Automatic or manual?

The Doktor

Given the choice, if money wasnt a factor, would you choose an automatic or manual car?

RobertFoster

Manual.

Alvis

Automatic - I'm a lazy ****.

The Doktor

oh, and Why??

Bluehair

Have to say i'm currently driving a manual but spend a bit of time with a decent automatic and you'll never go back. Have to say though in my opinion you need some decent power behind it to make it really enjoyable, 2litre or more.

Get something like the bmw tiptronic and you've the best of both worlds. Much as i'm enjoying my manual at the moment i reckon an auto will be my next purchase in a few years.

If you spend much time in traffic then an auto is a no-brainer.

Manic Moran

Manual.

I live in the US, where 9 out of 10 are automatics, and more often than not, the manual is the 'expensive option'

I don't buy the traffic argument at all, I live in Silicon Valley, which has some of the worst traffic in the US, after LA and New York. (And on a par with Kinnegad on a Sunday evening)

I don't like Automatics for two main reasons: One is that they never seem to know what gear I want to be in, the other is that I don't know how they work. I like manuals because I have full control over what my transmission is doing. (It also seems more 'pure')

So, when I burned out the clutch in my Fiesta, I gave the garage a call: "I think I've burned out the clutch in my Fiesta. When can I take it in?" "We have one here, bring it by tomorrow" Next day, and 300 pound later, I was sorted.

When my automatic in my Thunderbird went on me, "I'm having a problem with my transmission. No clue what it is." "Bring it in tomorrow, we'll see"
About a week later, and it cost some $500 to pull the transmission apart to find out what was wrong, $3.29 for a replacement valve, and another $800 to put it back together again. Fortunately, I had bought extra coverage.

My jury is out on the flappy-paddle gearbox things. It was an option on my S4, but I was on the ragged edge of my finances, and kept with the manual anyway. Tried Tiptronic for the BMW, didn't like it too much, mainly since if you're going to have a semi-automatic sporty car, you might as well have the controls on the steering wheel so that you don't have to take your hands off the wheel.

NTM

mike65

It depends on the car, some have wretched manual boxes some have annoying autos. A good box is a good box be it man or auto. That said I'm on the lookout for another car right now and I have to say if I can get an auto I will. But that mainly down to age!

Mike.

joolsveer

My last two cars have been auto and I don't think I would buy a manual again. I was in the States last year and drove a Chevy Malibu with a 2.2 litre engine. it was auto and the transmission was awful. So it depends on the manufacturer.

Johnny Storm

Auto.

maidhc

Manual. I like changing gears.

colm_mcm

Manuals are good on sporty or small cars, but for a car like a 5 series or bigger, Automatic is the way to go

PowerHouseDan

Manual, More Fun

colm_mcm

Automatic with Tiptronic can be fun too!

fletch

Manual.....nice to be able to hold it in a certain gear at certain revs where you know you have the most pulling more when you're trying to pass out on a back road.
Sittin in traffic though I'd love an auto

unklerosco

If you have to drive down the m50 every day an auto... Its the one thing i really miss about my classic merc.. I wish my bloody truck was an auto... I dred going down the M50 at rush hour....... which is usually why i go for a nap instead ;-p

Lex Luthor

colm_mcm wrote:

but for a car like a 5 series, Automatic is the way to go

EXPLAIN.....

colm_mcm

fletch wrote:

Manual.....nice to be able to hold it in a certain gear at certain revs where you know you have the most pulling more when you're trying to pass out on a back road.

You can do this with most Automatics

unklerosco

Must say, my merc was 30+ years old, had a 3 speed auto and it was bloody great... Overtaking was a sinch(twas a 2.8 tho).. Gear box was fantastic for somthing so old, never missed a beat.. I've driven newer cars with autos that where nothing compared to the merc... Id still have to have a manual as a weekend car for "driving"

colm_mcm

Lex Luthor wrote:

EXPLAIN.....

Cars any bigger than that should be big and comfortable. changing gears manually just doesn't seem appropriate!

crosstownk

Auto - but it's gotta be at least 2.0 litre. 5 speed autos are better. Try a Volvo S60 Auto - bliss with plenty of power on kick-down!

Villain

I have owned 3 cars with a Manual box and my new car is automatic and I would have to say I didn't want an automatic as I enjoyed the drive more with a manual. However I was judging that on the previous automatic I had driven my mothers 98 Almera. It's quite simply an awful automatic box it jumps from gear to gear in an awful fashion and its very hard to dictate what gear you want to be and I found it very hard to drive safely on frosty roads.

However my new car a Subaru Legacy 2.5l is automatic and its like comparing chalk and cheese when you compare it to the Almera. Its very easy dictate what gear you want to be and when you want it change, it also has 3 settings: Power, Hold and Normal giving you the ability to choose whether you want to get the most from the 165bhp or whether you want it to go nice and steady on the ice.

I have also driven my Da's C180 coupe which is Automatic Triptonic and to be honest I couldn't be bothered with the triptronic the Auto box is very nice and gives you plenty of power if you want it.

