Automatic or Manual?

mx5star · May 16th, 2009, 06:14 AM

What is your preferred method of motor vehicle control?

Personally I prefer a manual. Lots of motoring groups have found that driving a manual transmission car makes a driver more *aware* of their surrounding and are more likely to avoid a crash.

A NRMA poll said that people who have *fake manual control* of their automatic transmissions never or rarely used them.

mx

***Svartmetall*** · May 16th, 2009, 06:16 AM

Had this conversation before, but I'm firmly in the manual camp. I find it difficult to drive an automatic properly (IE late braking as I don't have the engine slowing the car down when changing down gears, lacking engine control on tight corners on fast roads).

Manual all the way.

Cruise · May 16th, 2009, 06:27 AM

Driving a manual while smoking and eating hungry jacks is to hard, one must go.

exocet · May 16th, 2009, 06:38 AM

Prefer manual, but my current vehicle is auto.

ryan79 · May 16th, 2009, 07:12 AM

Auto.

With the technology of automatics I don't know why people prefer manuals. Too much effort and I think its distracting whilst driving.

I have tiptronic paddles on my steering wheel which were fun for about 5 minutes. Although I use them every now and then when I wanna feel like an F1 driver.

tayser · May 16th, 2009, 07:14 AM

Real man drives a manual, smart man takes public transport (trying to remember why I removed that from my signature...)

Manual = more control .: better.

***Dilaz89*** · May 16th, 2009, 09:04 AM

I drive an auto but prefer a manual for the same reasons as those above

TOCC · May 16th, 2009, 09:30 AM

manual, not only is it more efficient i allows you better control of the vehicle

its not a distraction at all, once you have been driving a manual for around 6months, the whole process is completely natural to you

aussiescraperman · May 16th, 2009, 10:01 AM

i prefer manual most of the time. i currently drive a manual, but as someone said before.....it's really hard to eat or drink when driving a manual. haha almost crashed once trying to eat an icecream and drive in heavy traffic at the same time.

Marty_ · May 16th, 2009, 10:13 AM

It depends on my mood really. Currently I drive an auto because that's the way things worked out (good car was available at a good price)... But I really enjoy driving, so I often find a manual a bit more fun.

Having said that, I've really gotten used to the auto lately.

Bullswool · May 16th, 2009, 10:15 AM

Manual is better. I drive a manual.. but when you have terrible gear changes like me then i'm probably doing more damage than good

I'm starting to prefer automatic.. just because it is easier.

Danubis · May 16th, 2009, 10:22 AM

havn't worked out either haha... been learning on a manual tho. hopefully i'll get my licence before i'm 30 lol

Choko · May 16th, 2009, 11:26 AM

Definitely enjoy driving a manual far more than the autos - you get a better feel for the vehicle, and conserve your brakes more.

GM · May 16th, 2009, 11:32 AM

BleakCity · May 16th, 2009, 12:22 PM

Manual.

Auto = poor control.

christarrant · May 16th, 2009, 12:54 PM

Auto all the way for moi.
Much easier / less intense to drive & more comfortable for passengers.
With a manual I feel like I'm "stirring the pot" every few seconds in city traffic which is a complete pain in the arse.
Agree that manual's give you better car control, but they're just too much hard work in this day and age.
I've driven a descent / modern auto for a while and I'd never go back to a manual - unless I bought a performance car ( Evo, WRX , R-35

) which has gotta be manual !

Burden · May 16th, 2009, 01:25 PM

^+1

redbaron_012 · May 16th, 2009, 01:48 PM

Manual is driving a car......but in the real world of stop start crawl in todays world auto is the only way to go.....unless you want to build up your left calf muscle and wear out a clutch?

***Svartmetall*** · May 16th, 2009, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christarrant

Auto all the way for moi.
Much easier / less intense to drive & more comfortable for passengers.
With a manual I feel like I'm "stirring the pot" every few seconds in city traffic which is a complete pain in the arse.
Agree that manual's give you better car control, but they're just too much hard work in this day and age.
I've driven a descent / modern auto for a while and I'd never go back to a manual - unless I bought a performance car ( Evo, WRX , R-35

) which has gotta be manual !

