Your view on Automatics?

Elessar

While searching around for BMWs on carzone.ie and the like today, I noticed that many of the 318 models that were automatic were selling for less than their manual brothers.

I've never even looked at autos before, always like the control of the gearbox, but it got me thinking, for someone on a budget, I could save a fair few euro getting an auto...and then driving would be nice and easy, let the car do the work, give the left foot a rest. It seems quite nice actually.

So if I was to go for the 318, I'm not sure if I should pay extra for the manual or get the auto and relax, I mean it's the same car...but easier. I know manual transmission is generally faster, but I'm not a speed demon...

Has anyone here experiences in autos? Help me make up my mind.

Volvoboy

Always had a impression of cars by thier trans

Merc - Automatic
Everything else - Manual




-VB-

dingding

Most bigger Lexus would be automatic,

slick

It's a tad bit more expensive to run an automatic than a manual.It burns more fuel but if you don't drive for a living it's not too bad.

zuutroy

Have driven an auto 1.5 Toyota for 2+ years now. Absolutely no bother with it. Also had an auto E34 and that was better again. The bigger the engine the more pleasurable they are to drive. If I was buying a car tomorrow the gearbox would really make no difference to me.

crosstownk

I drive mostly in Dublin so I much prefer an automatic. They are wee bit heavier on fuel, brakes and tyres but well worth it in my opinion.

I know that a manual can be more 'fun' to drive, but with the traffic situation in Dublin an auto is more comfortable.

I had a 2003 Passat TDI auto and a 2003 Volvo 2.0T auto fo a while and I miss them. My current Zafira (I know, I know) is manual and I find it a pain.

If I was you, I'd opt for the auto.

embraer170

My parents drive both drive autos. (not city stuff either, twisty country backroads) and are very happy.

Not sure why people in this country seem to dislike them.

mike65

Not really a question of disliking I think, more to do with a very narrow choice
of cars with auto as standard or even an option. I was once an Auto-Skeptic
but not now.

Mike.

dingding

I drive an auto and I find it very easy to drive i.e. not as tiring as a manual.

I would not do very much city driving but i'd say it is a real bonus in Dublin.

TomMc

If you have never driven one before (auto) it will take a little time to get use to same, but from there onwards, pretty much stress free.

Harder on the juice, especially if you like to press on a bit. Use the kickdown as little as possible or you will pay for the pleasure at the pumps.

Once you buy one (auto) you will probably never go back to a manual again.

It is very important to buy the right car though when buying an auto - i.e. OAP Supermini or Executive Motor. Anything in between (small to medium sized family cars) can be hard to sell on. You pay EUR1500 - 2000 more new over their manual counterparts and will lose the lot and may be more when selling on or trading-in.

Thankfully the Irish public are starting to see the light and that autos are the way forward for daily driving on congested roads. Too much of the male macho "must be a manual" posturing & pratmatism went on in the past.

_Kaiser_

Previously owned 2 Auto Mitsubishi Mirage's (Hatchback and Coupe version) and there wasn't a problem with either of them. The only thing would be that overtaking at speed (as they were 1.3's) meant you had to allow an extra few seconds.

Now driving a 130Bhp 1.9TDI Auto Passat and it's just a fabulous machine. More than enough power and very comfortably handles the higher speeds. I do most of my driving on N-roads or motorways and for long distances (and especially in traffic) it can't be beat. I'd never have a manual myself.

peasant

Also depends on the gearbox settings and your driving style/circumstances.

I had a rental E-Class once, the big 3.2 litre petrol (free upgrade:D ) and it had a 5 or 6 speed autobox.

Driving it around tiny little windy mountain roads in Austria was the most unpleasant driving experience I ever had. No matter what you did to the gearbox, set it on sport, normal, economy, limit the gears ...it was always hunting for gears and always in the precicesly wrong gear for the situation.

The road only allowed speeds between 40 and 60 km/h (slower in hairpins). That was too fast for second and too slow for third, so it changed gear on me literally every 10 seconds and always at the wrong point, shifting down before bends and up when you accelerated.

Painful.

T'was great on the big, straight roads and the motorway though.

netwhizkid

Elessar wrote:

While searching around for BMWs on carzone.ie and the like today, I noticed that many of the 318 models that were automatic were selling for less than their manual brothers.

I've never even looked at autos before, always like the control of the gearbox, but it got me thinking, for someone on a budget, I could save a fair few euro getting an auto...and then driving would be nice and easy, let the car do the work, give the left foot a rest. It seems quite nice actually.

So if I was to go for the 318, I'm not sure if I should pay extra for the manual or get the auto and relax, I mean it's the same car...but easier. I know manual transmission is generally faster, but I'm not a speed demon...

Has anyone here experiences in autos? Help me make up my mind.

I drive an e36 98 BMW 316 Auto (although tis 97 on the reg over the UK licensing system) I imported it from London and must say it is an absolute pleasure to drive if rather sluggish, It is not awful fast to accelerate but like yourself I'm no speed demon either.

