At one time manual transmissions not only offered a deeper sense of connection with the driving experience but also greater economy and efficiency. Back then, automatics while possibly more convenient, squandered far too much power for that amenity, sapping both ponies and MPGs. Hell, they didn’t call them slushboxes for nothing!
At that time Real Drivers© took pride in being able to double clutch, heel and toe, and come to grips with the intransigence of a non-synchro first. Mastery of the manual was a rite of passage for any and all true car geek. Automatics were looked down upon as the tool of the dilettante, and something that could never match a real driver for the selection of the proper gear.
Today however, things are different. Or, more accurately, automatics are different. Now they’re controlled by a computer that not only can think faster than you can in selecting the perfect gear, but that also talks to the engine’s computer to make sure everybody’s on board with the choice. Not only that, but they are vastly more efficient these days, often offering even better fuel economy and acceleration times than their manual counterparts. Here in the U.S. automatics are the choice of about 97% of all car and truck buyers. The question is, does matter to you any more whether a car is a stick or a slusher?
Image: NBCDFW
Hooniverse Asks: Do You Still Care About Manual Transmissions?
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Yeah, it matters. I get that automatic transmission performance is pretty great now, but I’m less interested in shaving a couple tenths off a lap time than I am in simply enjoying myself when I drive. Shifting your own gear just feels satisfying.
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I mostly drive small cars with tiny engines. I fully accept that a modern automatic can shift quicker than I can, but a modern automatic can’t detect that I’m going to need the entirety of my meager horsepower in two seconds to grab that one gap in traffic. Also, I think the real world fuel economy gains of automatics are overstated (I had a Mazda3 loaner that got noticeably worse fuel economy than my 2 despite similar EPA numbers).
Plus, yeah, a manual is more fun. It’s mostly pointless to try and heel-toe through an onramp when I’m just going to end up on someone’s bumper waiting for them to accelerate, but I still enjoy it.-
Onramp? Heel-and-toe? I am confused.
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I’ll admit there’s a very good chance I’m either getting something wrong,doing something wrong, or just need an editor.
What I mean to say is that an onramp is what passes for a twisty road here, it’s somewhere where I need to prepare to accelerate as soon as possible. Heel-toe’ing is blipping the throttle while braking to smooth out a downshift, right? That’s what I’m attempting to do and communicate.-
I’m less confused now that I know where you’re coming from. You just seem to be missing the toe part of the heel-and-toe (or the heel part, depending on how you execute it). Rev matching a downshift while braking is heel-and-toe. Rev matching a downshift to accelerate is just rev matching.
The name “heel and toe” describes pressing both the brake and the accelerator with your right foot.
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Congrats on being Internet-guy-who-caught-another-good-guy’s-mistake!
feel better?-
Well I did until you called me out as an asshole for it. It was a lighthearted jab intended to spark conversation, and clear up confusion. It did just that. Leaving mistakes unchallenged is a favor to no one.
It is not a favor to Maymar or to anyone reading these comments who may be unclear of what heel-and-toe means.
I will offer my contrition for what may have been perceived as condescension, but I will not apologize for bringing clarity to the term being discussed.
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I’m from the Datsun 510 school of driving where momentum is important. Maintain forward movement smoothly w foot on floor the whole time. And you could heel & toe easily. No more now for legal reasons seems to me.
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510 school is the only school that’s accredited, in my book, brother. My street-prepped 510 with L20B and dual SUs was the finest car ever for learning to heel & toe. Screw this laggy-ass F.I. that today’s drivers are stuck with.
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I’ve spent the last nine wonderful, rewarding months daily driving a manual, my first stickshift after twenty years of driving slushboxes. I can categorically say yes, I do care.
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The new automatics are awesome….I’m a diehard manual driver…..still considering a manual or automatic for my next c7 z06 down the road…..right now I’m driving a manual c6z51……
The autos quicker but I have to get behind the wheel before deciding….
Would have preferred a DCT like I’ve enjoyed in my recent test drive of a boxster s with PDK…. -
Um, yeah. That’s the whole reason we’re waiting 6 months for a car to come to northern Minnesota from the land down under!
