Automatic cars are "bad drivers".

JumpShivers

Is this attitude commonplace? I understand that manual cars might be more appreciated and a more fun thing to drive among the motoring community, but somtimes, an automatic might be more feasable or a better alternative.

A friend of mine was commuting daily from Coolock to Dundalk and she was driving a 1.9L diesel saloon manual transmission car (won't get into specifics about what type). She is currently working a job closer to home (due to circumstances) and is currently commuting into city centre from Coolock. (Please don't suggest getting a bike or public transport, not an option either).

The constant stop-start traffic was terrible and the DPF was already getting clogged after such a short time of not driving on motorways, so she sold up and downgraded to a 1.4 L petrol atomatic car, which was more suited to her.

When her uncle heard she got a petrol car he neary flatlined and died on the spot and when a friend of her's heard she got an automatic she was met with comments like "sure that's for people who can't drive", "they're for grannies", "that's not proper driving" .....

She tried to justify her position that diesels are only efficient on longer journies, you'll save SFA on short journies and probably cost more in the long run due to issues.
She also tried to elaborate that autos are nicer in stop start traffic and make for more comfortable driving in those conditions.

Do people really think that autos are for bad drivers or for people who "can't handle manuals" ???

What do you drive?

Mongfinder General

JumpShivers wrote: »

Is this attitude commonplace? I understand that manual cars might be more appreciated and a more fun thing to drive among the motoring community, but somtimes, an automatic might be more feasable or a better alternative.

A friend of mine was commuting daily from Coolock to Dundalk and she was driving a 1.9L diesel saloon manual transmission car (won't get into specifics about what type). She is currently working a job closer to home (due to circumstances) and is currently commuting into city centre from Coolock. (Please don't suggest getting a bike or public transport, not an option either).

The constant stop-start traffic was terrible and the DPF was already getting clogged after such a short time of not driving on motorways, so she sold up and downgraded to a 1.4 L petrol atomatic car, which was more suited to her.

When her uncle heard she got a petrol car he neary flatlined and died on the spot and when a friend of her's heard she got an automatic she was met with comments like "sure that's for people who can't drive", "they're for grannies", "that's not proper driving" .....

She tried to justify her position that diesels are only efficient on longer journies, you'll save SFA on short journies and probably cost more in the long run due to issues.
She also tried to elaborate that autos are nicer in stop start traffic and make for more comfortable driving in those conditions.

Do people really think that autos are for bad drivers or for people who "can't handle manuals" ???

What do you drive?

I drive an automatic. It buys you a lot of time in traffic. I absolutely detest driving in a manual in Dublin. The Luas works have fcuked everything in the city. I will never drive a manual again

Marcusm

There are good automatics and there are bad automatics. Depending on the car she may have one or the other, who is to say. It's hardly a matter of shame or those are for grannies, that's a bit of an outdated idea.

Eric Cartman

her uncle and friend are idiots. I thought this attitude to auto boxes was long dead. Theres an awful lot of very driver oriented cars and most luxury cars that aren't even available in manual.

Stheno

I drive an automatic as does my OH, I drive one as I've a crooked knee and do close to 15k miles a year with work travel, and as my crooked knee is my clutch leg, driving an automatic means I don't have to be constantly changing gear.

It's a blessing tbh.

Toyotafanboi

Irish people do think that, yeah.

The problem is most Irish people just stereotype cars really really badly and almost nobody does any pre purchase consumer research and that would save so many people so many migrane headaches.

We are much more prone to learning from our mistakes as opposed to trying to avoid mistakes in the first place.

Diesel is good and petrol is bad, Volkswagens are good and Fiats are bad and that's about it.

I recently went automatic, or automated manual, if you are pedantic. The car is a 1.8 petrol and I do 200km a day in it with the cruise control rivited to 130km/h and i'm getting just shy of 48mpg across a tank and i'm pretty sure I could crack 50mpg fI I pruned that back to 120.

I had a guy in work today feeling very sad that his 162 Golf diesel was only returning the same figure across a tank, he was expecting high 60's, early 70's apparently.

Captain Chaos

All cars will be auto soon enough anyway. Manuals are on the way out. May aswell embrace them sooner rather than later.

Lantus

Manual gear selection won't be around for ever. Electric cars don't need it. They are a joy to drive. Don't worry though, based on car manufacturers self driving cars are 5-7 years away.

bmwguy

Some of my friends, while they are not into cars, have some funny ideas about automatics. These guys are in their 30s. They think you can't control the speed of the car as much or something. It's weird. Definitely a legacy from their own fathers opinions as I don't think they have ever even driven one but they know all about autos for some reason. One of them thinks his Hyundai i30 1.6d is very fast and once described it as sporty. They also think automatic gearboxes break for some reason.

