[Closed] Daft Question - Whats It Like Driving An Automatic?

Wierd initially, you don't know what to do with your left foot (a couple of times I used it on the brake pedal - not good! 🙂 ). But it only takes minutes to get used to it IMO.

It's like Sega Rally.

You use your feet the same as a manual - there's usually a 'foot rest' or similar where the clutch pedal would normally be.

In most automatics, the engine and wheels aren't directly physically connected (there's oil in between) so the engine can turn but you can hold the car still - that's how you do hill starts, etc. If you take both feet off the pedals, automatics typically roll forwards slowly.

Torque converter (this is the equivalent of the clutch)
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/towing/towing-capacity/information/torque-converter1.htm

Right foot for braking. Just put your left leg out of the way and forget about it!
Never had an auto before we got the Bongo, I like driving it, relaxing on long journeys and much better than a manual in stop start traffic.

Your left foot basically does nothing. You can of course attempt to left foot brake but if this is something you've not done before I guarantee you will be VERY heavy footed 🙂

When in stop-start traffic an automatic is ACE, but you still have a reverse gear, you have a parking gear and if you live somewhere hilly and snowy you do use the lower ratios rather than simply leave it in Drive. You still change gears, just (considerably) less frequently.

Much like manual cars, there are good ones and bad ones, so test drives are essential.

Pretty similar, right foot on the brake as per normal (most people if they try and use their left foot it'll hammer on the brake!). They are a bit less fuel efficient sometimes, I think more modern ones are addressing this.

These videos you see on the internet of cars looking possessed and driving into houses or reversing all over the place, most are automatics that have been left in Drive or Reverse.

We used to have an auto v6 rover 75 petrol as a pool car in work, I loved driving that car, the kickback was fantastic 🙂

You can of course attempt to left foot brake but if this is something you've not done before I guarantee you will be VERY heavy footed

I got one as it was mega cheap, got used to it in no time and it's not even much hassle switching between that and a manual.

Tried left footed braking before a couple of times. Both times nearly beeped the horn with my forehead so will remember not to do that.

OK so it sounds as simple as it should be in my head 🙂

My parents have always had automatics. Switching has never been an issue (or when driving in the US).

They are horrible on twisty roads though or at least many are - changing at awkward moments or not changing when you'd like them to. And they feel quite mushy (due to the indirect connection between engine and wheels).

I wouldn't personally unless it was a real bargin but some people do love them.

smurfmat would never drive an automatic. End of thread 😉

Great in town, shite on roads that would allow spirited driving. But given the level of traffic now there are few of those left.

Auto generally far better and relaxing that manual especially in traffic, get a DSG box and have the best of both worlds.

Just beware some cars (audi / bwm spring to mind) low profile tyres and 2wd are rubbish in snow and even slightly wet fields.

You get used to it quite quickly. If you're getting an older automatic they can be a bit grim but the newer DSG type boxes with a million gears are great.

The experience really does depend on the car chosen as there are many versions of auto out there - for example, Audi have three versions alone! (Multitonic, Steptronic and Tiptronic). And again, some also have things like brake assist (auto switches on the handbrake when you gently push the brake pedal)

But essentially you put your left foot away when driving an auto.

We have one of each and I don't have a problem switching between the two (FWIW, I have a StepTronic Audi with brake assist (and a Quattro, V6 3 litre 240bhp diesel 😈 )- which is why I know a bit about the Audi variants).

But I drove a massive V8 people carrier in the States last year with an auto. Horrible, hateful, nasty, painful.

So be careful to test drive the cars you are considering.

the kickback was fantastic

I knew they'd have to be money involved, nobody would drive one of those for free...

I had a sensordrive system for the last 8 years, first time i tried to pull away from the curb it wouldn't go, until the realised i had my left foot on the brake thinking it was the clutch, hense the smell of burning brakes.

Using the paddles in manual was just like playing the xbox, but general driving no real difference.

Went back to a manual now my knee has sorted itself out.

It's like driving a car should be, no reason in this day and age why you should be faffing changing gear any more than using the advance/retard lever, or cranking a handle at the front to start it.