Don’t care a lick that the new generation automatics are faster, smarter, or better looking with great personalities. There is simply no comparison to operating an automatic versus driving with a manual. It’s been a long week for me, and the words aren’t coming freely this morning, so I really can’t adequately express my love for a clutch pedal. I just… -
I’ve not had an occasion to drive a modern enthusiast car with an automatic that was designed for such, so I’m not entirely qualified to opine, but I will anyway. The “purity” of the three pedal experience will always have appeal, but you can’t pretend that it doesn’t have a trade off. The negative tradeoffs of the automatic have been mitigated, but will not likely ever be eliminated completely. The negative tradeoffs of a manual are pretty much part of the design. So all else being equal, people have fewer reasons to row their own. Depending how and where you drive, manuals go from a minor compromise for more fun to unjustifiable masochism. YMMV.
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I don’t understand that “unjustifiable masochism”-part. It’s commutes and jams you think about? I’m not on board with that. Changing the gears becomes a spine-thing – it doesn’t involve thinking, it’s not exhausting by any means, and it’s not more expensive or maintenance intensive either.
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The masochism would fall on the absolute worst case scenario setup end of the spectrum. Think mechanically actuated heavy aftermarket clutch behind a peaky small displacement engine commuting from Woodland Hills to Downtown L.A. In a good car, you can indeed trudge through that kind of commute with minimal thought or fatigue, but if that’s the only time you drive your car, the upside of the manual is pretty well lost, but at least your left leg would not be atrophied. FWIW, I drive a six speed Mustang GT through 60 miles of Houston traffic every day, so I’m certainly not immune to the charms of a manual.
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Also: unpredictable dual-disc clutch with absurdly light pedal effort, offering no feel of what’s happening at the other end.
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All my cars have been so used up, with all mechanical linkages working basically by themselves, that I still struggle to relate to the issue, haha. But, yes, I see the point now.
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I had constant pain in my left knee the entire time I owned my ’92 Toyota 5-speed stripper pickup. The clutch was heavy, the pedal throw was long, and there wasn’t enough room between the seat and the pedal for me to ever straighten my leg. The cumulative result was constantly torquing my knee joint sideways.
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It’s stuff like this that makes you stop and think how good cars have become over the last 30 years. My ’86 Mustang’s clutch required what felt like 18″ of pedal travel, and the adjustment mechanism was some sort of plastic ratcheting apparatus that froze and broke every five years requiring me to drop the steering column to replace it. That was one of the 20 or so times I regretted not getting the Camaro I almost bought instead.
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Ah yes, the Ford clutch adjuster. Europe got it too. It didn’t work here either.
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The worst case scenario isn’t stop and go. Stop and go is fine. The worst case is traffic at a crawl that is just a bit slower than first gear idle. That’s the traffic that’s going to give your left leg a workout.
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A simple, defeatable torque converter for stop-and-go traffic might have allowed a lot more people to choose manual transmissions. Imagine an in-line system separate from the manual trans, that only worked in 1st gear…
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Haven’t driven an automatic that’s more fun than a manual yet. So there remains a manual in my car, and there will be a manual in my car so long as it is possible to put one there.
Also a handy anti-theft measure and they tend to look nicer than the automatic shifter for whatever reason.
Our garage has been torque convertor free since 2002. There’s a chink in the armor because I’ve driven a few autos that are (sigh) better on the racetrack than a manual but for the forseeable future for something I spend my own money on, there’s no better alternative than that lovely extra pedal on the floor and what it does for us.
I fear the inevitable end is in sight. If they’re truly good enough, I’ll hang my head and accept it. But I hope I’ll at least always have one example of old school driving on hand.
I recently had to buy a newer car for work. Took me a little while, but my ’05 Accord EX 5 speed sits in the driveway next to my ’90 Miata. Long live three pedals!
There has never been an automatic car in my life. Yeah, I care.
No.
Clutch pedals make my life more difficult than it needs to be and offer no advantages over a modern auto, torque converter or not.
So no, I wouldn’t miss them if they disappeared. If anything, it makes buying a car in Finland more difficult than it needs to be because the market is littered with three-pedal cars.
The only automatic car I want is Balto.
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“I disc my car.”
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I clutch my car? Hmmm…
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The Shelby I drove on the track was perfect. Downshifting was like poetry. Even coming into the pits and giving a rev was wonderful. I like to be in control.
BUT- I’ve driven some newer automatics and they kinda rock. The BRZ I drove in regular mode sucked but when in sport mode it downshifted and matched revs. It was different.
