Which is safer and better Manual or Automatic Transmission cars?

mcko

Love automatics, have a petrol CRV and it great in traffic and on long runs, had an Audi A6 multi tronic that died but was lovely to drive when it was new.

Irishcrx

Nothing wrong with automatics, I've only ever driven one and that was the company Mercedes , lovely car and the auto box drives really well and suits the car but I wouldn't have one as a daily driver it would just take a lot of the driving experience away from me and I really enjoy my cars and driving so not for me.

But as I said , Auto's are great for some people and in large luxury cars.

As for what's safer? That's down entirely to who's behind the wheel.

Boskowski

I can't see how anyone could make a case for manual to be safer. There is a lot of sh1t going on driving a manual thats totally unnecessary if you look at it objectively. Now I'm not saying there aren't any other points where manual beats auto. And of course operating the manual becomes second nature and you hardly notice you're doing it after a short while, but still... Auto surely has to be the better user interface (sorry, IT guy here). You can't select the wrong gear. You can't stall the thing. No hassle at hills. One less pedal to slip from in your heels (I'm thinking for the other half of the population here). You just drive. Not everybody is a closet rally driver. Some people just want to get from A to B.

To stick with the IT analogy, it's like 20 years ago with those old-school people who said they would do everything from the command line interface rather than use 'Windows'. Thats great for that once a month perl script you're running to sort your video collection, but for mundane everyday use? No thanks. Now people wouldn't even know there was a time before Windows.

El_Dangeroso

ShaShaBear wrote: »

We have an automatic. OH had driven a manual for the past 13 years and only got an automatic because I cannot drive a manual. He swears he'd never go back and has no issue with the transition back into a manual if he has to.

As for myself, I spent a solid year doing lessons and trying to drive a manual, and it was all to no avail. Car was constantly cutting out, I could never get going on a hill and general panic over gear-changing made me a danger on the road. Was fully confident and competent after two days driving the automatic. Left me free to concentrate on mirrors, traffic, pedestrians and my general direction without having to think about gear changes and a clutch (which I could never, ever, ever get to work right).
Can say plenty that people who can't drive manuals shouldn't drive, but end of the day some people who can't drive manuals don't have public transport at their disposal and it's that or resign yourself to a jobless life in a semi-rural area

Are you me? Because that's the exactly my story, except I was about 5 years on and off trying to learn on a manual. Just the adding of clutches and gearsticks onto everything else that you had to observe used to have me all in a flap.

3 days in auto and I was flying it. I do mainly city driving and my OH swapped to auto too. I've noticed he's way more chilled out driving in traffic and overall the experience is way more relaxing.

Tearin It Up

cars14 wrote: »

I think Automatic cars are better as they leave both hands free to concentrate on the steering wheel. What do u think?

You shoudnt be on the road if you just want to concentrate on the steering wheel. Just the steering wheel ! As if someone goes off driving looking at the steering wheel. People goes off driving looking out the windscreen and checking mirrors.

Everything else, you don't look at within the car, all the knobs on the radio, you don't look at. Everything becomes second nature that you don't have to look at things except the mirrors.

Also, it takes very little time to drop the hand to shift gears and you can still concentrate on what's whappening around you.

I'll never forget when I got my first car as a learner driver, some old eejit asked "is it an automatic". I felt like hitting the old c_ nt. Did I look that stupid or like a handicap that I should be in an automatic car. Just because his wife couldn't drive and he was driving her every where. All women must be stupid.

Anyway I think its best to start in a manual, they're also cheaper to buy, and if you pass your test in a manual car you can drive both cars, not that you would want to. But if you pass your test in an automatic, your stuck in an automatic.

No automatics. No no no.

Kevin McCloud

Automatics are handy for facebook and twitter updating.

Nate--IRL--

Learned to drive with a manual. But my current car has a CVT gearbox (Just one variable size gear) and I don't think I'd ever go back to manual now, even a normal auto box would be annoying.

Nate

EazyD

It all depends on the car in question. A large luxobarge needs an automatic, anything remotely sporty should be a manual. Neither is better or worse for concentration (and if it is you shouldn't be driving).

Cienciano

Autos are great, I'd never bother with a manual

DakarVert

Automatic if a I had a big S-Class/7-Series or was driving in city traffic daily.