However, some manufacturers still manage to botch it. S-max diesel auto idles at about 35 so just driving around in town means stupid unnecessary braking, never mind around all the 20 zones we have now, so not as relaxing a drive as it could be. I test drove a few and gave up and bought a manual.

I have a Skoda Fabia with the DSG gearbox. I've never had an "automatic" before but it all just seemed very easy to get used to. Mind you, that didn't stop me trying to use the clutch in the petrol station once or twice - you stop VERY quickly when you hit the brake pedal by mistake! 🙂

It's the little things on modern automatics that seem wonderful; things like it stepping down a gear or two automatically on long descents to reduce need to use the brake quite so much - genius.

I don't find the gearbox hinders "spirited driving" as such. Probably aids mine if anything - I'd say I accelerate as quick in this Fabia as I did in the Impreza as the gear changes are perfect and stupidly quick...

Rachel

lazy

I'd say I accelerate as quick in this Fabia as I did in the Impreza as the gear changes are perfect and stupidly quick...

I second that. I remember test driving a DSG Golf GTi. On paper it wasn't as fast as other cars I've driven, but because the gear changes were so instantaneous and perfect it felt very quick when over-taking.

[EDIT...but otherwise quite a boring drive]

If you really, really wantr to see just how bad an automatic can be made, go to America and drive a car there. They have put in a lot of effort to make it a horrible experience.
A smarter man than me once likened the gearbox linkage in an American car to a mop spinning round in a bucket. It's *exactly* like that. You'll pick up a car with 250bhp which in the UK would be a rather nippy vehicle. In America it'll struggle to get up hills. We hired a car in Denver which looked sporty and claimed to have 300 horse power. We drove it into the mountains and had to turn around because it couldn't make it up a particularly steep hill.

But I digress. European auto's are ok. Generally weaker than manuals IME and dead simple to drive. A bit worse on fuel but that's probably because I've only ever booted them.

My exception would be the Toyota hybrids. We have some at work as pool cars. They're a but underpowered but on the motorway at 70mph, it's claiming over 100mpg on the flat.

As for holding the car on hills, in my experience a rwd car will tend to hold itself on the hill without the brake, but a fwd would tend to roll back so handbrake or footbrake was required.

My car is quicker (according to manufacturer specs) in auto by a few tenths of a second over the manual.

Drive a Yaris Automatic, Don't think I'd ever go back to manual unless I won the lottery and purchased a Sports car.

It depends. Some are rubbish some are great. Many modern ones are fabulous. More ratios than a petrol (just as efficient as a result), different switchable modes and gear paddles on the wheel if you want to drive like a manual. Most very high performance (Surfmat are you listening) are auto.

Its a modern(ish) auto I'm looking at (BMW E91 330i Touring) so its like tiptronic (?) in that you can manually knock it up and down gears yourself if you want.

Like others have said, fold your left leg away, under your right, until you're adequately used to the auto box. The ones I've driven have been mostly boring, ok in town, not so good if you want to think ahead on curving hilly roads.

@samuri - were you at altitude?

I've had a few automatics, and currently drive a diesel with a traditional (though very modern) 6 speed automatic box.

Much prefer auto to manual for the kind of driving I do. Most modern autos don't have the kickdown button on the floor, they just sense the position of the pedal and change gear accordingly when you want to overtake.

For country roads, I tend to switch across to manual control, and as someone has said above, modern automatics change down a gear or two when going downhill to enable engine braking. I wouldn't have a manual now (though the wife has one so I'm not totally out of practice).

American automatics, on the other hand, are absolutely rubbish in my limited experience of rental cars. No torque from the engine and utterly gutless.

EDIT: to the OP, unless the hill is very steep, they just hold themselves on the hill or creep forward slightly if you don't have the brake on. Right foot does everything, and it takes minutes to get used to.

If your looking at that BMW then I believe it has the ZF 8HP 'box which is about as good as you are going to get - and it is very very good. Smooth, quick changes, not slushy, and (as long as they've calibrated th shifts correctly) it is pretty good at not changing ratios at really annoying moments.

As for actually driving one, as others have said, you will get used to it very quickly. Bit weird with your left foot to start with but make sure it's firmly pressed on t foot rest or tucked under your right leg and you'll soon forget about it.

