[Closed] Do you drive a manual or auto car?

Just bought a leon with a dsg box for the reasons you state - all I do is sit in traffic! Manual mode for the odd occasion I can have some fun - picking it up at the weekend

Auto is way nicer for the amount of traffic round here. A decent auto box will still allow you to use it a bit like a manual when you want a bit of fun, too.

Had an auto, got a manual, now looking for a DSG. The VAG DSG's are meant to be the bo99ocks. The Co2 figures for the DSG equipped cars is only marginally higher than the manual mo-tahs. I prefer an auto 8)

Always had manual boxes until my latest one (Merc E Class), fancied an auto for the same reasons as you and a back problem that seemed to be exacerbated by changing gear a lot in traffic etc. Wouldn't go back now, and the model I have has no different emissions to the previous car (Octavia vRS), fuel economy is comparable on long journeys but lower in traffic, always had diesels too.

Manual, tried auto once but couldn't get the hang of it. Idiot me!

Auto..

You only drive a manual car.

A car with an auto box isnt proper driving.

I'm on my 3rd VW Passat with auto now DSG gearbox.

Wouldn't go back to manual unless my company tells me I have too, never use the manual function on it.... far too lasy for that

hint ... *MAN*ual 😛

They only make manual cars these days for the sake of public decency.

The gear lever gives the car boys something to play with in traffic.

🙂

One of each although the auto does also have 'paddles' for those boy-racer moments 8)

I remember saying to myself and others that I would never drive an auto, but I bought an E39 BMW just over 3 years ago and that came with an auto box (manual E39s were hard to find) and I must admit to really liking it.

They do increase fuel consumption though.

DSG here, I do like it but I am slightly peeved about the 2-3mpg loss. And the fact that the small increase in emissions pushes me into another tax band 🙁

Very good though - not as nice in urban traffic as a traditional auto mind, but lovely in the countryside. And I do use the manual override sometimes. Here in Germany the sliproads are not very well designed - you approach the road you are joining at almost 90 degrees then there's a very sharp bend and a short sliproad. So you have to be on the ball, and pre-selecting the right gear and keeping it there helps save vital milliseconds 🙂

If I had a big commute I'd probably go down the diesel/auto route to take the weary-sting out of the grind. No point having a manual in this scenario.

I must admit I'm completely surprised by the pro-auto response. I really like auto's but thought I was in the minority. For you guys with DSG boxes-do you have problems with hesitation or surging at junctions when the box has an indecisive moment as to which gear it should be preselecting? I tow a caravan at times & have been a bit put off by these sort of reports. Interesting the pro-manual camp regard it as a bit soft to be using an auto!

[i]A car with an auto box isnt proper driving. [/i]

Speaks a man who has obviously either never driven a decent auto or been driven by someone who knows how to drive an auto.

My first car was an auto and then I got back into them about 15 years ago, not had a manual car (I also ride motorbikes, which are manual) since. But the key to an auto is to get a decent sized engine (I've a 3.5) - and just accept they are not so good on fuel.

Land rover is an Auto, seat Leon is manual, I have no real preference, although with my knackered leg, I find the auto much easier.

If my commute involved 90% city driving I'd probably buy a Aygo manual.
If my commute involved 40miles motorway each day I'd buy a diesel auto.
If my commute involved cycling to work I'd buy a big engine manual petrol.

Manual car. Automatic lorry. I had an auto car for years, not out of choice but because it was a hand me down. Not a bad motor. Modern auto's are pretty good.

As I'm originally from North America, I grew up with autos. If you wanted street cred as a young driver, though, you had manual. Autos were so insanely boring. The only exception I can think of is a Volvo I had that was always a pleasure to drive, auto or not.

But it's always manuals now. My wife won't allow us to have an auto.

I should add that autos are utter rubbish on hills. For all the autos I've ever driver, not one of them would have handled the ups and downs of West Wales efficiently.

For you guys with DSG boxes-do you have problems with hesitation or surging at junctions when the box has an indecisive moment as to which gear it should be preselecting?