I enjoy a spin in a manual car as its different and nice to drive in a good drivers car (Alfa 156 I sold to a family member that I drive every now and again), but would I own a manual and drive it every day in every different scenario, I.e. traffic, city driving?

Not a hope in hell, auto all the way

moc moc a moc

JumpShivers wrote: »

"that's not proper driving"

Like he's feckin Colin McRae :rolleyes:

gctest50

JumpShivers wrote: »

...........

When her uncle heard she got a petrol car he neary flatlined and died on the spot and when a friend of her's heard she got an automatic she was met with comments like "sure that's for people who can't drive", "they're for grannies", "that's not proper driving" .....

best get the black suit cleaned when they see Nvidias new efforts

bazz26

Standard gombeen mind set really, ignorance is usually bliss with them.

I'm driving an auto for over 2 years now and I'd find it very hard to go back to a manual.

alfa beta

I often wonder why autos aren't more popular here - we moved to the States temporarily last year and of course 90% of the cars there are automatic - I bought an old 2004 bmw 530 - very drivable and very smooth automatic box - And the missus (who's likes her sporty models) got a Chevrolet Camaro - also automatic and very definitely a driver's car.

I also like to rent an automatic whenever we go on hols in a country where they drive on the other side - makes the transition to the other side easier when you don't have to swop 'gear-changing' arms too.

jca

JumpShivers wrote: »

Is this attitude commonplace? I understand that manual cars might be more appreciated and a more fun thing to drive among the motoring community, but somtimes, an automatic might be more feasable or a better alternative.

A friend of mine was commuting daily from Coolock to Dundalk and she was driving a 1.9L diesel saloon manual transmission car (won't get into specifics about what type). She is currently working a job closer to home (due to circumstances) and is currently commuting into city centre from Coolock. (Please don't suggest getting a bike or public transport, not an option either).

The constant stop-start traffic was terrible and the DPF was already getting clogged after such a short time of not driving on motorways, so she sold up and downgraded to a 1.4 L petrol atomatic car, which was more suited to her.

When her uncle heard she got a petrol car he neary flatlined and died on the spot and when a friend of her's heard she got an automatic she was met with comments like "sure that's for people who can't drive", "they're for grannies", "that's not proper driving" .....

She tried to justify her position that diesels are only efficient on longer journies, you'll save SFA on short journies and probably cost more in the long run due to issues.
She also tried to elaborate that autos are nicer in stop start traffic and make for more comfortable driving in those conditions.

Do people really think that autos are for bad drivers or for people who "can't handle manuals" ???

What do you drive?

Sensible woman she obviously knows more about cars than most people. I made the exact same move and wouldn't dream of driving manual as my family car ever again, now if I only could persuade the boss to go auto with the next new van.....

pippip

Auto's in Ireland aren't as common as other countries because a huge percentage of cars here have small engines and auto and sub 1.8L isn't a nice mix.

bazz26

It's just backward thinking passed down from one generation to the next from a time when non premium cars with automatic gearboxes available were slow, juddery and thirsty. Other reasons were that automatics were usually way more expensive than their manual equivalent and also the engine capacity was usually bigger too meaning higher motor tax. Thankfully that mindset is slowly starting to change as there are wider choice of automatic models to choose from these days compared to years ago along with large advances in technology.

jca

pippip wrote: »

Auto's in Ireland aren't as common as other countries because a huge percentage of cars here have small engines and auto and sub 1.8L isn't a nice mix.

It's this sort of rubbish that stop people driving autos. My car is a 1.4 TSI coupled to a DSG box and lack of power isn't a problem at all. Modern direct drive auto boxes are light years away from the old torque converter slush boxes of old.

Eric Cartman

jca wrote: »

It's this sort of rubbish that stop people driving autos. My car is a 1.4 TSI coupled to a DSG box and lack of power isn't a problem at all. Modern direct drive auto boxes are light years away from the old torque converter slush boxes of old.

nowadays yes, pre 2007 ish Id say anyone buying an auto under 1.8 litre was mad , nowadays thats been vastly improved and some autos are even better on fuel than their manual counterparts.

However even in the old torque converter days , on cars 2.5+ litre , you were losing little economy to the box and a lot of the boxes were still nice. the 5 speed ZF unit from mid 90s - early 00's bmw's is a very smooth efficient 5 speed.

Del2005

Marcusm wrote: »

There are good automatics and there are bad automatics.

Just like there are good clutches and bad clutches. Had a manual JDM Primera many moons ago and never had an issue with it, my dad always said it had a heavy clutch, switched to a manual Corrola and finally agreed with him. Went auto after that and have no intention of every having 3 pedals in a car ever again.