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The BRZ/GT86 has one of the better automatics i’ve driven. The long gearing makes it a bit sluggish off the line, but once you’re moving it’s pretty good. It was in the right gear most of the time, which is more than you can say for the majority of autos. It also feels pretty direct.
I was fully on the manuals-only whenever possible bandwagon for a good long while… but after two years with a Jetta TDi with the DSG… I’ve become a believer in dual-clutch gearboxes. Still have zero desire to go back to a traditional automatic unless a manual or DSG isn’t offered in whatever I get next (currently pining after a diesel Chevy Colorado or GMC Canyon).
The DSG is surprisingly satisfying to my general preference for a manual gearbox. It shifts more quickly (both up and down) than I could shift a manual, holds the gear I put it in (until redline when it auto upshifts if it needs to, or until coming to a complete stop when it auto downshifts to 1st gear), and feeling the clutches mesh like in a manual is somehow more satisfying than the torque converter of a normal autobox. If the Jetta was a wagon and had AWD, I’d probably keep it forever. But unfortunately, VW/Audi (or any other automaker) doesn’t offer the combo of TDi + DSG + AWD + wagon as far as I know.
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I haven’t kept track. Does anyone else put the dual clutch “auto” in a non high-end car?
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Yeah, which is actually somewhat of a problem. Ford, Fiat, Dodge and Honda/Acura all sell entry-level cars with DCTs. People who have never owned manual cars do not like or understand dual-clutch trannies, apparently. And as mentioned in the article, that’s most car buyers in the US. They don’t understand why the clutches don’t mesh as quickly when it’s cold outside. They don’t understand why it rolls back a little on hillstarts, or why it hesitates from a stop in general. So it seems most companies aren’t going to be selling as many DCTs in the US in the future. And that’s kindof a bummer for me. After 2 years with mine, I’ve become a pretty big fan.
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I hope you never learn about the Mechatronics Module.
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Eh. I’m not worried about it. My car’s a 2012. 2009-2011 DSGs were recalled, and the failure rate was fairly low even before the recall. It is a pretty darn expensive part to replace though.
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Yes, I care. For small or sporty cars, a stick is still the way to go. I’d like to see Honda come up with a seven-speed stickshift like on the Corvette.
When I had a truck, I went for an automatic. It was great! I moved back to the city and didn’t need the utility of a truck, I went for a manual 1.0 Fiesta for the funz. Trucks I prefer an auto, and anything else I prefer a manual. The manual in the Fiesta isn’t the best ever. Reverse is sometimes a pain. Shifting it around is too much movement. I’ve read that a short-shift kit will pull it back in quite nicely, so that’s on the bucket list for the car. A quick-shift shifter arm might do it too. The clutch pedal is pretty long, so I should find out how to adjust it.
While I do agree that manuals can be fun, 99% of the time I’m either half asleep doing 5 over the limit with cruise engaged, or on a street somewhere, inching forwards, staring at someone else’s tail lights. In either of those cases, a manual is totally useless.
And for those 1 percent, my 7 speed DCT works just fine. I would like paddles to go with the tiptronic gear selector, but I have a feeling the novelty would wear off just like with every other manu-matic. The box does a great job on its own, tyvm.
I do still care, although I’m beginning to come around on Variomatics.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.carthrottle.com/workspace/uploads/memes/i4n1wep-53fc2ecf74960.png
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Very useful in the mall parking lot, when that spot that you just drove past suddenly becomes available…
I cared not when I hurt my left knee the other day and had to drive my 9-5 with the heaviest clutch I’ve ever felt in a passenger car through rush hour traffic.
Actually yeah, TLDR; I love manuals– except in traffic.
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Manuals in traffic wouldn’t be so bad , except for the D-bags who fill every gap you leave between yourself and the car ahead. They don’t seem to realize or care that I’m doing that so that I can stay in gear and off the clutch.
I’ve almost always had a MT car. Ironically, so has my wife. And, we’re old farts! Until about 5 years ago, I was driving a 2002 WRX manual, and she was in a 04 VT Golf GTI VR6 6-speed.
Mu subie went first in a crappy accident where I was hit from behind by a guy going about 75 running from the police. I was doing about 25 in a residential area at the time. I bought an old pick me up. The GTI went about a year later when we realized that we were about to have a 5th grandchild and knew that neither of us were spry enough to put a kid in and out of a seat in the back of the 2 dr GTI. She got a Passat. Late last Fall my pickup died, and I was deeply fortunate to purchase a car that had been owned since new by a friend who is absurdly anal about the condition of his cars.
