Manual or Automatic ?

[jridgeback]

Which do you prefer and why ? Please do not start talking rubbish about how automatics are slower to accelerate and more expensive to run - they just aren't like that anymore. I'm interested in opinions from the driver's point of view - which is better to drive ?

[ianess]

I've just changed back to an automatic from a manual and driving is now a pleasure again.  Both hands on the wheel and all essentials within fingertip reach [as it should be with any car].  Using kickdown for acceleration is a piece of cake, and the fuel consumption is within a couple of mpg of the manual version. As with any vehicle a heavy right foot will guzzle fuel so the trick is to learn roadcraft and drive appropriately.   I drove automatics for years in my job and personally I'm sold on them.

[twiglet4frog]

never driven an auto, but i am getting sick of the constant manual gear changes! maybe its cos i am in an old peugeot 406 or its the fact u cant drive through towns and cities without constant changing with lights and traffic but it becomes a pain now. It is nice when u can burn off and flick through the gears on an open road and i would miss that but for the day to day travelling through town and to supermarkets i am hankering after an auto to try!

[Mrs_Pegasus]

I have driven both and personally I prefer the manual gearbox.  Would I be dumb in saying it gives me something to do changing gears!!?

I totally agree though that in this day and age and with modern automatics they are a joy to drive and I think I could appreciate one with the very windy roads I travel to work every day but i still love changing gears!

[Kev_UK]

I had driven manual gearbox cars for 20+ years and to be honest I was scared of automatics.. I thought the car would tend to want to stall at lights or something in cold or wet conditions (as sometimes these things happen) and I'd be tempted to rev the car.. and fly off.
3 years & 7 months ago I bought my first yank car.. which was automatic, left hand drive.. neither had I experience with.. I still have it.. a 1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z28, 5 litre V8.. a muscle car. I have 2 other yank cars, LHD & Auto too.
Automatics are faster off the line (acceleration).. Fact!!
They do drink more fuel.. but as I get classic insurance I save money, and the car holds it's value.. in fact they are now appreciating in value. I've just had the gearbox & torque converter rebuilt..(�700+) but a Mondeo will cost �300 for a new clutch, and will need another before I need my auto box rebuilt again. I have a B&M shifter so can go 1st, 2nd, 3rd if I want to, but I'm happy to stick it into Drive, and it has a 4th gear (overdrive). I can get 26mpg on a run, and I rarely bother with the cruise control.
I find in a manual sticking to 30mph is a pain.. too many revs for 1st gear, car labouring in 2nd gear.
I've developed a left foot braking technique, so don't have to take my foot completely off the gas too often.
I'm converted now.. automatics are better.. only one drawback.. you cannot bumpstart them.

[bruce5755]

My wife and I both love our automatics, (both vauxhalls) which have a sports button if you want that little more acceleration for overtaking etc.  Generally I find auto's much more comfortable to drive, more sedate, and much smoother.  Wouldn't want to change back now!

[rampart]

I love my manual. I just enjoy the feel of a stick. Mrs rampart insists on an automatic. She needs the free hand to put on makeup and talk on the telephone while she drives and eats.

[gaul]

 I have heard of someone who after driving for many years in Australia with a automatic, returned  to the UK,and having a bad back had a problem with a manual on our roads.He had to change his hire car to an automatic.Also I was in a car with a friend who is only 5 foot tall,and she has to reach way back with her arm to change gear. A case where a automatic would be far more comfortable.

[lethologica]

Having driven both (although not a significantly long distance in an auto) I think it depends most on what you're using the car for.  Having said that autos are quoted as less economical and therefore more expensive to run day to day.  (I can't back that up in terms of part prices, etc)

If you're using the car for 10 miles a day to and from work and shopping or whatever at the weekend, then it probably wouldn't make much difference.  If you do more miles then it probably depends on what kind of miles (motorway/towns) and how much you enjoy driving.  Although having said that you can get tiptronics so you can get the responsiveness you get from a manual in an automatic...

Personal preference, I'd go for a manual.  Automatics are okay, but I prefer more choice over the style of driving...

[Otrere]

I've driven both and think they both have their plusses and minusses. I like the lazy aspect of the auto gearbox but then sometimes I like to be in charge of what gear I am in so I can sling it into 2nd or 3rd and give it some welly.

[JSB]

Auto for me.  Why? Wait til you're stuck in a jam and you won't wonder any more. No up and down on the clutch - just a gentle pressure with the right toe until the traffic frees up again.  OK so I'm past my 'turbo' years but I wouldn't go back to manual.

[Morgus]

If you have a disability of some kind then auto is the way to go. But if as an able-bodied person you can't cope with the 'complexity' of using a manual then you should take the bus.

Automatics are for one-legged old ladies.

(This is a serious post, not a mickey-take)

[ianess]

Morgus.......anyone is entitled to their opinion but your post was very close to being considered abusive.  At best it was impolite and unnecessary.

[WoWo]

My dad has had automatics for years, so most of my driving after I passed my test was in an Auto.

But I don't mind manual cars, I actually enjoy using the gears and to be honest it is "automatic" once you have driven them for a few years.

[tubeway]

I prefer manual - I have driven manual, semi-auto and auto. Why manual - no idea - its just what I prefer

[dilligaf]

Depends where you drive. In town automatics take away all the stress of stop start driving. Many years ago automatics were unreliable, not now. On the open road the selection of gears, D1 D2 etc. almost compensate for all the demands you require of a manual box.

[Morgus]

ianess, Many thanks for pointing out the error of my ways. I'm a changed person. But I didn't realise that we are supposed to take up a personal critique of the respondents. The idea is to answer the question in a way one sees fit, for good or for ill.

[dilligaf]

Morgus appears to be loosing the thread. Automatic cars are here to stay. Unfortunately Morgus attitude to modern tecchnology seems rather limimited. Did the Concord pilot have two or three pedals on the floor? Perhaps Morgus is one of the reasons Concord was scrapped!

[Paul22118]

I will give you a sensible answer.  I drive a Ford Mondeo TDci 2 litre diesel car.  It was not expensive and it is an automatic.  I have five forward gears - I can select manual clutchless overide and use it as a manual by either pressing a button on the steering wheel or moving the gear selector stick forward or aft.  I tow a caravan with it superbly.  I get 52miles to a gallon of diesel and an incredible 42 mpg when towing, yes this is an auto.  What else it whisks to 125 mph should you want and is lively and great fun to drive.  Hands free to steer and legs and knees free of effort.  The difference between man auto is negligible ....no contest modern autos are fantastic.

[Kev_UK]

125 mph out of a 2 litre diesel? Is that downhill with the wind behind you, or is the speedo out? sounds a bit unbelievable.
Anyway, sounds good with the manual option on the auto box

[Alltorque]

As per Paul's answer, choosing Auto or Manual is becoming a thing of the past with increasing number of manufacturers offering "Tiptronic", "DSG" or similar gearboxes. These all allow you to select full Auto - my absolute favourite for town or traffic queues, or clutchless manual if you feel like it. I drove Auto's for years, and loved them, but am presently driving a 6-spd manual.......and loving that. However, next car will be a "DSG" box job so's I can have the best of both worlds. Both types have their place and there is no definitive best. In response to the comments about 125mph, (where legal to do so, of course), from a 2 Ltr diesel; us diesel drivers know that today's diesels can more than hold their own with their petrol drinking brothers...........times have changed.