I don't have a problem with the hesitation when it pre-selects the wrong gear, but then I tend to be sensitive to what gear it's in anyway. I can tell what it's going to do and pre-empt it often by modifiying the throttle position.

What I do have a problem with (and this is probably the only one) is not being able to pull out of junctions very fast. I can't get the revs high enough before it lets the cluth out for a proper launch. I've read several webpages telling you to turn off ESP, then keep your foot on the brake and hit the throttle first but this doesn't work for me. The pages are usually on GTI forums though so perhaps their gearboxes are set up differently.

I'd have an auto for city driving as it's much better for traffic queues - don't have to fanny about with the clutch and 1st/2nd all the time.

I should add that autos are utter rubbish on hills

Not a good modern box or DSG.

I drive an auto hybrid. Not the most fun I've ever had in a car, but so easy and relaxing - and frugal too. It's only the old fashioned slush-box autos that are much thirstier than manuals. CVT boxes like mine are programmed to rev their nuts off to get up to speed and then drop to a very low and economical cruising gear. I'm sold on it, but I still fancy something with a close ratio 6speed manual for the weekends - although that would mean less to spend on bikes.

CVT boxes like mine

If it's a Prius then it's not actually a CVT gearbox, it just acts like one 🙂

I have a manual as it was a bargain buy, but would MUCH rather an auto.
There is absolutely ZERO fun in driving for me, it is literally to get from place to place. With cokcs at every turn (probably those who think they are MEN because they drive a manual gearboxed car) I can't see how driving can be enjoyable on the roads these days.

Most people round here seem to think their indicators switch on automatically.

I was looking for a manual a few years ago, test drove an auto and have had it on the family car since. Had a small second car that was manual but we got rid of that as we hardly used it.
Can't see me changing back to a manual on the big car.

It's more relaxing to drive and if I want some fun I have the motorbike.

I have a manual, no plans for a new car at the moment but would choose an automatic if buying now. That bit of extra simplicity in my driving experience is worth the slight loss in efficiency.

Then again, I also quite like the idea of the [url= http://www.schlumpf.ch/hp/schlumpf/antriebe_engl.htm ]schlumpf drive[/url].

I'm driving my first ever auto these days (Bongo), and have been very surprised about how much I like it. Does take a bit of getting used to though.

I would go back to a manual if the right car happened to be a manual, but my previous thoughts about them being crap have been banished for good.

Also surprisingly effective in the snow, where I thought an auto would be useless. Smooth gear changes and the ability to feed in the power very gently have made driving in snow/ice a very rewarding experience

Do they still make manual cars? How quaint, must be something they keep going for the third-world markets. 🙂

My last two cars have been autos and it would seem like a regressive step to go back to manuals. Modern autos are very good and often more economical than the petrol equivalents. My previous car was a cvt and had lower CO2 and better performance than the petrol equivalent, and if asked it would pull away at junctions at the limits of the front tyres' adhesion. Current car is RWD diesel auto and will just about do the same if you're insistent with it although by default it tends to glide away.

Auto

Just better really

Speaks a [b]man[/b] who has obviously either never driven a decent auto or been driven by someone who knows how to drive an auto.

Being a man, I wouldnt ever entertain the idea of driving an automatic.

Look at the true greats: Michael Schumacher, Sir Edmund Hillary, Clint Eastwood and George Foreman - you wouldnt catch them driving an automatic

I couldnt see myself ever driving an auto.
I really like the experiance of driving, i love the change down for corners then throw it in in third or fourth.
Also use engine breaking alot, i think id miss the involving feeling of it.
Does get annoying in traffic jams though !

Of course the real benefit of autos is lost these days.

A proper auto has a column change and a bench seat. Thus the driver has a free hand to drape over the shoulder of his attractive female passenger.