It’s a 2002 Focus SVT 6 speed. And, I’ve fallen in love again with the joys of a manual transmission car once again. It’s Driving vs driving a car in some ways. More involving, fun to wind the gears and hear all the mechanical noises. I could give a rat’s ass if the new autos are faster to 60. Manuals are more fun because you control the motor, not some computer.
Learned to drive a manual on a MB 190SL convertible somewhere in the wayback. What moron let a 15 year old drive a car like that?
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The Getrag in the SVT is a sweet gearbox.
I think the Focus SVT gets lost in the sea of WRX/GTIs… and the standard Focus isn’t a very exciting car to start.-
The Standard Focus was not a bad car, but there was nothing really special about it. They sold about a bazillion copies. The SVT was purpose built by the SVT team to be the best FWD Hot Hatch for the then-fast and furious types. It was clearly better than its competition that year: a hot Civic, a hotted up Mazda and that year’s GTI. Smacked them down in every comparo.
I think most of them got ratted up by people into modding and racing. Mine is a particularly pristine example. Fewer than 85K. Previous owner always garaged it, in Georgia, and never allowed it to go through a car wash lest the rough bristles mar the paint. Always hand washed and waxed. Didn’t have kids, backseat is 10/10.
Great little car and a blast to drive.-
Yep… a blast.
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The computers might be incredibly fast, but their idea of the correct gear is nearly always vastly different from mine. I shouldn’t have to keep switching between different modes just to get it to work like i want it to. Or switch to manual, which the computer will just override anyway.
I don’t know how manufacturers do it, but they are experts at making a gearbox both downshift too easily and not easily enough at the same time. They seem to be programmed for extreme mileage, and extreme speed, but nothing in between. A good automatic should not draw attention to itself or require constant fiddling.
Automatics do seem to get less annoying when you have about 350 metric torques or more, though.
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Agreed, the VW dsg I drove had a huge gulf between the normal and sport mode, way more than the automatics from 10-20 years ago I remember.
I have only owned manual cars myself but have automatic work cars except for a Hilux I drove for a couple of weeks in 2014, I bought my last car in 2002 (still have it), but depending on the car now I would consider an auto, 6 speeds with the torque converter locked up 98% of the time is a world away from back then. I’d still prefer a manual from an enjoyment side though, plus they won’t cause large maintenance bills, for the same reason I probably would avoid the dual clutch transmissions.
I’m gonna say that small or peaky engines need to be accompanied by a manual box, whereas low revving V8s or diesels might as well look after their own gearchanges.
I hate the abrupt cut-off of power at the top end of the diesel rev range just as much as I adore the eventual climax of a soaring gas tacho needle. Diesels, like automatics, are there merely to get the job done. A good petrol engine, like a good manual box, is an experience to savour.
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I drove a rental diesel Focus through the Tuscan hills back in 2006 or so, it had a 5 speed manual. You had to recalibrate your brain to short shift, but the good torque gave a satisfying feeling coming off every upshift. The downshift to pass would have been underwhelming compared to a gasoline engined version.
Horses for courses;
Automatics in big cars and trucks.
Manuals in small to medium-sized cars, especially when equipped with a 4 banger.
I think driving a manual transmission is an important skill. Granted Schorsch Meier told the BMWCCA his 2002 was an automatic in 1974 because the kickdown was faster than he was, bit the thought needed to be in the right gear at the right time is still part of the craft of driving that is being lost in a world of knobs and flappy paddles.
Footnote: Georg “Schorsch” Meier https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Meier was a motorcycle and GP racer from the 30s to the 50s and won the 1939 Senior TT
I think most would agree in any car that is centred around driving fun rather than outright speed, the MX5s, FR-Ss, STs and even Caymans of this world, a manual box is the biz. For other things like diesels, SUV or luxury cars, an auto is more in keeping. I mean a manual Jag XJ seems / Merc S-Class seems a little out of keeping with those cars reason for existence. However, what about right at the top end, the 911 Turbos, Ferrari 488s, McLaren 650 etc. and above which all come with flappy paddles. Cars that are so fast if you’re really gunning it, the world is coming at you very, very quickly. Gear changes on a conventional manual are a lot to think about, and potentially the bottleneck in rapid progress. Of course, the McLaren F1 had a manual and I have one of those over the modern hypercars and there’s the new 911R that shows that people are starting to want an analogue alternative, even if it’s slower. I think it’s not so straightforward at that end of things, though perhaps not a problem I’ll ever have to deal with.