I've found you only ever give passengers a bad ride if you're a bad driver. Most of the time I can drive far more smoothly in a manual than you can in an auto simply because of the level of control (less sharp braking and accelerating).

As for wearing out the clutch, there are many ways in which to do avert this - changing from 2nd to 4th for example when coming onto the motorway. Sure it uses a bit more fuel as you run at higher revs in 2nd for longer, but it does save the clutch. Also, though manual cars have clutches, automatic cars are actually far harder to diagnose problems with when the transmission does go wrong as they're far more complicated than manuals - triptronics are even worse. Generally automatics are far more complex and have more that can go wrong with them and thus are far more expensive to replace.

redbaron_012 · May 16th, 2009, 02:01 PM

Try 15km at 2-40kmh variable over 35 minutes and technique doesn't vary much ?
PS.......I love manual cars and driving a car to it's limits on a track...it is a joy of life !haaa me in olden days ( Ford I mean )

View Poll Results: Automatic or manual?
Automatic	14	32.56%
Manual	21	48.84%
Irritating tiptronic/DSG/SMT auto-manual hybrid thing	2	4.65%
I have fancy racecar paddles on the side of my wheel, nyer nyer	6	13.95%
Voters: 43. You may not vote on this poll

May 16th, 2009, 06:14 AM	#1
mx5star Registered User Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 1,306 Likes (Received): 9	Automatic or Manual? What is your preferred method of motor vehicle control? Personally I prefer a manual. Lots of motoring groups have found that driving a manual transmission car makes a driver more aware of their surrounding and are more likely to avoid a crash. A NRMA poll said that people who have fake manual control of their automatic transmissions never or rarely used them. mx

May 16th, 2009, 06:16 AM	#2
*Svartmetall* Ordo Ab Chao Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Past: Northampton, UK (19 years), Auckland NZ (7 years), Now: Stockholm, Sweden Posts: 9,196 Likes (Received): 251	Had this conversation before, but I'm firmly in the manual camp. I find it difficult to drive an automatic properly (IE late braking as I don't have the engine slowing the car down when changing down gears, lacking engine control on tight corners on fast roads). Manual all the way. __________________ "Alle Ding sind Gift, und nichts ohn Gift; allein die Dosis macht, daß ein Ding kein Gift ist." Paracelsus 1493-1541

May 16th, 2009, 07:12 AM	#5
ryan79 Destorying our history Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Perth Posts: 9,847 Likes (Received): 101	Auto. With the technology of automatics I don't know why people prefer manuals. Too much effort and I think its distracting whilst driving. I have tiptronic paddles on my steering wheel which were fun for about 5 minutes. Although I use them every now and then when I wanna feel like an F1 driver. __________________ I'm free to say what I want

May 16th, 2009, 07:14 AM	#6
tayser Champagne Socialist Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Melbourne Posts: 10,533 Likes (Received): 33	Real man drives a manual, smart man takes public transport (trying to remember why I removed that from my signature...) Manual = more control .: better. __________________ "America gave the world George Bush, France gave the world the ménage à trois... Game Over." UrbanMelbourne.info

May 16th, 2009, 06:27 AM	#3
Cruise Proberly Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Next door to Alice Posts: 2,671 Likes (Received): 168	Driving a manual while smoking and eating hungry jacks is to hard, one must go.

May 16th, 2009, 06:38 AM	#4
exocet baby whinger Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney Posts: 1,172 Likes (Received): 7	Prefer manual, but my current vehicle is auto.

