Manual VS Automatic cars.

[HJWT]

AIBU to tell my DH we have to get an automatic? iv only ever driven one once but I just assume it is such a better drive when you don't have to change gear!!

We are getting a 'new' (newer used) family car soon and are spending our savings, id much prefer an automatic but he is the one that knows all about cars! 😁

Tell me your opinion on driving an Automatic VS a Manual....

I think the official fuel consumption figures for my Golf show the automatic as using less fuel than the manual. The difference was tiny, but my point is that this type of automatic does not have the torque converter that made traditional automatics less efficient. The tiny advantage is presumably because it changes gear much faster, as the manual test driver will have been perfect at selecting gears. With ordinary drivers the computer that selects gears should give an additional advantage.

Oh jeez ... I was only mucking about about them being for fools ... 🙄... obvs it's preference .. once you get used to them though they are so much better . My parents always had auto when I was young and the modern ones are nothing like those .. 🤷‍♀️

Autos cost more to buy, use more fuel, cost more to fix and may be harder to sell, because fewer people want them.

They cost a little bit more to buy, yes.

The fuel difference is minimal.

The only repair cost difference is if something goes wrong with the gearbox. The chances of this are low and can easily prevented by common sense maintenance.

No one wants them? This thread would suggest otherwise, don’t you think?

Not RTFT but we have two automatics - one is fully automatic and the other is more like a clutchless manual.

I really think it's odd that more or less everything on cars is automated now, you don't even have to put your own headlights on, yet people want gears!

Automatics are fine. They may use a little more petrol but certainly make driving easier. Both DH and I have manual licences but DH has always driven an automatic. However, we will be replacing the older car with a manual later this year as DS turns 17 and we want him to learn to drive on a manual and be able to practice, an automatic licence is too limiting.

I think it depends on the car
I loved driving a manual for many years but thanks to arthritis in my hip I had to change
When looking at automatics and test driving them it became clear that they are not all equal. Some are a bit clunky and lack power in certain situations as the gearbox doesn't make the same changes as I would have however that's only some cars.
We now have an automatic Land Rover Discovery Sport and an automatic plug in hybrid VW golf. Both have very clever systems are a good fun to drive coping with various driving scenarios well. The VW is nippy and responsive and thanks to the electric engines amazing acceleration, very fast.
The LR is good to drive off road or on tricky roads and you can manually adjust the automatic functions so it's really quite versatile.
Both mean I can keep on driving and still enjoy it.

I can't get on with automatics at all. The gear ratios are wrong, the changes can be sluggish and at times not as smooth as I'd like, you can't drop a gear when you need that burst of power.

1995 wants their post back!!

We have 2 cars, a manual and an auto, and I like them both. But some actual facts:

Most newer cars get better MPG in auto than manual version. The latest generation of twin clutch (DSG) style boxes are miles better than before, and are better /quicker to select the right gear than a human. As a result they are quicker 0-60 than the manual version of the same car. In high performance cars like the Porsche 911, the PDK auto is noticeably quicker than the manual.

Also, they come with a manual override (paddle shift or similar) so you can drop down a gear for a quicker burst of power than you'd ever get in a manual. Or just the traditional kick down for a downshift and power burst.

The main downside of an auto is for company car drivers, as they cost more and sometimes have higher CO2, hence higher BIK.

I don’t understand the need for manual cars in the 21st century. We have a manual and an automatic, I make DP use the manual most of the time . It’s just so antiquated...

I love my automatic! I took my test and passed in an automatic because I was struggling massively to pass in a manual. Me and my partner now both use just my automatic. It does far better in the snow than his old manual - just need to put it into Low/2nd gear

I've got an automatic Mini Cooper S that has 9 speeds and can be pushed into manual too. It's hugely fuel efficient, as are all new automatics as the car is always in the right gear. Only the old style of autos used a lot more fuel.

DH has got a RR automatic, and that's very fuel efficient too. Together with the cruise control, you only need to steer it on long journeys and it's made driving long distance a great pleasure instead of a chore.

Once you'd driven one, you'd never go back to manual.

We did a 48 hour test drive in both of our cars before we purchased; I'd advise doing similar or hiring one for a weekend.

I can't get on with automatics at all. The gear ratios are wrong, the changes can be sluggish and at times not as smooth as I'd like, you can't drop a gear when you need that burst of power

I have never noticed the car changing gear it just does it without any noise or jolts. As for needing a burst of speed.
When would you need this.
There are speed cameras around so you can’t really suddenly go faster than 30mph or 20mph in some areas and on a motorway mine sits at a steady 70mph with no need for input.

As for pulling away at traffic lights.
I have never had a problem in pulling away first.

Get a hybrid. They are usually (always?) automatic and use way less petrol. I just bought a Toyota hybrid and I love it!

Loved my manual until the clutch broke on the motorway.
Now looking to replace it with an automatic!

I can't get on with automatics at all. The gear ratios are wrong, the changes can be sluggish and at times not as smooth as I'd like, you can't drop a gear when you need that burst of power

I think you have been unlucky. I have been driving autos since the early 1990s and can't say any of those things are an issue. I would say that conventional automatic gearboxes work better with bigger engines though.

Incidentally, you can drop a gear when you want to overtake, either by simply pressing the throttle pedal down so that the gearbox automatically drops one or two gears (kickdown) or by manually selecting a lower gear.

I can drive both, but I really love automatic. Once we got that I really don't want to go back.

Automatic all the way. Had one for years and wouldn't go back to manual. Only on holiday do we drive manual hire cars as they are cheaper to hire and easier to get hold of.
DS recently learnt to drive, in a manual but when it came to buying a car he got an automatic.

I was dead against changing from manual to automatic and started a thread on here (8 years ago iirc) but there’s no way I’m earth I’d go back to manual now.

Every time I sit in traffic on a hill I think ‘thank goodness I’m in an automatic’.

DS recently learnt to drive, in a manual but when it came to buying a car he got an automatic.

That's not a great idea. When you pass a test in a manual, you should definitely drive one for about a year afterwards. Then go into an auto if you want.

In 5 years time if he needs to drive a manual, at work or on holiday or whatever, he's going to really struggle, only having driven one to pass his test.

Dh has an automatic and I have a manual. The last time I drove his, in 2013, it died on me in spectacular fashion, part way through moving back to UK from Europe. Luckily I had dropped the cats off for their over night stop.
I have refused to drive his car since as it doesn't like me.

I have driven his other automatics; one was like driving an arm chair...but the Range Rover was OK. I prefer a manual as it feels more involved.

Autos rock, especially in town.

We both have autos now and love them. They can both be switched to manual with the paddles if you choose. DH drives his in manual regularly, I don't bother! Only thing I will say is be careful if it's a smaller engine, I had an auto 1.2 Corsa as a courtesy car once and it was the most frustrating driving experience ever!

In 5 years time if he needs to drive a manual, at work or on holiday or whatever, he's going to really struggle, only having driven one to pass his test.

I'd be surprised if there are any manuals left in 5 years' time.

Car hire fleets barely have any manuals left here now.

Of course, this is the UK, which is a little behind the times on this particular front - mind boggling traffic, even on motorways, and people still seem to prefer to sit in manuals.

I learnt on a manual but would never have one now. They are so bloody tiring to drive on very long runs and equally so in heavy traffic when you are stop/starting all the time. An automatic every time for me.

As for this really struggling with a manual after you've been driving an automatic, I found (when I had a manual courtesy car), that I'd picked it all up again in a day or so.