It is quite fuel efficient and average between 30 and 40MPG, the faster you drive the less fuel it burns unless you go above 75MPH when it gets thirsty again. If I were you I'd get the auto, but I am biased against manuals and hate them and hopefully will never have to drive one, except on the day of my driving test. Auto's are a much smoother drive and makes the traffic situation much more bearable.

The days of Macho Males and Manual Transmissions are dead even Mr. James Bond himself is Auto only. All cars in the future will be automatic anyway with some dingy little electric motors or whatever but Manual Cars are a dying breed, VRT however is a lifeline to them though and the fact that the Irish car market is about the least competitive in the world with even safety features stripped out to turn a profit over the rip-off VRT.

I borrowed an auto nearly thirty years ago, after a few hours driving I forgot and pressed the "clutch" :eek:
Only made that mistake once never driven one since, But, wouldn't reject a car just because it's automatic.

JHMEG

I think some of the reason may be historical.. 20 years ago an automatic would have been worth less in this country (basket case economy back then) simply becuase it was perceived to be heavier on juice. The same for bigger engined cars. e.g. a 1.0 litre Polo would sell no problem, but if you had the 1.4 you had to nearly give it away to get rid of it.

A lot to today's car buyers wouldn't have been around then, and hence wouldn't remember that.

smemon

the argument about it being heavier on fuel is debatable...

automatics change gear at the correct revs, correct speed... it's very rare a manual driver will change gear at correct revs and speed.

anyhow, if i had the cash, i'd buy an automatic. Ideally, a semi-automatic with steptronic control paddles

embraer170

smemon wrote:

automatics change gear at the correct revs, correct speed... it's very rare a manual driver will change gear at correct revs and speed.

I agree but I also think it’s much easier for an ordinarily lazy driver to drive an automatic aggressively.

Did a pump calculation on my parents 2.0auto Avensis today. 36mpg over the last 300 miles (and not all gentle driving either). Not far off a manual 1.3 Corolla I drive most of the time.

maidhc

smemon wrote:

automatics change gear at the correct revs, correct speed... it's very rare a manual driver will change gear at correct revs and speed.

Then the question must be asked "correct for what"?

I know I don't change gears at exactly the same revs or the same speed all the time. Mostly I go up through the gears quickly, but sometimes and I hang onto them longer when I want to make a little more progress. Rarely in real life driving do you need or want to change gear at the "correct" time.

Sandwich

Used to drive a company automatic sometimes and always found it great - a bit like getting rid of the headache you never knew you had. Always noticed the extra work getting back into my own manual but quickly acclimatised.... until the next time back in the auto, would realise, gosh, thats much better. (Similar size and power : Passat and Laguna).

Have never bought one myself but if money were not important would choose auto over manual without hesitation. Surprised you found the autos cheaper on the 2nd hand scene. Will keep that in mind the next time I'm shopping myself.

Barr

I think automatics are great value second hand.Especially when you consider the extra price for taking the automatic option on the car when new.
Theres just less demand in Ireland for them which leads to lower prices and harder to sell on.

nialler

picked up my first auto (though have driven them before in the states) in January of last year (merc), a week later I hopped back into my old manual rover 620 and couldn't understand why it wasn't going into gear (had forgotten all about the clutch within a week of driving the auto).

You will love it and as a previous poster said, you'll find it difficult to ever go back to a manual.

As for the E class driver in Austria, with my S I just limit it to 3 gears pop it into sports mode (just lowers and tightens the suspension) didn't have a problem on hilly and windy roads, did find that the brakes weren't as effective after an hour of pushing it.

Saruman

I recently got an Automatic Scenic. Having driven all kinds of cars both here and the US its pretty obvious that automatics are slower and have a much slower accelleration rate!
That said.. more comfortable to drive. You also need to watch out on breaking as not only can you eat through pads, its harder to stop them so you have to make sure you leave a longer distance between you and the car in front

milltown

Go for it!

My previous car was an E46 318 auto. You haven't said if it's an E36 or E46 you're thinking of but I'll hazard a guess if you're seeing autos cheaper than manuals it's E36s you're looking at. I haven't driven an auto E36 but my one was silky smooth and I'd be very hard pushed to go manual again.

Fuel consumption will be heavier than the manual for several reasons. Up to '02 the BMW auto was only a four speed. Autos are generally a bit less efficient with gear changes. An auto box adds a good bit to the weight of an already heavy car.

Good job you're not a speed freak. If you were you'd wonder why you're taxing and insuring a 1.8/1.9 car and only getting 1.6 performance. It'll be plenty fast for 95% of the driving anybody does though.

Especially if it's an E46 (late 98 onwards) you won't regret it. It may be an expensive decision in the long term though as you'll be reluctant to buy anything other than automatic BMWs in future.

galwaytt

back in early 80's, my father had an automatic Audi 100 GL, 3-speed. The next time I sat in an auto was in 94, in the US on holiday, and couldn't believe how much it had improved by. Jump forward to 2000, and drove a Tiptronic here, but didn't buy.