The lizard part of my brain loves shifting and I can do it on a motorcycle without thinking about it. Cars seem to be different for me for some reason. I like manuals in light cars but only if the clutch is light and the shifter precise. Cruising one handed in my 91 Caprice was a joy – big cars and trucks seem to work better with autos. The only downside I see with manuals in front wheel drive cars is the complexity and cost of replacing the clutch (which in many cases not a warranty item).
While I don’t think a person’s driver education is complete till they’ve learned to be reasonably proficient with a manual, I still think manuals are generally over-rated outside of small cars and sports cars. If the deeper sense of connection with the experience is the goal, the answer is a motorcycle. As a bonus you get a sequential gearbox to play with, and you get to enjoy a completely different cornering experience.
Here in Germany automatics are the choice of about 30% of all new car buyers. Which means that 70% of all new cars and even more used cars are still manual.
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The numbers for Norway are about 50/50. The problem is that new car driver’s licenses are beginning to be heavily skewed towards automatics. It’s still common for kids to practice driving in their parent’s cars, and if their parents don’t have a manual…they’re often skrewed for life. Many students opt for an “auto license”, too, expecting it to be easier.
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Ireland has a similar system, if you pass in an auto, you gotta drive an auto forever unless you retake your test in a manual, but autos still haven’t gained a lot of ground, at least in the non-premium level. I think it’s because autos / semi autos have traditionally been an extra cost item and beceause the VRT (a purchase tax pretending to be a registration tax) is calculated as a percentage of the final cost of the car after VAT has been applied (yep taxing a tax!), so each option exponentially increases the price of the car. What’s slowly starting to skew it the other way is VRT is now calculated on CO2 and autboxes often have lower CO2 thanks to s̶n̶e̶a̶k̶y̶ ̶c̶h̶e̶a̶t̶ ̶d̶e̶v̶i̶c̶e̶s̶ clever optiimisation of the ECU and an increasing number of speeds. Remember the days when autos had 3/4 gears and manuals had 5? Now it’s the other way round, so the fuel economy advantage of manuals is going. Anyway, with a lower rate of VRT, autos are slowly becoming more commonplace. It’s not neccesarily a bad thing, I don’t exactly want to see the market flooded with autos, but it is kind of annoying how taxation so obviously influences buying decisions one way or another, rather than just letting people buying the car that suits them.
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Oh, true, that’s an entire topic of its own. Different ways of taxation explain the endless variations in cars’ displacement and equipment everywhere. A huge annoyance and inefficiency, basically just creating higher prices for everyone. I’m also quite surprised at how much equipping a car with an auto trans may cost; in Norway, we often talk about 3-4000$ extra.
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100% of the vehicles I’ve owned have been manual. The automatic I’m currently borrowing is driving me crazy. It’s not a modern / good one by any means, but it shifts at all the wrong times. Automatic has its place (for example, don’t mind it in the work truck I drive), but it’s a deal breaker in almost any car I would actually want to own.
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I can concede that good automatics exist now, but I can’t think of very many recent interesting but automatic-only cars that will be affordable to me within the next decade, so I’ll be sticking with the trusty stick
Since I started driving, my daily drivers:
1976 Camaro, auto (dad bought it)
1980 Monza, 4 speed
1988 Pulsar NX SE, 5 speed
1993 Escort, 5 speed
1988 Celebrity, auto (beater)
1988 Subaru wagon, 5 speed
2005 Mazda3, 5 speed
1996 BMW 318ti, 5 speed
3 of the 4 daily drivers in my family are 5 speeds
Yeah, it matters to me.
I do, however, because of bodily damage…to myself…be careful, the really fun hobbies are the ones which can kill you if you do it wrong…I won’t (can’t) own another manuel.
I can work it just fine…my first several vehicles were manuals, a couple with only semi-synchronized gears, however, 10 minutes in traffic, and I’m in tears of pain from working the clutch with my broke-ass, but healed as good as it’s gonna get, left leg.
