robisere

alembicbassman wrote: »

A common error people make is riding the brakes on autos, on my torque converter boxes you can change to a lower gear when descending a hill and still get engine braking just like a manual. I see many drivers hold their foot on the brake pedal all the way down the hill. They usually blow through a set of brake pads in no time. The 1 2 3 numbers on a 4 speed auto box can be shifted just like a manual. I often used them for overtaking rather than wait for the 'kick down' solenoid to fire via the accelerator pedal.

I agree!
The route over the Lincolnshire Wolds between Louth and Horncastle is replete with steep ascents and descents, with bends from one side to the other partway down or up. Going down those, I brake at the top down to about 20, then slide the auto stick of my little iX20 across to the right, pull back the stick to the ( - ) symbol twice, and coast down at no more than 30 all the way. Brake again at the foot of the hill, slide the stick back to the right and continue on at legal speeds with no drama whatsoever. And the manual box drivers are braking all the way down, if they have not learned to go down their gears. Which most have not. Anyone driving that route frequently, without dropping into a lower gear, must get through brake pads and/or shoes* at a significantly higher rate than me!

*The iX20 auto has discs front and rear.

reeac

I've owned a mix of manual and autos since 1962. ....currently have a Lexus with eCVT, a Jazz with manual and an MGA with manual (obviously). Prior to the Lexus I had a Jag.with a ZF torque converter auto and I owned it for 16 years with absolutely no transmission (or engine) problems and I loved the take off from rest provided by the TC. The Lexus feels much the same unless you really boot it when it sounds rather coarse.

Clive_Woody

Johnmcl7 wrote: »

I'm looking at large-ish petrol estates with the Octavia VRS (half/half roughly on manual/auto)......

I went from a 2010 manual petrol Octavia vRS estate (200hp) to a 2017 DSG version (245hp) and certainly no regrets, it's great to drive and coupled with the DCC and other bits of tech is a leap forward from my old manual version.

fred246

My wife is really terrified of automatics. She thinks they'd be far too complicated and she wouldn't be able to drive one. The daft thing is that she's fine using her automatic washing machine. I'm tempted to buy her a twin tub to teach her the meaning of 'automatic'.