The lads who couldn't pull chicks made do with a hot throbbing manual gear lever and felt like "real men"

Look at the true greats: Michael Schumacher, Sir Edmund Hillary, Clint Eastwood and George Foreman - you wouldnt catch them driving an automatic

Well lets look at this in more detail:

Michael Schumacher: Race car is semi automatic, Home car is a Fiat Estate Auto

Sir Edmund Hillary: Kiwi so that's a 50/50 I'm afraid

George Foreman: American so 90%+ chance and auto

Clint Eastwood: American so 90%+ chance and auto

I've got a manual A3...but I should have got the semi-automatic s tronic gearbox.

I really like the experiance of driving, i love the change down for corners then throw it in in third or fourth.
Also use engine breaking alot, i think id miss the involving feeling of it.

DSG FTW. Engine braking, manaul override. If it's good enough for racing cars it's good enough for you.

Lewis Hamilton used a Smart for two for getting to and from practice sessions.

After a hards day work why would he jump into a manual car I guess.

We've got a 6 speed automatic/sequential gearbox with Tiptronic so can still be used if you want to drive like a knob.

99.99% of the time we just stick it in 'D' and go.

Auto's are just so good and I wouldn't go back for an everyday car

7 speed auto here. I leave it in drive and comfort mode 99% of the time. If you want to you can put it into sport mode, change gear yourself and pretend its a manual but I hardly ever see the point. If I lived somewhere with great driving roads - West Wales, Scotland etc.. I might get a manual but for round here it's a manual every time. Newer autos are amazingly good.

DSG, haven't had a manual car for years and I'll never buy another. DSG is excellent and dual clutch gearboxes are the way forward. Can't understand why anyone would want to drive a manual these days.

I have trouble maintaining concentration on driving sub-speed limits at the best of times, removing another complication from it would make me fall asleep.

Never met an auto I liked. Driven a few, but I just hate the lack of engagement with the car, not being 100% sure when it'll shift etc.

Fine round town, no point on a motorway, no place on the open road.

Do people really still think that 'proper drivers only drive manuals'...?

Pathetic. That's something an 18yr old would say, whilst taking the racing line out of a supermarket carpark in his Saxo.

With regards DSG hesitation, they all have a small hesitation from step off that you dont get with a conventional auto, it's not as bad in sport mode but it's still there. Doesn't bother me though. DSG fuel consumption is as good as if not better than a manual.

Do people really still think that 'proper drivers only drive manuals'...?

Well until someone qualifies the counter argument with good sense and reasoning it's all just peeing into the wind. You don't see too many fully auto recing vehicles - usually paddle shifting ones are RMBs or DSG types which are effectively manual boxes. Auto boxes (with torque converters etc) are horrible to drive.

I can't believe all you lazy asses driving autos! How hard is it to move a little lever?

no point on a motorway

Til you hit a jam then it's great.

no place on the open road

If you are caning it perhaps. Otherwise just fine. And DSG has a manual option as I am sure you are aware which is peachy on windy roads.

You don't see too many fully auto recing vehicles - usually paddle shifting ones are RMBs or DSG types which are effectively manual boxes

A DSG IS an auto, it's just implemented better than a traditional one.

Auto boxes (with torque converters etc) are horrible to drive.

Overall yes, although they do do one thing very well which is smoothness. They can shift instantly and more smoothly than a DSG ime and when crusing about American cities they are superb. Crap any time you have bends or hills, mind.

Do people really still think that 'proper drivers only drive manuals'...?

Fortunately its true!

People who drive manual cars are keeping the tru spirit of motoring alive.

Automatic drivers - whats next? Are we going to get cars that'll steer for you aswell? You'll probably want it to wipe your arse for you too

People who drive manual cars are keeping the tru spirit of motoring alive.

Has to be a troll...! No-one can be that ridiculous for real.. can they?

A DSG IS an auto, it's just implemented better than a traditional one.

IMO it's no an auto if it's not using a torque converter. I know that's an odd and not strictly correct view, but it separates the good from the bad nicely IMO. When driving an auto of any sort I miss the connection to the car, feathering the clutch, picking the precise moment of shift, balancing left foot and right. It's just not the same when that's taken away.