Trojan

I got an auto (E39 525i). Never buying a manual again.

ABC101

Sounds like her uncle watches too much RTE and is a bit of an ignorant pig to understand anything other than his own opinion.

Traditionally there were only two transmission types, manuals and autos.

Automatics are a much more complex mechanism engineering wise, with epicyclic gearing and hydraulic servo locking systems giving various combinations of sun , plantary and solar gearing for different gear ratios.

Today with modern technology there are all sorts of gearboxes, Dual shift for example giving a hybrid combination of benefits of both manual and auto.

I recently sat in a taxi in Frankfurt, Mercedes E class 8 speed auto... 2000 rpm on the tachometer and speedometer needle at 160 kph.

Nothing wrong with autos, there are pluses and minuses to all technologies including automatic transmissions not that her uncle being the moron that he is would understand.

Summer wind

I drove manual cars for 17 years then had an operation on my left knee which made gear changes uncomfortable especially in heavy city traffic. I changed to auto just over a year ago and would never go back to manual. My car is a 520d and the auto box is great.

Voodoomelon

In fairness Irish attitudes have changed a lot. The amount of comments I got back in 2008 driving my auto 728, "lazy driving" "old men drive autos" "you've less control and no involvement". Twats.

8 years on and no one mentions my automatics. The odd passenger is still surprised, especially as my current car has no gearstick at all; I think it's an age related thing, people expect older people to be driving them.

I can categorically say I will NEVER own a manual again.

Noveight

JumpShivers wrote: »

Do people really think that autos are for bad drivers or for people who "can't handle manuals" ???

Most people have the sense to realise that different people require different things. Automatics are a necessity for those with troublesome joints or long motorway commutes. Other people might drive them just because it comes down to preference.

Unless my personal situation changes or manuals become totally phased out, I don't ever see myself buying an automatic. Having driven both, I enjoy manual gear selection far too much to let the car do it for me.

corglass

Lamborghini, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, pagani etc are all only sold as automatics.

If fact Lamborghini use the excess manual gear levers as dustbin levers

savagethegoat

i'm with you guys, love auto.

lapua20grain

I drove a manual for years then the missus started to drive and only wanted an auto would never drive a manual again especially in heavy traffic. I had the usual clowns telling me "oh it's not real driving" told them to fup off best move i have made in a car

Special Circumstances

lapua20grain wrote: »

I drove a manual for years then the missus started to drive and only wanted an auto would never drive a manual again especially in heavy traffic. I had the usual clowns telling me "oh it's not real driving" told them to fup off best move i have made in a car

There's definitely a willy wonka meme in there for the average irish driver telling anyone that about anything!

pajor

I'm really keen on getting something with a DSG box for my next car, whenever that may be. My gf doesn't like the idea.. "what? an automatic would be so boring to drive!"

Well she can go and buy her own car. :pac:

grogi

jca wrote: »

It's this sort of rubbish that stop people driving autos. My car is a 1.4 TSI coupled to a DSG box and lack of power isn't a problem at all. Modern direct drive auto boxes are light years away from the old torque converter slush boxes of old.

I've got a torque converter box and it is actually faster than the manual...

savagethegoat

there is nothing more annoying than the 6 speed box on my current car. Nothing.

I'll trade it in for a auto if I can get Herself on board with it.

CianRyan

I am firmly on both sides of the line here.
My currently daily is an auto, a K11 Micra with a CVT box and while it is a ****e box it was a god send wen I broke my left arm and then again when I damaged ligaments in the same arm!
I can honestly say that I will never buy another manual car for commuting to and from work, it's not worth the stress in Dublin.

How ever, when I want to really drive I do love a good manual gearbox. I have an NA Eunos Roadster (ever lasting project) that is a dream to drive.
The I stand response and control I have over the gears, the satisfaction of that perfect rev match and heel toe. That's a lot more connection and involvement in a manual gearbox that I haven't found elsewhere. I've driven BMW, Audi, Mercedes and VW (plus much more, thanks day job) autos and while they are all excellent for committing and can get the cars moving very quickly, they just don't do it for me when I want to really drive.

This shouldn't be a war, no one needs to take sides because cars are cheap and we can always find a way to drive more than one for different occasions.

And FYI, when the Micra eventually gives up the ghost I'll probably pick up an auto W204 or W211 but I'm planning on that being about 4 years from now.

bazz26

I usually counter balance the argument that driving an automatic gearbox means driving is less engaging, with the point why stop with the gearbox? Why not take away the likes of power steering, abs, traction control, etc if your that much of a purist driver?

CianRyan

bazz26 wrote: »

I usually counter balance the argument that driving an automatic gearbox means driving is less engaging, with the point why stop with the gearbox? Why not take away the likes of power steering, abs, traction control, etc if your that much of a purist driver?