We have 2 Skodas with dsg boxes as MrsMc is disabled. Didn't take long to get used to autos when I met her, you soon forget about your left foot. It is harder switching back to a manual, often stall in hire cars for the first few miles.

Worth bearing in mind that not all autos are created equal. We particularly like the 6 & 7 speed dsg boxes used by VAG. Make other manufacturers with 4 or 5 speed boxes seem rough and clunky. Test drive different ones to see what you like, and compare the fuel economy, as not all autos now are so thirsty as they were.

Make sure you really want/need an auto though. You pay a premium to buy one and repairs aren't cheap if they break.

I switched about 2 months ago to an Audi with S-tronic seven speed DSG thing. I'm very impressed, the changes are very smooth when bimbling around in D, equally so using the flappy paddles. The sport mode is quicker to change and holds lower gears longer. It's very easy to get away quickly from a standing start, e.g. nipping out at a junction or roundabout.

I've barely played with the manual mode - very little need really.

Handbrake is an electro-mechanical thing that auto releases when you press the throttle.

Having said all that - I've also driven some truly terrible old-school autos in the US.

Yeh, heard the DSGs are meant to be very good but VW don't make a car I want, I don't really want another Skoda and S-Tronic Audi A4s are a bit out of my price range...

Auto is for a few reasons - a good mate went from manual to auto a few years back and swears by them now. I quite like the idea of lazy driving as well but going for the 330 gives me the option for 'fun' if I want to! Also ditto, Mrs DBW has a health condition that might make having an auto a bit easier for her if she needs it.

Make sure there's enough power otherwise it will be very very dull.

My mate got a cheap Rover 820 auto. It had a kick down button beneath the accelerator but he called it the loudness button as when you hit it, the engine dropped a cog and just got louder!

Does anybody have shift paddles on a slushbox e.g. the new ZF 8 speeder?

Thinking it's the best of both worlds. Totally automated in for when in traffic, and manually controlled when you want.

I don't think I can consider DSG at the moment as all the ones I've tried (VW) have had horrid lag when trying to quickly pull away from stopped.

Yep both are cars are autos with paddle shifters. Maybe use them less than 5% of the time.

I rent US autos maybe once every 3 weeks and as above some good and some poor. Plenty of torque (turbo or tdi) seem best with autos in general use.

Autos are great. Dead easy to drive. The brake pedal tends to be massive, so on big hill starts you can use it like a clutch, but the car will generally hold itself.

Fantastic in traffic. Sit back and relax. All you have to do is steer.

Beware of the lack of engine braking. It's the one thing that will catch you out a bit initially.

I switched about 2 months ago to an Audi with S-tronic seven speed DSG thing. I'm very impressed, the changes are very smooth when bimbling around in D, equally so using the flappy paddles. The sport mode is quicker to change and holds lower gears longer. It's very easy to get away quickly from a standing start, e.g. nipping out at a junction or roundabout.

It took me a few weeks of owning it before I found that feature but I love it - use it all the time now 🙂

Autos are my default choice these days, although my last experience was poor, thanks BMW, I'd be happy to go down that route again.

You'll get used to it in about a week, my problem after was stalling manuals as I would forget to dip the clutch!

EDIT: bmw e46 320d auto, known fault from 2004 to 2006 fyi.

Also note on DSG gearboxes you can pre-emptively change gears using the paddles and then if you just leave them alone for a bit (or press and hold the right paddle) it will automatically revert to D.

I tend to use this before overtaking - sat in traffic I can drop three or maybe 4 gears and then pull out. On the motorway when I want to accelerate without dropping down gears I can tap the right paddle and then dump the accelerator to use the torque of the engine (& supercharger) without all that nasty revving...

Rachel

...and having just passed my A licence test for a motorbike, boy do I wish there was a DSG for motorbikes!!

Does yours have the 'pull the lever towards you' feature to quickly switch into Sport mode (then flick it again to go back into standard 'D')?
It took me a few weeks of owning it before I found that feature but I love it - use it all the time now

Maybe. Which lever? The main shifter one (that has S one notch back from D on mine, M to the left of D) or one of the paddles?

