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Original poster

Do you prefer driving an automatic or a manual?

177 replies

Kualma · 05/01/2023 09:05

I recently changed cars and now drive an automatic. Wish I got one years ago - so easy to drive! What do other people prefer and why?

OP posts:
WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/01/2023 09:22

Mine has some kind of 'manual option' (obviously clutchless), if you desperately need or want it - maybe in terrible snow, I suppose, or other rare occasions where you need to force it to choose a higher gear at low speeds; but I can't see why I'd choose to use it normally. I asked the man I bought the car from about it and he said he didn't have a clue, as he'd never used it.

Andsoforth · 05/01/2023 09:23

@LynseyB1988 did you mean to start your own thread? Your question will get lost in here

Grrrrrrr23 · 05/01/2023 09:24

Would have always said a manual, but 100% automatic now! Soooo much easier in traffic and if you're going up a really steep hill.

Only negative I've found is you can't quickly roll back at a junction, if you've crept forward and then realised it's not safe to go. If on a slight backwards incline, in a manual you can just take your foot off the brake and roll back quickly, but in an automatic you have to put it in reverse, which can add on a few seconds. Saying that, it's never been a major problem to me 🤞

xogossipgirlxo · 05/01/2023 09:27

Automatic for life. Manual sucks.

BrassMarbles · 05/01/2023 09:27

I've had both and prefer manual, I am a control freak though and genuinely enjoy driving. Not against a bit of cruise control on the motorway though.

NYresolutions23 · 05/01/2023 09:28

Manual. Feels like im not in control in auto.

xogossipgirlxo · 05/01/2023 09:28

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/01/2023 09:22

Mine has some kind of 'manual option' (obviously clutchless), if you desperately need or want it - maybe in terrible snow, I suppose, or other rare occasions where you need to force it to choose a higher gear at low speeds; but I can't see why I'd choose to use it normally. I asked the man I bought the car from about it and he said he didn't have a clue, as he'd never used it.

I have the same feature in my car. I sometimes use it when going downhill for a long time and don't want to brake, but it's just my preference.

IreneJones · 05/01/2023 09:29

caroleanboneparte · 05/01/2023 09:07

Manual

I don't like not being in control.

Autos are a pain on hill starts, parallel parking, windy country roads.

Automatic all the way for me. @caroleanboneparte You're still in control of the car! Hill starts no problem (easier than a manual) and not sure why you would find country roads or parallel parking more difficult. Automatic gearbox has become a non-negotiable for me now like ac!

Zingy123 · 05/01/2023 09:30

100% manual. Automatics are horrible to drive. You have no control.

Palmfrond · 05/01/2023 09:31

Manual driving my small car down windy lanes at work, happy to drive my DPs auto when taking the fam on longer drives.

Marmitepot · 05/01/2023 09:31

We have one of each and I like both.

Living in London and being stuck in traffic means the automatic is far more pleasurable.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/01/2023 09:33

I would never buy a sports car in automatic.

No, I can see that completely; but the idea of a sports car is that it's a thrill for which you make several sacrifices/trade-offs, as we've seen on the other thread - except in that case, it's the husband expecting his wife to make the sacrifices for his hobby.

You can only get two people in most sports cars, you have to get in low down, no/very little luggage space etc. Fantastic if you just love the full-on 'experience' of driving, but not a wise choice for most people if they only ever pootle on down to Tesco or to Skegness with the kids and dog! Just like ice skates give you the amazing rush of whizzing along the rink or constantly falling over and bruising your arse if you're me, but they're not a replacement for proper shoes in everyday circumstances.

Amrapaali · 05/01/2023 09:34

Following on from this discussion, would you prefer if your child learns driving on an automatic? My daughter is at that age where she can start driving lessons and wants to do them on an automatic. Her reasoning is the future is filled with electric cars which are almost always automatic. So why would she want to learn manual?

I confess I see the logic in this but don't know what to advise her. I have been driving an automatic for more than 15 years. I started learning to drive when DD was a baby and wanted to pass my driving test quickly so I didnt have to depend on others to give me lifts. I've never regretted not having a manual licence.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 05/01/2023 09:36

I have one automatic and one manual and I switch between the two. I much prefer the comfort and ease of the automatic. I change from drive to reverse using a paddle on my steering wheel and it's so much quicker than using a gear stick so three point turns and parking are much easier.

I think manual cars are on the decline. My son just passed his test and we were lucky we still had a manual car he could practise in. Most of our friends around where we live have electric or automatic cars and they've had to buy a cheap manual car just so their DC can learn. At the moment no one only wants to take an automatic test but I think eventually that will become the norm.

Palmfrond · 05/01/2023 09:37

IreneJones · 05/01/2023 09:29

Automatic all the way for me. @caroleanboneparte You're still in control of the car! Hill starts no problem (easier than a manual) and not sure why you would find country roads or parallel parking more difficult. Automatic gearbox has become a non-negotiable for me now like ac!

