Manual vs automatic gearbox?

[Brogan]

Who here still drives a manual?

I was adamantly against automatics when I was younger.
I drove one once and hated it.

Every single one of my cars was manual ... until I went to the US.

There it's almost impossible to buy a manual so I obviously got an automatic.
And I loved it!

Granted it was a bit better than the Mini automatic I tried 35 years ago, but I just couldn't fault it.
Gear changes were smooth, there was no hunting, racing, or labouring.
Performance was about as good as I could have done with a manual.

It was a 3.5 V6 (Nissan Murano) so that obviously helped but it was just so nice to drive, especially in traffic.

Upon returning to the UK I didn't even think twice about it and got an automatic (Hyundai Tucson).
The engine is a paltry 1.6L 4 cylinder but it is a hybrid so the performance is even better than the Nissan.

Anyway, the reason for this thread is my daughter will soon be able to take driving lessons and I honestly can't think of a reason why she would ever need to learn how to drive a manual.

 

[The Pits]

I still drive a manual, but it was mostly a cost decision as I wanted a specific car, and while it came with dsg gearboxes, I felt these would be very expensive to fix if it went wrong compared to a manual.

It is getting to the point now though when you wont be able to get a manual, which for me is fine, as long as the potential costs are offset by improved reliability. I guess the move to more electric cars will also make it easier to transition.

A long as I am restricted to buying older cars, I will stick with manuals, but if I was to win the lottery, I wont be choosy!

That said, I have yet to find an auto car with a really good kickdown!

 

[Brogan]

There's a slight delay on the Hyundai but if I put it into sport mode, it's very impressive for an automatic when you stamp on the accelerator.

Edit: Just looked it up and apparently it's about 6.7 - 7.0 seconds 0-60 mph.

 

[Andyoak]

We swapped to auto boxes on the site vans because the teams were eating clutches. Great move apart from the unrelated issues with wet timing belts

I have had a Tucson PHEV for over 3 years and can't fault it re. Gearbox except for a little vagueness on a narrow rev band going up hill sometimes.

As for repairs... the VW DSG did eat itself after 120k in the early days, but not heard about issues recently. And there were similar cost concerns with dual mass flywheels...

 

[cider_and_toast]

I was asked to drive a pool car when I was in the Navy and it was an automatic and I couldn't get my head around it. I almost crashed twice just getting out of the car park. I managed to park it back up, got out and had to give it to someone else.

About a decade later, after having got a hotel car in the US that was an automatic, I got an automatic back home and absolutely loved it.

I wish I could go back to an auto but on average it's about a grand more for the same type of car. The reliability and the rest of the world has caught up so the demand is through the roof.