Cars: Manual or Automatic transmission?

[biggalute]

Automatic is the way to go. Makes multitasking while driving so much easier :)

[skifan08]

I'm sure automatic is easier (it's all I know) but I really want to learn how to drive a manual, in case I someday decide to buy a nice mid-life crisis sports car...

[natureboy1776]

Automatic is the way to go. Makes multitasking while driving so much easier :)

And that is part of the problem! Driving is an intense activity and needs to have most if not ALL our attention. A manual shifted transmission helps keep the attention of the driver, but really drivers need to take responsibility and not multi-task while driving. In my job I see WAY too many accidents.

[Toresu]

This week, i drove an automatic car for the first time. It was more difficult than i was thinking!

[Advent]

I know! I don't have to come up with nearly as many inventive curse words in a manual!

[channel]

I've always been a manual fan until I drove a VW with the DSG bog. A change may be in order . .

[ToneBender]

We reciently got a 1983 Peterbilt with a very strange transmission setup. It has 2 gear shifts. A 13 speed for one shifter and a 4 speed for the other. Lets say its been realy interesting leaning this setup. Fun part is each tranmission has an over drive gear so between the 2 gives double over drive. I have only been in double overdrive 3 times. Last time i backed out when my gps said it was going 93 mph and still was not at the engines governed speed  .

I've never driven one but I've heard horror stories - all ours are 13s or 18s with plunger and splitter and one impossible to shift 10 spd body job.

As for old habits dying hard in my F350 the shifter is on the steering wheel so whenever I get into my Tacoma the first thing I do is spray the damn windshield.

And yes I prefer manuals except the Tacoma is only available trimmed down in manual so I made an exception.

[ilikeguitar]

Serve me up a Jeep Wrangler in manual with a mild lift and 33 inch tires. I will be happy every weekend in the summer!

[boris]

driving fun means stirring the gearbox ;)

[brandon]

I found out one reason manual transmission cars often use more fuel in the US EPA tests than the same car with an automatic: In the test, the manual shifts are done at pre-determined vehicle speeds, irrespective of the gearing or engine torque available. Since the shift points in the test have to be high enough to ensure no car will stall, this means that the testers often run the engine RPMs far higher than a normal driver would. This would be particularly unfavorable to vehicles with large displacement (high torque) V6 and V8 engines, as well as most diesel engines.

It also means that in city driving, a manual transmission with fewer gears might do better than one with more gears, because second gear in a 3-speed manual transmission (if cars still had them) would be much taller than second gear in a 6-speed manual transmission.

[Aidanudie]

I like the best of both worlds I drive CVT (Continuous Variable Transmission) Mitsu Lancer Sportback GT :) Regarding the decline of Manual transmission Top Gear also mentioned when test driving the Ferrari 599 that the complex electronics have taken some of the fun out of driving because it feels like the car is doing all the work.

[Petrucio28]

I learned to drive a stick before I ever got behind the wheel of an automatic. Where I am, if one can't drive a standard, there isn't many jobs for them, and they will find it really hard to drive in the winter. I prefer manual transmissions. I've never found myself out of control on the ice with a standard, because if I lose traction, I have options to regain it. With an automatic, the only way to slow down the wheels is to do the one thing you don't ever do on ice, and that's apply your brakes.

[Advent]

To be fair, if you engine brake in a 2wd vehicle it's actually worse than careful application of the brakes. Brakes always work all 4 wheels, not just two.

In my Land Cruiser I have a proportioning valve to control the brake bias front to rear. I have it set so the rear brakes are much stronger in the summer and weaker in the winter, since short wheelbase vehicles go out of control very quickly when the rear loses traction first.

[roccovittore]

The only time I have trouble is if the country uses left-hand driving! I find it very difficult to change gears with my left hand, being right-handed.

[nato912]

Im in the auto industry so am driving different cars every single day.
On the weekend I was in a left hand drive car on the left side of the road.