Well my Roadater has no power steering, ABS or traction control so...

Whether that was directed at me or not I don't know but Jesus I could t drive that car everyday, it's a workout.

Special Circumstances

bazz26 wrote: »

I usually counter balance the argument that driving an automatic gearbox means driving is less engaging, with the point why stop with the gearbox? Why not take away the likes of power steering, abs, traction control, etc if your that much of a purist driver?

Syncromesh is for ladyboys etc

bazz26

CianRyan wrote: »

Well my Roadater has no power steering, ABS or traction control so...

Whether that was directed at me or not I don't know but Jesus I could t drive that car everyday, it's a workout.

It wasn't actually.

biko

Your friend did the right move for her situation.
Petrol and auto are a blessing if you're in city traffic all day.

Ignore the eejits

wonski

+1,

There is nothing exciting in switching gears and clutching in heavy traffic.

RandomAccess

I can't say it's the case here but might as well mention it anyway,

The worst kind of people are those who don't form opinions of their own.

They allow other people to make up their mind for them and once that happens you can't change it. The reason why is because they don't know any of the reasoning behind the opinion, they just have the answer that was arrived upon.

You have no hope of altering that, you can't compare the underlying reasoning.

Jayop

If I lived in a city then I'd absolutely drive an auto and even in the country where I am now if I happened to come across something I liked I'd drive it.

That said, you don't have the same driving fun in low speed on a bendy road in an auto as you can get going through the gears on a manual with a tight box.

fancy pigeon

My Merc and Z have the wrong boxes in each: Merc has a manual and Z has an auto. They need to be swapped round! :eek:

The Merc wouldn't suffer much with mpg if it was auto. It is used for towing and other unorthodox things... But most of it's driving is on the road and an auto in the city would be nice, like this near identical one...

The Z would be much more fun as a manual, hands down

Veloce

I drove a SMG E46 M3. Didn't like it at all. Manual all the way or DCT in the newer V8 model.

heroics

Always said I'd never own an auto but I'm completely converted now. I have a 520 Auto and my wife has a 116d Auto don't think I'd ever go back to a manual on a daily driver again.

My wife had a 116d manual and replaced it with the same model auto and there is no comparison. The auto transforms the car.

RandomAccess

Drove a 1.4TSi DSG.

First impressions were not good as gearbox was hesitant at roundabouts. I was driving like a learner for a while it was awful, then I found the sport mode and it cured it so it drive just like I would want it to by being in an appropriate gear rather than "forgetting" to change down.

So it's really a case of your experience may vary.

Gazzmonkey

JumpShivers wrote: »

Is this attitude commonplace?

When her uncle heard she got a petrol car he neary flatlined and died on the spot and when a friend of her's heard she got an automatic she was met with comments like "sure that's for people who can't drive", "they're for grannies", "that's not proper driving" .....

Do people really think that autos are for bad drivers or for people who "can't handle manuals" ???

The attitude of clueless people making comments on things they don't understand is very common place.... especially in the domain of motor vehicles. Auto boxes are.. among other things.. for convenience, not competence.

Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime

I'm on the same boat,

Used to drive manual cars at the beginning , never thought of automatics until i was introduced and i liked them, drove a few automatics and after driving a few autos that i owned i bought a manual car and almost immediately regretted it.

Went back auto and will not go back manual, its not lazy and i think its idiotic of people to say you've less control etc.

I like to drive comfortable cars, like to own comfortable cars , and auto does make it a lot more comfortable.

Id cringe if i saw a bmw 7 series of an S class merc with a manual box as it just defeats the purpose of it.

job seeker

I've only ever driven manual, so I have no experience with autos. I would however like to give the humble auto box a chance.as it seems the more favorable box on this forum for daily commuting. I feel like I maybe missing out...

fits

It aint that humble i can tell you. When i put the foot down on my 8speed s-tronic, it really moves.

debabyjesus

I've a 3ltr tdi with ZF 6HP tiptronic, an absolute pleasure to drive. Reduced workload, stress and you make progress much quicker. At least one of my cars will always be auto.

frozenfrozen

it depends on the car and the manual box and the auto

lots of new car manual boxes are awful feeling, might as well be using an arcade game. Holding revs between changes and all sorts of crap as well.

What's the point of giving any of these stupid uncle pub talk people the time of day.. I'm sure their front wheel drive manual diesel passats are pure driving pleasure

Shint0

I drive an auto which doesn't come in a manual version. On occasions where I might still have to drive a manual from time to time I have no problem adjusting between the two.

If you do a lot of motorway and city driving the auto wins hands down and depending on bhp / other features on the car you really don't lose out on the driving experience.