Automatic cars

rondeco

I'm looking at buying a beauty of an A4 1.9tdi auto multitronic. The thing is though,that I have never owned an automatic before. I've driven them before and it takes a little bit of getting used to but that is no hassle. I'm wondering what people think of driving an automatic and also there opinoion of this car. Its a real good deal but I'm just anxious about changing to auto mode..

Villain

I was in a simalar position about a year ago, I fell in love with a Subaru Legacy, had all the extras heated leather seats, A/C etc but I was put off by the Automatic box as I always enjoyed driving manual's however I decided I go for it and I doubt very much if I will drive a manual again.

Its so less stressful especially when driving in traffic, now not all Automatics are the same, my parents both have automatics one is a nissan almera and its a terrible auto box, very hard to control the gear its in, the other is a Merc C180 Coupe and its much better very easy to control. My Subaru has the best Auto box I can control the gears perfectly and I have a power button to get the most out of the engine or a hold button for the ice and snow.

TBH you won't bother with the triptronic if you get used to the Automatic. Beware you will get tonnes of young drivers slating automatics on here, but my advice would be go for it and you won't regret it. The only way I will go back to manual is if I get an Impreza STI which obviously is only manual.

delly

Had a Merc C220 CDi in Monaco last year and it was the first time driving an auto and have to say I found it a joy. If I ever had the opportunity to get an auto again I would jump at the chance.

crosstownk

As I mostly drive in the city, I much prefer an automatic. I'd agree with irish1 and say go for it. Much easier to drive. Tha Audi autobox is good enough. I used to have a 2003 Passat 1.9TDI Auto and an S60 2.0T auto. Driving both was much less stressful than a manual.

conor_mc

Go for it. Auto's are easier to drive, simple as that.

If you want manual control, you can always use the multitronic gearshift. You probably won't even use it that often when you get it.

unkel

irish1 wrote:

I was put off by the Automatic box as I always enjoyed driving manual's however I decided I go for it and I doubt very much if I will drive a manual again

Same here. I've been driving saloons with V8 petrol engines coupled to 5-speed autoboxes for over 6 years now and I can't see myself going back to manual

mike65

Ditto that, if its not new just make sure its changing gears properly and not holding on or slurring the changes.

Mike.

Silvera

Funny how countries differ......

When I was looking to buy a car in New Zealand (in 2004) it was almost impossible to get a manual ......autos were the only option!

I ended up buying an '88 Bluebird 1.8 Auto and it was a pleasure to drive/own!


I'm currently thinking about buying an A4 (either a 1.9TDi or 1.8Turbo) and am seriously considering going for an auto.


Speaking of A4's ......time for another thread;)

Sandwich

Auto is great. Once driven, you wont want to back to manual again.
Great to get second hand where they never seem to hold any of the the original extra cost.

_Kaiser_

On my 3rd automatic now (02 1.9 TDI Passat) and would never go back to a manual. I think the "stigma" that automatics have in this coutry is finally starting to die. Go for it. You won't look back!

dingding

Hava an automatic myself and I would agree with all the other posters. Automatic much less stressfull to drive.

crosstownk

OP is looking at a 1.9TDI A4 so the box will be quite good. But, IMO, cars below 1.6 are terrible to drive in auto - always seem to lack power and have lots of torque convertor 'slip'. Personally, I wouldn't go for an auto coupled to an engine less than 2.0 petrol or 1.8TD.

As a rule of thumb autos will have higher fuel consumption than the same car with a manual.

They can also be more expensive to put right if the transmission plays up.

I don't like them because they do silly things like changing gear in the middle of a corner or changing in the wrong direction when you are trying to overtake or pull out.

Villain

ronoc wrote:

I don't like them because they do silly things like changing gear in the middle of a corner or changing in the wrong direction when you are trying to overtake or pull out.

Emm what Auto's have you driven??? I have driven 5 different models and never experienced the above, care to give some details?

irish1

irish1 wrote:

Emm what Auto's have you driven??? I have driven 5 different models and never experienced the above, care to give some details?

Fuel consumption is true pretty much across the board.