2010 S4 if that helps.

EDIT @Retro83 - sport mode on mine is much better from a standing start than I would ever be. No lag at all.

[i]Its a modern(ish) auto I'm looking at (BMW E91 330i Touring) so its like tiptronic (?) in that you can manually knock it up and down gears yourself if you want.

[/i]

I've driven mainly auto's for nearly 30 years, all that really matters is having enough power - and with a 330i auto you'll never really need to move the lever from 'D', the kick-down will be seamless.

Not sure why folk still buy manuals, and anyone who says they like to 'drive' a car for the reason they don't like autos - you've not driven a decent one.

No real noticeable lag from a standing start with our dsg boxes. If I think I need it I use the "S" mode for a bit more oomph to get away or overtake.

Never bothered trying the manual mode. Autobox good enough not to bother. Only flappy paddle version I've tried was on a Hyundai,and the autobox seemed slicker when left alone

Driven autos for 12 years, only thing I'll add is that I've been seduced by CVT now, had one for three years, went back to a normal auto for 2 years and I'm now back with another CVT. Going back the normal auto after the CVT I just didn't like having to feel the gear change and kickdown. Driving for work it's a lot less tiring driving experience.

Good if you have to sit in traffic.

Poor if you enjoy driving on open roads and in snow or wet conditions when braking through gears is preferable. Manuals make the roads come alive!!!

I have one DSG and enjoy it much more in manual mode with the paddle shifts. Feel much more in control.

I have a Merc 7 speed auto with flappy paddles. Never use them the auto E mode is smoother than a smooth thing and I still get over 40 on a run.

Would love one if it's a new car and big engine as they work best best .
Mate has a 135i and it's so good together ! ( think your self past quick )

And just drove a brand ( not mine ether ) new RR d sport and so smooth and pretty quick in real day to day driving .

We had a 325i manual (52 plate ) and did not like the gear box one bit ! Should of gone for auto !

Hope that helps

330i here an love it. Silky smooth drive and changes on motorways - no effort at all, relax and listen to the radio in traffic, stick in sport mode/steptronic when you want to have fun.

Although I'm always surprised how many BMW auto owners don't know about the WOT button 😈

allthegear - Member

...and having just passed my A licence test for a motorbike, boy do I wish there was a DSG for motorbikes!!

All bikes are semi-auto, or at least they are when I'm riding'em 😉

We hired a car in Denver which looked sporty and claimed to have 300 horse power. We drove it into the mountains and had to turn around because it couldn't make it up a particularly steep hill.

300bhp at sea level. Power drops off a lot at altitude, you could have been at 11,000 ft there. We had a quite fast 230bhp car at low levels that felt like a 90bhp diesel up in the mountains. Never failed to get up anything though!

Re autos being rubbish on windy roads - bad ones are, but good ones are great. Better than manual. Such as any with the dual clutch system like DSG.

Its a modern(ish) auto I'm looking at (BMW E91 330i Touring) so its like tiptronic (?) in that you can manually knock it up and down gears yourself if you want.

Its not quite as good as tiptronic as you have to push the lever over to manual then you can change sequentially by moving it fore or aft. With tiptronic you just nudge the lever left to change down and right to change up.

Unfortunately I think the model you have chosen is too old to have the 8 speed ZF box which is a thing of beauty and miles better than old BMW autos or indeed current Merc autos. I've got one in my 330D x drive. There's no sensation of slushiness like you get in most autos and the changes are very fast, lightening/DSG-like fast in sport mode. The box shifts very intuitively and I very rarely shift manually using the paddle shifters except braking for a corners when pressing on in sport mode as for me the box doesn't shift down soon enough to keep the engine fully on song.

Less macho posturing on this thread than I was expecting.

I was away from the far east for many years, by the time I returned for a visit I noticed all my mates were driving auto gear car. In fact, majority of the cars on the road are auto gear. I have a feeling that within the next 5 to 10 years most cars in UK will be auto gear.

My 1.6 Toyota Corolla is brilliant and driving auto gear is so relaxing that I have plenty of time to avoid zombie maggots on the road.

I say go for auto gear ...

Good if you have to sit in traffic.

Poor if you enjoy driving on open roads and in snow or wet conditions when braking through gears is preferable. Manuals make the roads come alive!!!