Sept 05 bought and E-class with 5-speed auto/tiptronic. Oh my god - I should have done it years ago. Drove to Sligo today, all on backroads, averaged 32mpg, but on main roads of similar trips, I get 35-36mpg. Got out relaxed and no fear of a speeding ticket, either...........it's a fact - in a manual, you are always 'chasing' top gear, and are inclined, therefore, to speed on the road, even if only modestly. In an auto, you drive to a suitable road speed, and the car picks the gears. Tangent: Same on the bike, btw, so I bought a 500cc automatic bike too, for the same reason.....

My wife is a complete auto-sceptic. Not now....I nearly have to prise her out of my car, now......

Go on, do it, you will not regret it....and I don't agree about resale's on autos: because there are fewer sold, new, so there is a shortage of good, used ones.....not everyone who wants/needs one, can afford a new one, so you're not going to lose out anything in the long run.

There is also one other, hypothetical advantage: someone who buys a premium, automatic car new, probably bought a few other extras as well, so you end up with a nicer spec, even ignoring the gearbox. Leather, cruise control and climate control being the most obvious choices..........you're prospective car got any of those on it??

Mailman

Was looking to change my car a few months ago and took some time to consider the application to which it was going to be put to; crawling around in slow moving city traffic and traveling a long distance on motorway once a week;
Would rarely be traveling on twisty roads.
I figured I needed an Auto box so that's what I bought.
5 speed with a sport mode to hold the gears for fast acceleration.
It is heavier on petrol but I arrive at my destination unstressed.

galwaytt

...btw, first you had auto, then tiptronic, then both combined, and now there's DSG, in the VAG cars...........omg! ...all the pros for manual and auto in the one box, and it's LIGHTER on juice than a manual.

Did 10k in one last year, following 12k in a Tiptronic. The end is nigh for manuals.........

What more could you want?

Lyre61

if you drive in traffic they are a joy, I think the only time I prefer driving the manual is when I am parking in a tight space. After saying that the Sm is not the best on the rear vis issue

unkel

galwaytt is obviously a convert and so am I. I used to think I'd never want an auto, but I've had 3 years of a conventional 5-speed smooth auto coupled to a V8 petrol engine followed by another 3 years of a steptronic 5-speed silky-smooth auto coupled to another V8 engine. No more manuals for me please

Owen

Saruman wrote:

I recently got an Automatic Scenic. Having driven all kinds of cars both here and the US its pretty obvious that automatics are slower and have a much slower accelleration rate!

No they don't. First of all, an Auto knows when useable power tails off on the rev range, you're average dunce doesn't, and will go to the rev line each time in manual, then he has to change gear. I don't know if you noticed, but changing gear is a time consuming affair. Clutch in, change gear, clutch out, and if you're at lower speeds, you need to slowly engage to clutch to prevent lurching. Quickest you'll change gear effectively at low speed is 1 second, average is between 2-2.5.

Now let's take a look at the variations in Automatics, bearing in mind these are known by different names with different manufactuers.

CVT - Continually Varying Transmission, essentially, one long gear, so there's no gear to change, and the car whips along quite nicely. Sounds like a sewing machine on speed though.

Auto - Standard box with D, N, R, P.

Steptronic Auto - DPNR, and DS (Sports mode), and Steptronic. In DS, the car will rev further, respond more aggressively to the throttle inputs, and usually disengage the overdrive gear (6th in most cars). The Steptronic give you further control, allowing you to change gear manually - in about 1.5 seconds - the same length of time as a manual, but unfortunately, as you don't have any physical input into this process, it *seems* to be slow.

SMG - Sequential Manual Gearbox. A real manual gearbox, with an automatic clutch, and usually a flappy paddle( (C) Top Gear inc!) arrangement on the steering wheel. The quickest by far, and would rival most manual changes. This is what's used on Astons, M5's, Ferraris, etc.

And most Autos have a kick down position, there's a switch at the end of the Throttle, when you stamp the go faster pedal, and engage this switch, the car knows you want all the power, immediately. You'll feel it change into the lowest gear possible, and surge forward, changing gears smoothly all along the way.

I don't drive an Auto, it would ruin the driving experience of my car, but on larger vehicles, and in traffic, Auto is a boon. It is so relaxing to be in traffic in an Auto, instead of having sore muscles in your left leg from constantly working a clutch to dawdle along.

Auto's slow? Not anymore!

SouperComputer

the argument about it being heavier on fuel is debatable...

Its not really debateable. If the AG is running through a torque converter you can be pretty sure that even a driver with the most basic of skills will be getting less ecomomy. A torque converter is horribly inneficient until it reaches its stall speed.

Advancments in technology has meant that the gap in economy and peforamanc e between auto and manual is smaller than ever, but manual still has the upper hand. Generally an auto is going to be marginally slower and heavier on fuel. How much so depends on the car you are looking at.

Drive some and see how you like it.

MercMad

I feel an automatic transmission adds a touch of refinement to any car, once it has a decent amount of power.

The transmissions are very advanced nowdays and from an acceleration point of view its easier to floor it, than to give it 5000RPM and dump the clutch, easier on the car anyway !

I bought a new C180 6sp. manual, then a C200K auto, then the CLK auto and I have never noticed any difference in economy on either vehicle !

Both my cars are auto's and I would never buy another manual, in fact I am hunting for a good used C180/C200 auto to replace my Dads one which is manual, and hateful because of that !