This said…I’ve had the trans computer in my DD, an ’05 Cadillac STS V8 (the RWD one) tweaked to shift as quickly as the trans in a C5, and for the most part, it does exactly what I tell it to, using the shift lever.
Bounce off the rev-limiter in any gear? Yep. This is not normal Cadillac behavior.
Chirp the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts because I want rock-hard shifts? Got those, too.
Yes, manuals are the best way to learn car control using no throttle and no brake, yet with commuting being the primary use of vehicles, and people, in general, being kinda stupid, I’m glad to see automagics as good as they are.
I will continue to have automatics, but will tweak them to be as manual-like as possible.
I wonder if a 440-powered ’66 Imperial ‘vert can chirp the tires on the 1-2 shift if you make the 727 essentially a clutchless automagic…
If not, there are solutions for this…
I drive everything from tiny engined French and British cars from the sixties to modernish cars to farm tractors to commercial vans, mid size trucks and even a 400 HP semi. As far as driver involvement and maximum vehicle control goes, I’m firmly in the manual camp. Of course, 99% of the time you’re really just trying to get somewhere and it doesn’t matter. Here in Massachusetts, where I really appreciate a manual is on ice. Even with snow tires, sometimes you need to have control over clutch engagement, throttle, engine rpm, wheel rpm, wheel spin (or not), rolling free and more just to get moving. I’ve yet to find and automatic that can match two sensitive feet and attentive inner ears when the conditions are bad.
It matters to me. I prefer driving a mamual. I just do. I purchased a new Mazda 6 last year specificallu because it was offered in manual configuration. I would have purchased a Kia Optima SX if it came with a manual.
I say I do and yet only of six in the drive is a manual. My appreciation hasn’t rubbed off on spouse or spawn.
I just scanned through the comments and I didn’t see anyone talking about long term reliability . An automatic transmission, CVT or Automated Manual like a DCT / SMG / PDK etc will never outlast a manual.
Try and find a mechanic outside of the dealership that can diagnose an Automated Manual. I’ve talked to the best in the business and it seems like a Ouija Board and a Magic Eight Ball are the go to diag tools.
The $tealership will elect to cut out the cancer WHOLE. (They will not attempt to diagnose or fix the issue, only replace with a remanufactured unit). The best your local independent will be able to do is either source a good “used” transmission or like the dealer find a remanufactured trans.
While the latest crop of Automatics can shift faster and deliver better fuel economy these transmissions will not be able to do so with the tried and true longevity of a manual.
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I felt that way about durability until my 2010 Challenger’s clutch started to have an issue (randomly staying partly engaged with the pedal fully depressed) at only 50,000 miles, and with dealer competency when they couldn’t recreate the issue and their only suggestion was to replace the friction discs, for a price not much less than the last automatic rebuild I paid for in 2005.
Some of the non-repair of newer automatic transmissions is manufacturer-mandated. If the dealer doesn’t competently repair the transmission, that reflects poorly on the manufacturer; also, the manufacturer may want the complete unit returned on a warranty repair to ensure that they have all the evidence to diagnose a failure beyond a warranty claim that may or may not have been well written, and a returned part that may or may not actually have been the cause.-
Exactly. Plus, I suspect that clutches will end up like carburetors. In a few years, your new mechanic might have heard rumors of such devices existing, but will never have actually worked on one.
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VAirship – “I suspect that clutches will end up like carburetors.” Automated manual transmissions have clutches. (SMG, DSG, PDK)
PTSCHETT – Yes. What you describe is true. But what happens after the car is 5 years old? Outside of a core exchange no one will be returning these transmissions to the manufacturer because the warranty will have expired.
Ask any dealer or independent mechanic how they diagnose an automatic transmission once it starts shifting erratically. Do you know what they will tell you? (“Lets drop the fluid (and filter if equipped) and see if there is any change. If not we may suggest new solenoids but we can not guarantee this will solve the problem. Your best bet will be a remanufactured or used transmission.”
When the fluid change makes the situation worse the smart person will elect to replace the transmission rather than gamble with a Solenoid replacement (Unless you are doing all the labor yourself). This is about the point you discover that you probably have a problem child transmission and good used units are selling between $2-$2500 because they are all failing at the same time. (Supply / Demand)
If you plan on keeping the car long term a remanufactured transmission is the only way to guarantee you don’t end up with the same problem (buying used will probably result in dejavu transmission failure as they all tend to break the same way)
These new super lightweight 6,7,8 speed automatic transmissions may help auto manufactures achieve amazing fuel economy but my gut says longevity is going to to suffer.