My car is auto, mrs P's is manual. We swap quite a lot.

Going to work (mostly motorway and heavy city traffic) - mine is infinitely more relaxing both at the start and end of the day. There's nothing fun about leaving work and instantly hitting traffic, but not having to fanny about with gears/clutch for an hour is one less thing to think about.

Long motorway journeys - not much in it, since you spend most of your time in one gear on the motorway anyway.

City driving - hers is way more fun, but mine is safer and more relaxing IMO. If I'm pulling out of a junction across both lanes, on a hill, in heavy traffic in the rain, it's nice to just put the foot down and go without my hands ever leaving the steering wheel. I find being stuck in traffic in my car more relaxing.

Weekly jaunts up north - this is where is gets interesting. Trips up the A82/A9 and further account for well over half of our overall mileage. On one hand, her car is so much more fun on bealach na ba, but it's also hard work on a 5 hour mostly B road/singletrack drive at 5pm on a Friday. My car isn't as fun, but given we do a 2-5 hour "engaging" drive every Friday evening and then have a packed weekend, mine tends to get me there a bit more relaxed and feeling fresher.

Snow/ice - hard one to call for me since my car is RWD/Auto but has snow tyres and hers is FWD/Manual and doesn't. I'd prefer to be in mine for the tyres, but it's nice to have more control over the gears in hers (although mine is tiptronic)

Overall - main word is "relaxing" i suppose. If you LOVE shifting because it makes you feel like you're a driving god, then i can understand how dull and pointless an auto must feel. But to me, shifting seems a bit pointless for about 75% plus of the mileage I do, and perhaps even an inconvenience for that 75%.

My plan is to buy something cheap and quick (350z etc) for those days when I feel like I just have to make the roads come alive 😉

I hate them but they're everywhere in North America. I've had a lot more near misses in automatics than manuals because you forget you're driving. In short, it isn't driving.

I guess if you're spending much of your time in stop-start, urban traffic, then an auto makes perfect sense. If you live in the country, driving around winding, narrow lanes with steep hills, and twisty A-roads, with lots of mud and puddles, etc, then I much prefer a manual, I shift without thinking about it, using the engine for braking, so when it's really wet and slippery with mud, or it snows, not using brakes is second nature.
I have driven an auto, in LA. Bit of a shock to the system, using a column-shift auto-box, sat on the wrong side of the car, on the wrong side of the road, having never driven one before! In those sort of surroundings, the auto made perfect sense, and if I lived in or drove in city traffic, then a DSG-equipped car would be my choice, something like Rachel's little Fabia.

[i]@samuri - were you at altitude? [/i]

Denver is over 5000 feet high and after hitting Boulder we just kept going up. So yes. 😉

oldskool vacuum merc autos are absolutely brilliant...

The ZF 6 speed gearbox in BMWS only uses slush upto 1800 (or something in that area) RPM

The new 8 speed only uses it on set off so resembles a dual clutch all other times. It's an amazing gearbox.

[i]I hate them but they're everywhere in North America. I've had a lot more near misses in automatics than manuals because you forget you're driving. In short, it isn't driving. [/i]

Americans have the worst lane control of any country I've ever driven in. They just drift in and out. No indication, no looking, no attempt to feed in, nothing. Worse was in Dallas but all over they are pretty poor.

In short, it isn't driving

What a ridiculous statement. You're in control of a moving car, of course it's bloody driving. Don't be daft.

If you love to shift, just get a dsg. You still control the whole car, it just shifts far better than you ever will. I believe the thing was invented for racing, so it should be fine for us.

I was used to shifting in a manual, I'm very good at it being both quick and smooth, but it's still better in a DSG. Hands down. DSGs still engine brake in the exact same way a manual does by the way.

I hate them but they're everywhere in North America. I've had a lot more near misses in automatics than manuals because you forget you're driving. In short, it isn't driving.

JCL - Member

I hate them but they're everywhere in North America. I've had a lot more near misses in automatics than manuals because you forget you're driving. In short, it isn't driving.

Blimey JCL, if you often forget you're driving you need to assess whether you should be!