You can't tell autos what gear you want to be in, its working off a program. It can't anticipate what you are about to do or what is on the road up ahead.

When I'm coming up to a corner and slowing down I don't always want the damn thing to shift down.

Same thing for when I'm waiting to overtake.

Its a control thing for me.

As for cars, E30 525 an Isuzu trooper and a Nissan Maxima.

crosstownk

ronoc wrote:

I don't like them because they do silly things like changing gear in the middle of a corner or changing in the wrong direction when you are trying to overtake or pull out.

They can do, but once you get to know the car you can almost sense when it is going to change gear. Pressing the throttle a little usually staves off a gear change.

Villain

Well with a little experience you can very easily control gear shifts, I have never had my Automatic shift down or up when I didn't want it to.

Esel

ronoc wrote:

You can't tell autos what gear you want to be in, its working off a program. It can't anticipate what you are about to do or what is on the road up ahead.

When I'm coming up to a corner and slowing down I don't always want the damn thing to shift down.

Same thing for when I'm waiting to overtake.

Its a control thing for me.

As for cars, E30 525 an Isuzu trooper and a Nissan Maxima.

Lots of experience in autos then? :rolleyes: How many miles have you driven in them? What car(s)?

OP - go for it - check changes as mike65 said. Also check service history. Pull auto dipstick - oil should be red, not brown (may be be 'cooked'). Give the oil a sniff to see if it smells in any way burnt.

Stark

ronoc wrote:

As a rule of thumb autos will have higher fuel consumption than the same car with a manual.

On paper anyway. The figures given for manual fuel consumption assume you're driving and shifting gears in the most efficient manner possible. Most people won't get anywhere near the efficiency quoted.

crosstownk

esel wrote:

Pull auto dipstick - oil should be red, not brown (may be be 'cooked'). Give the oil a sniff to see if it smells in any way burnt.

A lot of autos don't have a dipstick anymore. It is checked by 'overfilling'. This is especially true of the VAG group.

esel

esel wrote:

Lots of experience in autos then? :rolleyes: How many miles have you driven in them? What car(s)?

OP - go for it - check changes as mike65 said. Also check service history. Pull auto dipstick - oil should be red, not brown (may be be 'cooked'). Give the oil a sniff to see if it smells in any way burnt.

Last I looked you don't need to be a full time time road tester with the Car Buyers Guide to have an opinion. :rolleyes:

I dislike auto boxes from my limited experience of driving them. I would never buy one so you won't see me here defending the cars silly shifting patterns or how the box is somehow right when it decides to take all my torque away.

I'm not saying they are worthless, if I was sitting in Dublin traffic for 4 hours a day with a bandy knee from continuously clutching and de-clutching I would probably be the first to recommend them. But I'm not so I won't

Guy:Incognito

Also how is overtaking a problem? You canaccelerate through the gears as normal or accelerate hard and drop a gear. It's not hard.

crosstownk

Anyone who has driven an auto for a considerable length of time knows that you change gears with the throttle. Back off and the box will change up - press it down putting the engine under load will change down. If you know your box then this can be done with little change in road speed.

galwaytt

Just for some background; up 'til Sept 05, my own car was a manual, but I went looking for an auto due to a fubar'd knee............it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Mine's an 01 E200k Avantgarde, with the 'tiptronic' function.........and it's priceless.

However, in 05, for work, I drove 23k in automatics - 13k in a 02 Passat 130 Tdi Tiptronic, and 10k in a Golf 105 1.9 DSG....so armed with that I can testify that.....

ronoc wrote:

As a rule of thumb autos will have higher fuel consumption than the same car with a manual.

DSG uses less. Toyota MM-T uses same, or, possibly, less. Conventional auto is only a small penalty - 5%?

They can also be more expensive to put right if the transmission plays up.

...well no real reason for them too, really, they're actually quite straightforward - so long as they're disassembled and reassembled in spotless clean environment, and put together right. Dirt is the big enemy, so taking it apart in the garden shed is a recipe for failure........ The DSG box, on the other hand, is actually, mechanically, a manual, so there should be no huge premium on that. OK it has two clutch packs, but that's not very technical, either.......