It seems to be the opposite of singlespeeding.

picking the precise moment of shift

Still applies to DSG.

For me, I love how quickly the DSG shifts - faster than you ever could with a manual, and without any break in power delivery. I really want to upgrade to flappy paddles but it's 350 quid.. silly really.

I do sometimes miss changing gear manually but funnily enough never on a windy country road. Although to be honest the Passat isn't capable of being chucked around much anyway since it's too softly sprung, so it's really a moot point. It's a comfort car for sure. If I were buying a Lotus for isntance, manual all the way. If I were buying a Grand Tourer type car ie a Scirocco, I'd have to think about it 🙂

Youre still using it in manual mode, at which point its just a clutchless manual, not an auto.

I have one of each, an auto CRV and a manual Civic. The auto is much easier in traffic but takes a lot more throttle pushing on the motorway to get it up to speed and doesn't seem to have the top end of manuals (if you get to 90 ever). The Civic is horrible and seems to only like the clutch being let out once in each gear, if you dip the clutch after this it then judders like hell and is really jumpy. Horrible in traffic! Won't go in a straight line either but I believe a lot of Hondas are camber sensitive.

I test drove my dads passat diesel auto last night as thinking of getting one and had the problem mentioned earlier that when pulling out of junctions it didn't want to go until the turbo kicked in properly. About a second delay until it properly pulled away. My petrol CRV isn't like that and seems much more punchy on the throttle around town. I also had an old auto volvo 745 (petrol) which drove really well (until I blew the head gasket!), it also used to destroy xr2's even with 5 fully grown yoofs in! 😀

Plus there's the fact that even a small light modern auto box weighs as much as a dressed 2 litre engine (100kg) as opposed to the 50 or so for a manual, it adds weight to the vehicle in question.

I've alays had a manual.. I'd assumed that auto's were for people with disabilities..

got my first automatic (merc C class) at the back end of last year.. I bought it cos it was going very cheap and I needed a motor pronto..

I wouldn't go back to a manual now.. absolutely no point unles you're on a race track..

although judging from a couple of responses to this thread I'm guessing that there's a few silly billies who [i]always[/i] drive like they are on a race track.. natural selection will get them sooner rather than later with a bit of luck..

Youre still using it in manual mode, at which point its just a clutchless manual, not an auto

Splitting hairs. If I go into a VW dealer and ask for an auto, I get a DSG which is auto but has this additional feature. No point trying to make a fruit debate about apples and oranges when there are bananas and pineapples also available 🙂

Konaboy - Honda autos are famously terrible, I dunno if you are aware of this. And I suspect that DSGs in different cars are set up differently.

Autos do add weight tho and even the DSG is not as efficient. Well - the 6 speed one isn't. The 7 speed dry clutch one in newer Golfs suposedly is actually MORE efficient.

Lots of great info here guys, makes me feel I'm not that odd after all!
I test drove a CRV auto & felt the same-seemed to take a lot of pedal movement to get it going. Other auto's (Freelander, Santa Fe) didn't seem quite as bad. At the time I thought it was more down to pedal stiffness.

although judging from a couple of responses to this thread I'm guessing that there's a few silly billies who always drive like they are on a race track..

The advantages of manual over auto (such as clutch control, shift timing etc) are to be found even when cautiously driving a manual. For example when towing you want to use engine braking as best you can. In an auto that means you have to select a gear and lock in it. You might as well be driving a manual.
Lugging up a hill you want to keep the car at a set speed and torque, easy to do with a manual, cheap/poor autos change on you and start to slow down until they drop a gear again.
Changing down for a corner to give you more precise control of torque at the wheels means you're better placed to control problematic situations. If you just roll round corners off the throttle as most autos do you're not going to see any benefit, but that's not really very good driving technique. Assuming you have good visibility you've no reason to be off the throttle in a bend.
You don't have to drive like a nut to see the benefits.

that's a valid point coffeeking.. and not something I was aware of.. I've never towed anything in my life..

but totally irrelevant to the comment that you quoted me on 🙄

Not really, I was assuming the comments that had spurred your response were ones of choosing times to shift etc. Many of my comments could be read that way, hence the point that there's plenty of reasons to want direct control over your box.