Absolutely hate driving manual cars. Both the cars in the house now have DSG. A truly wonderful invention. Even my works vehicle is automatic and slow as buggery but it beats having to change gears.

All this 'driving a manual is real driving' nonsense, what utter bullshit.

If I'm hammering it in the wife's golf gti and don't change up in manual mode, the engine just bounces off the rev limiter like a manual would until I pull the paddle. Yet 99% of the time it's only ever in 'D' because it's jus too good.

I've got a 6 speed zf in my discovery 3 and it's great, beautifully smooth shifts, a couple of modes(auto, sport and manual command shift) and it even knocks down a few gears for engine braking. My last discovery 2 auto was dog awful and I was always frustrated by it. The newer gearboxes and software are a lot easier to live with. I do miss driving a manual but my car is best suited to an auto, if I got something smaller for a blast bat the weekends then I'd go manual, but for general driving around I'd not be averse to a good auto.

I've got a 2010 330d - it's the first auto I've owned and has the steering wheel paddles. I've no regrets on my choice to go auto and don't plan to go back to a manual

I can't comment for other autos but the BMW is fantastic - particularly since having the latest SW applied; it seems very intelligent varying when it shifts depending how you are driving; sports mode is fantastic as is the manual mode which is very similar to a manual except no stick or clutch! It will hold a gear when engine braking and will allow you to hit the rev limiter but won't let you labor the engine.

My other half has a manual it's a bit weird switching back and you'll forget to press the clutch when braking for traffic lights every now and then.

I've had a few Autos, owned three recently, of both torque converter and DSG variety.

DSG much slicker but have very questionable longevity compared to Torque Converter boxes.

I don't think (based on my current driving needs) I'd get another manual for a long time.

Kryton57.The wot button ?.Got an Msport five.Do you mean the button under the throttle or is there a nitro button hidden somewhere. 😆

Sometimes I like holding onto 2nd and 3rd for waaay too long. You cant in an auto.

Yes you can - either shift on the paddles or accelererate "briskly" in which case it will go to rev limiter before changing. How long is way too long???

[i]Sometimes I like holding onto 2nd and 3rd for waaay too long. You cant in an auto. [/i]

Eh?

Its the sound. It gives him an illusion of speed.

[i]Its the sound. It gives him an illusion of speed. [/i]

Is that a bit like why folk put loud exhaust on small motorbikes as well?

Americans have the worst lane control of any country I've ever driven in. They just drift in and out. No indication, no looking, no attempt to feed in, nothing. Worse was in Dallas but all over they are pretty poor.

+1

Almost ridiculously different driving styles in the USA. Off the highway, very slow, careful, polite (four way stops anyone?). On the highway as Samuri says.

It's nothing to do with autos though!

We've got an auto 330 and I really like it. For day to day driving its really relaxing and it works pretty well in sport mode because it hangs on to a gear until the redline and kicks down very quickly. Occasionally I wish I had a manual on a really nice stretch of road but everywhere is so busy these days, it's not often that the cars legs can get stretched.

The DSG box is fantastic, I wasn't sure at guest but drive a few GTi's with them in and it made them feel much, much faster. The wet six speed ones are supposed to be more reliable than the dry seven speed jobbies.

I think autos suit diesels well because they do a good job of keeping the engine in the narrow power band. The lack of rev range drives me up the wall in my diesel company car.

The new 8 speed box that BMW and Jaguar are using is supposed to be amazing and pretty much a must have option.

Americans have the worst lane control of any country I've ever driven in. They just drift in and out. No indication, no looking, no attempt to feed in, nothing.

Often it's the cars - driving a big old American car is an experience. My uncle in Florida has several big old convertibles which I've driven, and they are so unresponsive it's amazing - the steering wheel doesn't do much more than vaguely hint that the car might want to turn.

Holding onto gears too or kicking down and using engine braking. I use engine braking more than the brake pedal. So I'b fundamentally out of my driving comfort zone.

Does a decent auto over ride Your use of paddles? Autos for me are for lazy old rich people, stellar mile munchers or people who have tired of driving manuals.

Like the noise? Do you drive? I like control of the car to my particular quirks. IF I was doing 40miles a day commute everyday though I would have a diesel auto 20000% of the time.