I don't like them because they do silly things like changing gear in the middle of a corner or changing in the wrong direction when you are trying to overtake or pull out.

well, that's down to knowing the vehicle and how to use the 'box correctly. Coming from a manual, it'll just take a short time to re-calibrate the right foot..........

dislike auto boxes from my limited experience of driving them. I would never buy one so you won't see me here defending the cars silly shifting patterns or how the box is somehow right when it decides to take all my torque away.

. You said it yourself - limited experience. Give it a chance, and I don't mean a 5-mile spin. More like 500. 5000 even better. And the gearbox removes NO torque - actually the opposite - it will (nearly) always position the engine on or near the max torque peak for best efficiency. If you find it 'hunting' around that, changing gears etc, it's because the driver is actually LESS efficient than the control system........

BTW - for towing, the DSG system is better than either manual OR conventional auto - infinately better, no loss of drive between changes, and no change in shift points as there is no torque converter - it accelerates exactly like a manual, only better.............

Finally, you don't need to be in Dublin to enjoy the benefits. I'm not, either, and I do !

Finally, finally, penalty points.
Eh ?
Simple, in a manual car, you're always trying to get in to top gear - 'chasing the gearbox', as it's called. So, invariably, you speed. It's just a fact of life. No-one likes shunting around at 25mph in 2nd gear, so in urban areas especially, or sub-national speed limit areas, you'll be in 4th/5th, and even on tickover, gently busting the 30mph/40mph limit, where most tickets are issued.

An automatic, on the other hand is driven according to road speed, and it adjusts the gearing itself, to suit. It is therefore considerably easier to cruise at legal speeds, and not get frustrated. Do any of you other auto-drivers notice this phenomenon too?

So - Automatic For The People !...........apologies to R.E.M........:D

Saruman

Recently got one as my wife being American cant drive manual so changed my Primera for an auto Scenic. Very easy car to drive and lovely. I have driven autos before loads of times.

The only problem with them is accelleration is bad. The scenic is VERY bad as in its a heart stopping moment overtaking a tractor because it takes so long
Its not so bad at speed but anything below 80kph takes too long and you need a LOT more time to do it.
When driving remember that because you do not downshift when stopping you will not stop as fast. So you need to break earlier than a manual, otherwise you will need new break pads quite often.

smcgiff

When buying a car I’d be fairly neutral on the manual/auto gear shift. My current car is an auto.

The good – Less stressful to drive. Wife wont want to drive it!
The bad – Fuel consumption is higher and they are slightly slower than their manual equivalent.

TomMc

galwaytt wrote:

An automatic, on the other hand is driven according to road speed, and it adjusts the gearing itself, to suit. It is therefore considerably easier to cruise at legal speeds, and not get frustrated. Do any of you other auto-drivers notice this phenomenon too?

Yes, matched to a good engine and a car with a decent ride quality and comfort levels, it refines your driving style no end. Quality motoring.

Much lower stress levels too = more courtesy towards fellow road users and of course a far more pleasant journey.

Cmar-Ireland

I've had a 3.0 td auto 4x4 for the last 5 years and I would wholeheartedly recommend autos. As another post mentioned, you do generally need a bigger engine to fully appreciate an auto. My next 4x4 will be an auto too.

stifz

rondeco wrote:

I'm looking at buying a beauty of an A4 1.9tdi auto multitronic. The thing is though,that I have never owned an automatic before. I've driven them before and it takes a little bit of getting used to but that is no hassle. I'm wondering what people think of driving an automatic and also there opinoion of this car. Its a real good deal but I'm just anxious about changing to auto mode..

go for it.. baough a 3 series auto 2 years ago.. 3 months later the missus bought a auto as well.. i never drive manual again..

DeBeere

Why do something yourself when a machine will do it for you?

Can't see myself going back to manual unless I get a supercar

darkflower

automatic cars are for women.
manual shifts are for men.


Automatic cars makes driving easier I just don't want forget how to drive a manual.