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The strange way in which my brain processes life experiences in to opinions now says that a seriously sporty car (911 or similar) should have an automatic. But the more pedestrian cars allow me to do more dumb and interesting things with a manual!
Makes no sense while making perfect sense!
I am probably going to echo many of the other comments. While modern automatics have really bridged the gap in efficiency and sporty feel, there is a visceral loss in driver involvement. I know that an automatic is not the penalty box it once was in the past. In fast, the automatic is probably better in congested traffic in a typical commute. . I know that a DSG is going to shift faster than me in a manual and also rev match properly when I drop a gear. However, it is in the journey of me trying to improve a shifts (and heel/toe downshifts) that is immensely satisfying even if I shank a gear change. It is that visceral experience that I feel we are losing collectively. My kids are almost at the driving age and I vow to teach them to drive a manual. They may not need to know it 10 years from now, but at least they will know how to control the progression of gears without assistance.
Grew up driving all kinds of old machinery and the first thing I learned was to double clutch trannys w no syncros. Ford 8n tractors aren’t meant to be shifted under way but you can do it w no grind by double clutching. Also used to come in handy w the Austin Healey 3000 1960 model I bought in 1970 for 1000 and a year later sold it for 1000. Nothing I have now has a manual and I’m trying to figure out how to fix that???
My last 6 vehicles have had manual transmissions( both cars and trucks).As far as I’m concerned,if automakers don’t offer one,I’m not interested in what their selling.
My wife just replaced her 2000 Civic 5 speed with a 2016 Accord Sport with a 6 speed manual. She had to order it and it’s probably one of a few in the state. The other choice was the CVT. She just loves to shift and feels more connected to the car.
Yes. I care. My kid turns 15 in two years. I am looking for something inexpensive (both to purchase and maintain), safe, efficient, and reasonably fun to drive for me to drive until then. I want him to be COMPLETELY ENGAGED in driving. I plan to remove or disable the radio (or whatever the kids are calling them these days) for at least the first 6 months he drives solo. One cannot drive a manual transmission and not be vigilant about what is going on so that one can make the car do what one needs it to do. While all the modern safety stuff is great, the best safety device is a driver who knows how to pay attention and DRIVE.
In addition to all of the foregoing, I just prefer driving a manual transmission. It’s just more fun, unless you live somewhere with a significant risk of daily gridlock, stop-and-go, barely move for half an hour or more traffic. Thankfully, I don’t live in one of those places.
I’m never gonna line up next to the same model car with the auto trans, with another guy wanting to race, so who cares? And if I did, I’d do the same thing I do any time some goober wants to race me from a stop light:
As I see that the light is about to change, I raise the revs to near-redline and hold them. He (always a he) revs his engine, and as the light changes, he burns out, en route to an eight-second 0-60. I laugh and drop the revs, pulling away as if my only concern is fuel economy and clutch conservation. I ‘win’ every time.
yes, it matters. Stick shifts are simply more fun. I have an automatic now but Iʻd trade it for a manual in a heartbeat. And Iʻve mostly lived in cities with lots of hills. When my youngest daughter was 16 I tried to get her driving lessons but there were no driving schools that would teach her to drive a stick without teaching her in an automatic FIRST, which meant she had nothing to practice in, as a stick was all I had. I couldnʻt get them to understand this. Made them quite useless since I would become the teacher so I got to save my money!
I learned to drive in a ʻ40 LaSalle convertible. Bought an Austin-Healey Sprite when I was 18. Drove sticks of various types until the early ʻ80ʻs. Then had an automatic (husband didnʻt like manuals) for a few years. Gave that up for a four speed Honda Prelude that said husband couldnʻt and wouldnʻt drive. Really miss that car – it was 80 miles shy of 300,000 miles when a kid making a right turn from the left turn lane took it – and me – out. Iʻve been on this earth a long time but I donʻt think you ever get too old to appreciate a nice driving experience.
I learned on a stick. It’s still the essence of driving, and today, three pedals on a car is the most effective security system that you can buy. Save the manuals!
Now more than ever.
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