My main car is manual.

Very few auto 'boxes that I like to be honest. Our A3 is DSG and its an awful thing, combines very badly with its 2.0tdi engine.

In an auto that means you have to select a gear and lock in it. You might as well be driving a manual

No, cos you can unlock it when you get to the bottom 🙂

Our A3 is DSG and its an awful thing, combines very badly with its 2.0tdi engine.

I'd be interested to hear why, since its the combo I have!

No, cos you can unlock it when you get to the bottom

I guess I just don't find moving the gear lever and clutch such a problem that i'd accept all the negatives that come with autos.

I guess I just don't find moving the gear lever and clutch such a problem that i'd accept all the negatives that come with autos

+1.

All that extra expense, weight, fuel use (at least in tradition autos) and reduction in control just so you can avoid moving a couple of levers now and then.

I don't once, but after the 100000th time it gets a bit old. For dreary distance covering duties at least.

To be honest if it wasn't for Mrs Grips's preference I'd probably have gone manual too purely for economy reasons.

For dreary distance covering duties at least.

I suppose it depends on your drive. I rarely drive anywhere in traffic or on a motorway. I choose not to if I can help it, though I must say I'm not consciously aware of gear changes on a commute type journey, it just happens. When I worked in Liverpool and commuted at rush hour every day I found I got a strong left leg, but generally left the car in 2nd gear so it was only my leg that got any action, if you're not in a rush to rush up someones bum with every light change it doesn't take much doing - ease the clutch up, slowly forward, ease the clutch down, brake. Rinse and repeat.

I rarely drive anywhere in traffic or on a motorway

Lucky man 🙂

I only really noticed the downsides of manual after having exclusively driven the Prius for a couple of years and then getting stuck in traffic on the M4 for 40 mins in my old Passat with a moderately heavy clutch.

I also find it helps massively if the gearstick's in the right place on a manual. Amazing how often it isn't. My parents' old Almera could at best be described as a very plain dull car, but the simple fact that the gearstick was in the right place made it great fun to drive (for me).

Wife had a Merc SLK350 with a 7 speed auto box, was probably the worst thing about the car.

1) Pulling away, either like a granny or mach 1
2) balanced throttle through a bend I don't want you to change up for me.
3) Lifting off at a roundabout to time entry I dont want you to change gear.
4) Paddle shifts when I press to change gear I mean now, not in two days time.

Didn't work for me most of the time, fab in traffic though 🙂

Edited to add
5) Even in sport mode it would not hang on to the gears long enough to make the most of the great engine.

Suppose that with a diesel engine and a relaxed driving style you can always pull away even if it does change up in bends. Definitely manual mode for me if I want to drive faster.

Suppose that with a diesel engine and a relaxed driving style you can always pull away even if it does change up in bends. Definitely manual mode for me if I want to drive faster.

Reckon the 3.5L petrol V6 had more low down torque than a lot diesels. Its not like it would not do it, it was just annoying.

Even in manual mode the changes were really slow, but at least it held onto the gears.

You could still drive it fast, it just felt like you were driving around its problems rather than the car working with you IYKWIM ?

If I was driving round London in traffic I would probably feel differently. The right tool for the job and all that.

I would give a DSG or a SMG box a go though as I know they can change gear a lot faster, though I do like to use the clutch so would take a bit of convincing.

Yeah, auto will always be better for relaxed driving overall I think.

I don't have flappy paddles but I can shift with the selector lever, and tbh that took a lot of getting used to and I still find it un-intuitive, despite being a lot simpler to do than shift with manual. Old habits die hard I suppose.