May 16th, 2009, 09:04 AM	#7
*Dilaz89* Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Perth, Dubai, World Posts: 13,929 Likes (Received): 187	I drive an auto but prefer a manual for the same reasons as those above

May 16th, 2009, 09:30 AM	#8
TOCC Registered User Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Heaven Posts: 4,663 Likes (Received): 34	manual, not only is it more efficient i allows you better control of the vehicle its not a distraction at all, once you have been driving a manual for around 6months, the whole process is completely natural to you

May 16th, 2009, 10:01 AM	#9
aussiescraperman Registered User Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Melbourne & Brisbane Posts: 1,031 Likes (Received): 0	i prefer manual most of the time. i currently drive a manual, but as someone said before.....it's really hard to eat or drink when driving a manual. haha almost crashed once trying to eat an icecream and drive in heavy traffic at the same time. __________________ i can only imagine

May 16th, 2009, 10:13 AM	#10
Marty_ Registered User Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Brisbane Posts: 3,771 Likes (Received): 50	It depends on my mood really. Currently I drive an auto because that's the way things worked out (good car was available at a good price)... But I really enjoy driving, so I often find a manual a bit more fun. Having said that, I've really gotten used to the auto lately.

May 16th, 2009, 10:15 AM	#11
Bullswool Perthite Join Date: May 2006 Location: London Posts: 7,837 Likes (Received): 129	Manual is better. I drive a manual.. but when you have terrible gear changes like me then i'm probably doing more damage than good I'm starting to prefer automatic.. just because it is easier.

May 16th, 2009, 10:22 AM	#12
Danubis Charlatan Join Date: May 2003 Location: Adelaide Posts: 3,422 Likes (Received): 509	havn't worked out either haha... been learning on a manual tho. hopefully i'll get my licence before i'm 30 lol

May 16th, 2009, 11:26 AM	#13
Choko Modulator Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Ikea Posts: 1,085 Likes (Received): 31	Definitely enjoy driving a manual far more than the autos - you get a better feel for the vehicle, and conserve your brakes more.

May 16th, 2009, 11:32 AM	#14
GM Utilisateur Enregistré Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Nantes / Nanterre (western suburb of Paris) Posts: 2,792 Likes (Received): 430

May 16th, 2009, 12:22 PM	#15
BleakCity ̙͈̩ͫ̎Ż̙̟̜̌ͫ́̒Hwhateͧ ̃̌va Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: 50͟҉0͏ ̵̧M͠҉ì͜͡l̢͢e͢s҉ Posts: 2,513 Likes (Received): 48	Manual. Auto = poor control.

May 16th, 2009, 12:54 PM	#16
christarrant Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 2,084 Likes (Received): 0	Auto all the way for moi. Much easier / less intense to drive & more comfortable for passengers. With a manual I feel like I'm "stirring the pot" every few seconds in city traffic which is a complete pain in the arse. Agree that manual's give you better car control, but they're just too much hard work in this day and age. I've driven a descent / modern auto for a while and I'd never go back to a manual - unless I bought a performance car ( Evo, WRX , R-35 ) which has gotta be manual !

May 16th, 2009, 01:25 PM	#17
Burden What to do with my life.. Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 4,446	^+1 __________________ Townsville is unlike any other city in Australia. No city of comparable size has quite the connection into the future prosperity of the Australian nation as does Townsville. Townsville's next phase of growth is likely to accrue the critical mass in population to transform from regional centre to a metropolitan centre. 'Bernard Salt' Australia's leading demographer Townsville is a picture of exactly the kind of diverse, dynamic regional economy that will power Australia's passage through the years ahead. Treasurer Wayne Swan

May 16th, 2009, 01:48 PM	#18
redbaron_012 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6,061 Likes (Received): 118	Manual is driving a car......but in the real world of stop start crawl in todays world auto is the only way to go.....unless you want to build up your left calf muscle and wear out a clutch? __________________ "Make no small plans, for they have not power to stir the blood" - Daniel H. Burnham

May 16th, 2009, 02:01 PM	#20
redbaron_012 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Melbourne Posts: 6,061 Likes (Received): 118	Try 15km at 2-40kmh variable over 35 minutes and technique doesn't vary much ? PS.......I love manual cars and driving a car to it's limits on a track...it is a joy of life !haaa me in olden days ( Ford I mean ) __________________ "Make no small plans, for they have not power to stir the blood" - Daniel H. Burnham Last edited by redbaron_012; May 16th, 2009 at 02:15 PM.

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