Show quote history

As an everyday single lane country road user, there are a lot of manoeuvres that you’ll have to do that require a bit more control, I think. No hate on the city slickers but there’s enough I meet on the back roads on the weekend or sunny bank holidays who really don’t have a very good grasp of how it’s done. I mean why should they? Like I said, no hate, and I try to err on the side of Taoist passivity.

Amrapaali · 05/01/2023 09:38

@caroleanboneparte Hill starts are the easiest thing on an automatic! On my Volvo anyway. A kind of partial brake is automatically applied if you are parked on an incline and all I have to concentrate on is moving away safely. No faffing about with biting points or trying not to roll back a hill etc...

JesusHeKnowsMe · 05/01/2023 09:38

Lolling hard at this post!!! I'm not old by any stretch, I'm 37 and my partner is 42 but my god we are such dinosaurs in the car dept! We are still refusing to go to automatic! Not really sure why as so many features on our car are electric now but we just can't give up our gearstick 🤣🤣

Bubbinsmakesthree · 05/01/2023 09:39

caroleanboneparte · 05/01/2023 09:07

Manual

I don't like not being in control.

Autos are a pain on hill starts, parallel parking, windy country roads.

You’ve just described all the things which are way easier in an automatic!

Mmmmdanone · 05/01/2023 09:39

My dd learned in an auto..it's what I have so she would never have got to drive a manual until she can afford her own. People are very judgmental about it though! It just seemed like so much more of a hassle to learn a manual when she would never drive one though.

illiterato · 05/01/2023 09:39

Amrapaali · 05/01/2023 09:34

Following on from this discussion, would you prefer if your child learns driving on an automatic? My daughter is at that age where she can start driving lessons and wants to do them on an automatic. Her reasoning is the future is filled with electric cars which are almost always automatic. So why would she want to learn manual?

I confess I see the logic in this but don't know what to advise her. I have been driving an automatic for more than 15 years. I started learning to drive when DD was a baby and wanted to pass my driving test quickly so I didnt have to depend on others to give me lifts. I've never regretted not having a manual licence.

There was a thread on exactly this yesterday. I mean, she's basically right but it depends how long it takes to switch over completely. If I learned now I'd do automatic only as my next car will either be fully electric or plug in hybrid, I haven't had a manual car since 2008 and I cant envisage why I'd need to drive one, other than one off situations where the upside of being able to do that would be outweighed by extra lesson costs (takes longer to learn to drive a manual). However, there are people on that thread who I think would drive petrol/ diesel for as long as they could, even if it became inconvenient as not many petrol stations anymore, just to avoid driving an automatic, so they'd disagree.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/01/2023 09:42

I have the same feature in my car. I sometimes use it when going downhill for a long time and don't want to brake, but it's just my preference.

Yes, I can see that, actually.

What's with people's complaints about hill-starts, though? Do you like to roll back?! To be fair, I have on the very odd occasion (only one I can recall) had to use both feet in an auto, when I needed to reverse uphill in a parking space; but I could have avoided that by just reversing into the space. It's not like I wouldn't have also had to use both feet and balance pedals if I'd been in a manual.

blobby10 · 05/01/2023 09:43

Last two cars have been automatic but I recently hired a transit which was manual and LOVED it!! The automatic makes for very lazy driving in my experience but with a manual you are constantly listening to the engine and changing gears to reflect the engine use. Its much more fun!

My son told me to use the flappy paddles on my auto but its not the same thing at all!

Amrapaali · 05/01/2023 09:43

Thanks for the reply @illiterato will try to search for that thread. Was it in AIBU?

You are right extra lessons and costs add up. They did for me anyway- quite a few hours spent in getting the clutch control right and stop myself from stalling. All I wanted was a comfortable vehicle to get me from A to B safely; my automatic has been brilliant for that.

And there are so many more choices nowadays, more than even say 5 years ago.

Catingle · 05/01/2023 09:43

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 05/01/2023 09:42

I have the same feature in my car. I sometimes use it when going downhill for a long time and don't want to brake, but it's just my preference.

Yes, I can see that, actually.

What's with people's complaints about hill-starts, though? Do you like to roll back?! To be fair, I have on the very odd occasion (only one I can recall) had to use both feet in an auto, when I needed to reverse uphill in a parking space; but I could have avoided that by just reversing into the space. It's not like I wouldn't have also had to use both feet and balance pedals if I'd been in a manual.

How do you use both feet in an auto?!

Whatevergetsyouthroughthenight · 05/01/2023 09:46

Automatic. It took a bit of convincing for me to change but wouldn’t go back now. It’s fab.

I had an automatic as a courtesy for a couple of months after an accident where someone rear-ended my (manual) car, it was rubbish. The automatic was a Ford Focus probably from the late 1990s/early 2000s.

More modern automatics are a different thing all together (I think on mine it’s down to having a double gear box so more ‘nuance’ compared to the courtesy car) and on my current car you can override and use manual mode if you want to. There’s one hill locally where very very occasionally I will use this function to drop down a gear quickly in order to overtake someone.

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