Not really

yes... really!

sillybilly

We used to run all Dodge Rm pickups with manuals boxes and tow 10,000lbs combines headers with them, we changed to autos 3 years ago and would not go back to a manual now, just got our first Ford 350 pickup with adblue so on the next challenge now with this emmision crap

[qupte]yes... really!

sillybilly

Now you've lost me, what's your point again? 🙄

We used to run all Dodge Rm pickups with manuals boxes and tow 10,000lbs combines headers with them, we changed to autos 3 years ago and would not go back to a manual now, just got our first Ford 350 pickup with adblue so on the next challenge now with this emmision crap

Rams have sufficiently large engines to be notably unfazed by the loses in an auto box. Still, it's personal taste I presume, wouldn't catch me towing with an auto anymore - tried it a few times and really dislike it (3.5 litre straight 6 auto).

I've briefly driven a couple of vehicles with some oomph - an old Range Rover and an Audi 3.0l that were auto and it was a pleasurable enough experience.

I've also driven a couple of underpowered cars (Micra and something else insignificant I can't remember) and they were horrible experiences - really revvy without going anywhere.

I drive a manual diesel pick-up (170bhp) which I'd have in auto, if it didn't cost 4-5mpg. Saying that though I drive 40k a year and changing gear never really bothers me. There isn't really any aspect of driving that bothers me.

I had an automatic Ford focus estate for a while, only because the guy i bought it off had only one arm.
I thought it was great, i could drive, hold a cigarette and my phone all at the same time, without having to try and change gear 8)

apart from that, automatics are superb in traffic jams.

Its amazing that in the 21st century most drivers are still having to change gear using two bits of bent metal shoved through the floor of the car. In what other consumer product would we have accepted such lack of progress?

Auto if at all possible for me coupled to a nice torquey diesel. Main disadvantage of torque converter boxes for me is the time taken to shift ratios. Fortunately my current car has a 500Nm of torque so it doesn't need to change gear very often 🙂 Yes autos have higher fuel consumption but by adapting my driving to take advantage of the auto's ability to coast I find I can get very close to manual fuel consumption figures.

I recently had a new BMW 530d for a weekend which had the new 8 speed ZF box which is a torque converter but changes as quickly as a DSG. It also had the uncanny ability to predict when I wanted to change down a gear to accelerate rendering the paddle changers redundant. It accelerates as quickly as the manual car and the fuel consumption is very close too. If this is the future of automatics the manual is on its way out at last.

I've also driven a couple of underpowered cars (Micra and something else insignificant I can't remember) and they were horrible experiences - really revvy without going anywhere

They used to put CVTs in small cars like that (which are squarely aimed at the disabled I suspect) to make the most of what power's available and minimise losses. We had an old Fiesta auto for a little while and it was much the same. It feels slow to have the engine rev away without accelerating fast, but bear in mind tiny engined small cars wouldn't accelerate fast with a manual either. Thing is, without the extra weight of the box it would probably have been slightly quicker due to keeping the revs in the maximum power band all the time.

The one we had was an absolute complete and utter pig to drive, possibly the worst car I've ever driven (but only possibly). However once you figured it out it could be quite fun. Basically you rolled it along, giving it a bit of a push every now and then from the throttle.. rev, trundle.. rev, trundle...

Bazzer

I'm surprised by the Merc, as I've a 535i and quite frankly I prod the accelerator and it just goes - and if I prod it harder, it goes quicker. And just grips.

Its also got a sport and manual mode, but I never really use either - unless I want to overtake in a very short space...

Its amazing that in the 21st century most drivers are still having to change gear using two bits of bent metal shoved through the floor of the car. In what other consumer product would we have accepted such lack of progress?

Bikes.
Motorbikes.
Taps
Bins

Pretty much hundreds of consumer products where the owner wants control over the item rather than the item deciding itself. I'm 100% sure that 95% of bike owners would hate to ride a CVT or auto type shifting bike.

Yes autos have higher fuel consumption but by adapting my driving to take advantage of the auto's ability to coast

Yeah, does't work with a DSG sadly.

Thing is, a good auto is a lot more expensive, still thirstier, worse to drive in enough situations, more complex and more failure prone than a manual. Those are compelling reasons I reckon for the existence of manual.