How easy is it to drive a semi automatic car?

[SleepyKat]

Only driven a manual before and am test driving a car which is “semi automatic”. Google suggests you still change gear but no clutch pedal to depress? But the photo of the car it looks like it has the weird automatic gearbox with P,M,D, etc.

I think I’m mainly worried about reversing, someone said you don’t press the accelerator.....just ease your foot off the brake and it will move? Is that easy to get used to?

Why not just have an auto?

In an auto you have to put it into DRIVE or PARK or REVERSE. Lifting your door off the brake makes the car move and then you move your foot over to the accelerator and then back to the brake as needed.

Is a semi just a clutchless car?

I have no idea what semi auto is, but driving an automatic is really easy, it's like driving a go kart

Amy help?

I've had several semi auto cars, most have a full auto mode I used almost all of the time. It will either have flappy paddles on the steering wheel or a gear lever you can shift up and down, you just release the pedal and change. It's like driving an arcade machine.

It’s a specific second hand car I’ve seen which is a good price for the age/mileage/spec. So I haven’t specifically chosen a semi automatic. Will watch the video, thanks. Just hope I can get used to it quickly.

Our old one was semi automatic, so had the flappy paddles on the steering wheel for manual mode. We both drive it in auto mote all the time, the exception being when it was snowy and you wanted to keep it in as high a gear as possible.

Just use it as an auto. Most people use them as an automatic. It just means you have the option to be able to change gears manually on the gear stick by hand but no clutch.
Most automatics are in fact semi automatic

I have had semi automatics since 2004. I very very rarely use the gear change option and can't think of when I did last use it. I just use it in auto mode.

There is some 'creep' but less than in a full auto.

As a pp said it is basically like driving an arcade machine. I refer to the car as my go kart.

Mine is semi auto and I was worried before it arrived.

It's fine and so easy to drive. Mine has a lever on the steering wheel which you use to put it into drive or reverse. We have only ever driven it auto. There is no clutch pedal.

The only issue I ever had was when it started raining and I thought I was putting the wipers on but accidentally put the car into manual! Realised my mistake quickly enough to put it back into drive.

I switch regularly between driving our manual car and the semi auto and get on fine.

My parents just bought an auto having had a manual for years. It look about half an hour of driving around to get used it. Easy! Go for it, you won't regret it.

I just switched from manual to auto after 30+ years, it is so easy. Can't see me going back. I still drive DH's manual sometimes to keep my hand in.

My friend has just got an auto and was very worried about nit having gears. It took her half an hour and she texted me and said she loved it and wtf aren't all cars auto and she's never going back to gears 😂

Having driven an automatic for 10 years I now have no idea why anyone bothers using manual option, unless it's icy or you're in a speed restricted zone. It's just so easy to drive. I think the amount of 'creep' depends on the make and model - our first auto crept as soon as you eased off the brake, but the one we have now (different make/model) doesn't, you need to touch the accelerator, which feels much safer. Or maybe it's just the technology for autos has improved over the years.

I'm sure it will feel a bit strange initially but if it's a good price and mileage I'd jump at the chance.

Well I test drove it today. Loved the automatic. Like a pp's friend I can't understand why all cars aren't automatic. Sadly car wasn't right as no inbuilt sat nav as per the advert and they reckon it would cost 1k to put one in. So search continues but I think I will only look at automatics now!

My car has inbuilt sat nav but the one on my phone is far superior and much easier to use. The one feature I hate about my car is keyless ignition. I'm forever scrabbling about to find which of the many cupholders I've put the keys in, or whether they are in my bag.

They’d advertised the car as having a 7” touchscreen with sat nav and android auto/apple play. I currently have similar in current car and plug my phone in via android auto and it brings up google maps with live traffic jams, etc. But it’s a bigger screen than my phone so easier to see.

Plus every single phone holder I’ve had falls off and I end up with the phone on my lap which is hard to see and now illegal. I’m not going backwards to using my phone.

Plus there was no reversing camera which they’d also said on the advert there was. I think they’d copied the wrong spec, one from the higher model by accident!

I drive a semi auto. Never ever use the manual option, just don’t see the point. I honestly would never go back to a manual. Saying that though, don’t think I’ve got any choice now. last time I attempted to drive a manual, I couldn’t even get it off my street. The clutch pedal flummoxed me! Stalled about 50 times then had to pull over because I just couldn’t do it!