Have you switched from a manual car to an automatic? Do you like it?

[LindorDoubleChoc]

Asking because I drive a large, heavy clutch, quite old manual estate car. It's hard on my knees and ankles. The clutch doesn't engage until almost fully up and it's a big clunky car, quite difficult to park.

I have a new job which requires me to drive the company car. It's an automatic Golf, only a couple of years old. It's like a whole new driving experience! Although I have some experience of driving automatics on holiday, every car I've owned in the UK has been manual. So it's taken some adapting. It feels like if I literally brush my foot over the brake pedal we go into an emergency stop! I can't seem to set off smoothly either - lots of kangaroo jumps - the car speeds away from me as if I have no control and I'm terrified of smashing into cars parked just infront of me as I set off.

But once on the road and cruising around - it's lovely! I'm always driving in a slow urban environment so constantly stopping and starting and not having to go up and down through the gears all the time is something I could get used to.

Remind me again - what are the disadvantages of automatic cars?

Based on what you say here the car sounds faulty. It shouldn't be charging off. If you accelerate gently you should be pulling away slowly. I have definitely been able to do that in every single auto I've owned or driven.

There is absolutely not a lack of control with a correctly functioning auto gearbox. I'd talk to your colleagues who also drive this car. Either it needs servicing or you just need to get used to it. There is definitely a knack to driving autos efficiently and smoothly.

I've got a little electric car now and I mostly love it. The bits I dont like have nothing to do with it not being manual. (I particularly like being able to tell it what time I'm leaving and it warms up/ cools down to a nice temp before I get there)

I switched to automatic and love it would not got back.

Yes and it’s amazing. I’d never go back. It took me a couple of days to get used to it. Now if I have to move dh’s car I’ve forgotten how to drive a manual and lurch off the drive!

I don’t see any disadvantage. Apart from maybe once when I drove into water and if I’d been in a manual I’d have dropped a gear and kept the revs up and couldn’t. Saying that it has some sort of semi manual mode if I move the gearstick sideways but I’ve never tried it and decided trying it for the first time in 2ft of water wasn’t a good idea. Anyway both me and the car survived the plunge! 🙈😂. So maybe also if you were trying to drive up a snowy hill and wanted loads of revs a manual might be better?

Never going back to manual ever!!!!

I've had autos for 15 years, I'd never go back.

Omg. I'd never do manual again. They are amazing.

Another recent automatic convert and absolutely love it. My one tiny grumble is there’s a hill junction near me that’s blind, you need to peep out and sometimes roll back if you see oncoming traffic. The car won’t do that, locks in place and you very quickly have to flip into reverse to draw back. But quite a niche problem and doesn’t stop me adoring him!

You can have that adjusted by a mechanic. Your brake should not be that sharp. Mine certainly isn't. Not sure how you're doing the kangaroo hopping though? Is it because it has too much creep and you have to keep touching the super sharp brakes? Mines a creeper but I just use the brake like a clutch to hold it where I want it.

After many years of driving a manual car, when we were looking for our current one my dhs main stipulation was it had to be manual. Well, we bought an automatic. Shortly after we had a long drive to Scotland and dh said if he had done it in our old car it would have really taken it out of him and hurt his knee. Every time he gets in our new car he says I love this car.

It definitely isn't harder to accelerate and brake gently in an auto with a decent gearbox that works well. I can drive mine very, very smoothly and if I'm carrying passengers I am careful to brake gently and smoothly.
I reckon some of you here have had bad gearboxes or not had enough time to get used to them. If you look at car reviews, gearboxes vary a lot and some have quirks. My last car was poor for pulling away at roundabouts, because it had a flat spot in low gear that meant it hesitated. It was a known feature of the model that I hadn't known about when I bought it.

Going against the trend here but I used to have an automatic. It was ok but I felt so much happier when I switched it back for a manual. I just prefer feeling like I’m actually ‘driving’. That said I’m older now and considering an automatic for my next car because I’m lazier and less interested in the driving experience and more interested in just getting from A to B as easily as possible!

I bloody love my auto. It isn’t the quickest at pulling away but it’s a big heavy car, not a sports hatchback. I would never go back to a manual. Can’t understand why people still drive them. 😄

My DH is a convert too. We went from 2 cars to a shared one, he was wary about getting an auto but would never go back now.

I used to have a very sporty auto that went off like a rocket, I used to love leaving the boy racers in the dust 😁

I don’t think I could drive a manual any more. Fourteen years of automatics have ruined me.

I always drove a manual, I now drive an automatic. I can’t see any point whatsoever in having gears. HTH.

Are you using both feet for the automatic pedals??

I’ve driven automatics for several years and there are no disadvantages for me.

I resisted switching to automatic for 25+ years but loved it within a day and would never go back given the choice. Our second car is a ten year old manual and it is much less pleasant to drive.

It sounds like there is something wrong with yours. I've driven several autos and never had issues with pulling away smoothly or kangaroo braking.

I recently bought a automatic. I wouldn't have chosen that, but I wanted a plug-in hybrid and they are all automatic.

My left hand sometimes still wanders over to the left when I'm driving, as if it was going to change gear and I also still have to look down when going into reverse because I can't remember where it is (compared with neutral). But I'm getting used to it.

Once you are used to driving a manual car it's obviously not difficult, but there are certain times when the automatic is so much easier. For example it's nice to know that there is no risk of rolling back or stalling when you have to stop in a queue of traffic going up a steep hill. And my left foot enjoys not having to do anything, especially in stop-start traffic when it used to be very busy.

As someone else said, the disadvantage of automatic cars used to be that they were less economical, but I gather that is no longer the case and that they are now more economical.

I haven't yet got to the 'never go back' stage, but I imagine I may do at some point. My father certainly did after working in the US for a few years.

I switched purely because my father passed on his automatic to me when he stopped driving. When it came to replacing that car, I went straight for an automatic again as I didn't want to go back to manual.

I love my automatic for ease but if you like to actually drive I can see why it might not be your go to. Its also heavy on the brakes as you don't use gears to reduce speed. I'd never go back though they really are like giant bumper cars

I have chopped and changed cars my whole life and my god automatics have evolved so much. I do prefer the modern automatics though.

I have a manual and an EV and the EV is just a joy. E-pedal is amazing, true go cart driving. It also has traffic mode with the adaptive cruise control.

Does the Golf have an e mode OP? Sometimes that takes the “urgency” out of acceleration

None of us are using a typewriter to reply. The technology got better and easier.

And so too with cars...