The person I bought my Legacy off has bought a 02 Legacy with twin turbo and triptronic on the steering wheel which I hope to test drive next week

So to surmise Manual can be more fun but overall I'd perfer a decent Automatic box any day, much more relaxing drive.

lomb

took delivery of a new vw golf 1.6fsi auto the other day for the mother. after a bit of driving its hard to see any advantage to the manual other than fuel economy.
the fsi auto is a GREAT CAR. the 6 speed tiptronic auto shifts virtually seemlessly in economy mode(drive) and is in 5th or 6th gear at just 30 mph and the engine is in stratified injection mode(economy around 40mpgish driving like this) .it pretty much adapts to your driving style in sports mode, and the engine switches to homogonous fuel injection mode and absolutely guzzles fuel as you apply all the power(and theres ample power) and sounds the absolute business.(average economy of 15 mpg driving around gunning it like this)
in tiptronic mode it wont hold the red line with the cars computer overriding your input and upping the gear(fair enough for the average vw driver who may forget to switch up manually)
the car corners flatly through sharp turns and we had it up to 60 kph on a deserted fairly small roundabout going in a cirlce with no real trace of understear and the traction control was stopping it going faster.
this car is 1000% better than the piece of junk 3.8 liter chrysler i rented in the states a few years back and feels and probably is much faster. with the comfort spec this car has with cruise, rain sensing wipers, lovely alloys, and designer seats its probably the best car on the road for the money.so its all down to the car.
personally if i was buying a car id consider a dsg auto 2.0tdi golf. best of both worlds with termendous power(especially with a engine remap) and great fuel economy. the dsg also has the advantage of having a clutch so all the power is fed directly through and theres no slur and the shift is very very fast.
incidentally for anyone thats interestedil do a little review here- vw has unfortuantely cut back on build quality with their industrial relations problems, theres a HUGH rattle under full throttle at a particular speed point as it resonates, and under normal driving theres the odd creaks from various places. they basically forgot to paint the boot around the spare tire (perhaps to cut back on paint costs ), they have switched from the best and dearest tire brand michelin to one of the cheapest bridgestone which is disappointing. finally the dash carbon effect trim strip on the drivers side is loose and moves up and down half a centimeter! the passanger seat has a 3 inch loose thread hanging out of it. the rear boot door fit is fairly poor also and is disappointing considering its ok on one side and the top and bottom which means the car hasnt been welded properly by about 1-2mm as the rear panel is to far out so its not a bolt aligning problem. they have also deleted the 3rd spare key you used to get with the car. the reliabilty of the electric power stearing is an unknown as everyone knows how relaible hydralic was and is on other cars, and the remaining electrics and theres a hugh amount of them are also an unknown in the long term.
so basically although build is disappointing its a very impressive car. vw need to sort out their industrial relations problems and pronto..

colm_mcm

I may be wrong, but the people who critisise automatic gearboxes probably haven't driven a modern one or learnt how get the best out of an auto box

Alun

I've driven a fair few automatics in my time, mostly as rental cars, and have never really got on with them. They're OK in town driving, or on motorways, but on windier secondary roads they always seem to frustrate me, even when in 'sport' mode or whatever they call it. I prefer to be in control personally, and my own brain's gear changing algorithm has the twin advantages that it can see and react to traffic conditions, and knows exactly what I want to do many minutes in advance. Until computers in auto gearboxes can actually mind read, I'll stick to manual, thank you.

lomb

Alun wrote:

Until computers in auto gearboxes can actually mind read, I'll stick to manual, thank you.

most good ones have tiptronic now so u can drive it manually.

lomb

colm_mcm wrote:

learnt how get the best out of an auto box

there is a skill for sure, if u want to accelerate u need to momentarily depress the throttle all the way to the floor to kickdown and then release it.

Squirrel

I prefer manuals, although I don't mind autos. I drove an Audi A6 3.0 TDI with an auto, it felt nice. That said I only drove it for about 90 seconds to the showroom. I like the DSG, but some I've driven were horrible, real clunky, or didn't want to be in the right gear

Litcagral

Lex Luthor wrote:

EXPLAIN.....

Residuals values of top end cars suffer if fitted with a manual.

An automatic works best with a larger engine. I wouldn't have been keen on them until I got a three litre auto - blissful - I don't think I'd go back to a manual.

Alun

lomb wrote:

most good ones have tiptronic now so u can drive it manually.

That's true, but the extra cost wouldn't be worth it to my mind. In manual mode I may as well just have an ordinary manual and save the money, and the advantages of auto mode wouldn't really bother me enough to spend the extra. Guess I'm just too much of a skinflint and a control freak

That having been said, I have occasionally toyed with the idea in the past, but trying to get test drives in suitably equipped cars has been too problematic, and I wasn't just going to chance something I could possibly have regretted after the fact.

Litcagral

Alun wrote:

That's true, but the extra cost wouldn't be worth it to my mind. In manual mode I may as well just have an ordinary manual and save the money, and the advantages of auto mode wouldn't really bother me enough to spend the extra. Guess I'm just too much of a skinflint and a control freak

That having been said, I have occasionally toyed with the idea in the past, but trying to get test drives in suitably equipped cars has been too problematic, and I wasn't just going to chance something I could possibly have regretted after the fact.

Some models are not available in manual so there is no option if one wants that particular model.

Alun

Litcagral wrote:

Some models are not available in manual so there is no option if one wants that particular model.

Not the kinds of cars I can afford