Manual for everything else.

Can't understand why people limit themselves when starting to drive by getting an auto only licence... It's not that hard, You eventually change gears without thinking through it, It's like your body goes to 'Auto' mode.

osarusan

Tearin It Up wrote: »

I'll never forget when I got my first car as a learner driver, some old eejit asked "is it an automatic". I felt like hitting the old c_ nt. Did I look that stupid or like a handicap that I should be in an automatic car. Just because his wife couldn't drive and he was driving her every where. All women must be stupid.

you posted this in the middle of the day...you're hardly drunk, are you?

jackofalltrades

EazyD wrote: »

Neither is better or worse for concentration (and if it is you shouldn't be driving).

Automatics are better for concentration.
You may be doing it unconsciously but you're still putting in more effort in when driving a manual.
That and with manuals being more stressful to drive you're going to get tired quicker, which is going to have a further knock on effect on your concentration.

DakarVert wrote: »

Can't understand why people limit themselves when starting to drive by getting an auto only licence... It's not that hard, You eventually change gears without thinking through it, It's like your body goes to 'Auto' mode.

For some people though learning to drive a manual is very difficult. They may never truly get competent at it.
In these cases they'd be better off driving an automatic for everyone's safety.

G_R

Tearin It Up wrote: »

I'll never forget when I got my first car as a learner driver, some old eejit asked "is it an automatic". I felt like hitting the old c_ nt. Did I look that stupid or like a handicap that I should be in an automatic car. Just because his wife couldn't drive and he was driving her every where. All women must be stupid.

Mod: No need for that at all.

Tearin It Up

Grand_Rajnah wrote: »

Mod: No need for that at all.

All my life I was treated like as if I was stupid, my own mother got me down, teachers didn't believe in me in school, off I go and do something for myself and "is it an automatic".

Where did not stupid question come from?

Not attacking anyone who does drive an automatic, but I felt as if I was being knocked down and I must have been too stupid for a manual. Am I not allowed to learn in a manual and make up my own mind but I should have been automatically handed an automatic.

Or maybe he had an automatic himself so everyone must have one. But another lad in work was learning to drive and this every same person never asked him was it an automatic.

That comment, i'll will always find an automatic car as an insult.

Anyway, I ramble to much but no reason to limit yourself by sticking with an automatic. Especially a learner driver, give it time and stick with it and it becomes second nature.

starlit

The manual car is better than an automatic you have more control of the car even if you conk out or car rolls a little!

wendell borton

Dog box manual is the dogs bollocks.

jimgoose

Tearin It Up wrote: »

All my life I was treated like as if I was stupid, my own mother got me down, teachers didn't believe in me in school, off I go and do something for myself and "is it an automatic".

Where did not stupid question come from?

Not attacking anyone who does drive an automatic, but I felt as if I was being knocked down and I must have been too stupid for a manual. Am I not allowed to learn in a manual and make up my own mind but I should have been automatically handed an automatic.

Or maybe he had an automatic himself so everyone must have one. But another lad in work was learning to drive and this every same person never asked him was it an automatic.

That comment, i'll will always find an automatic car as an insult.

Anyway, I ramble to much but no reason to limit yourself by sticking with an automatic. Especially a learner driver, give it time and stick with it and it becomes second nature.

Jaysis calm down, biy. It doesn't matter, no-one is at you. Your man probably meant no harm, most people assume my yoke is automatic because it's a big Jaaag.

happy_knome

DakarVert wrote: »

Automatic if a I had a big S-Class/7-Series or was driving in city traffic daily.

Manual for everything else.

Can't understand why people limit themselves when starting to drive by getting an auto only licence... It's not that hard, You eventually change gears without thinking through it, It's like your body goes to 'Auto' mode.

most people only ever need to drive their own car

i cant understand the apparent nescessity of being able to drive a manual , not like autos are unavailable

i can drive both but have had an auto since 2008 in ireland and owned one abroad , autos are remarkably unpopular in ireland compared to other countries

jimgoose

Boskowski wrote: »

I can't see how anyone could make a case for manual to be safer. There is a lot of sh1t going on driving a manual thats totally unnecessary if you look at it objectively. Now I'm not saying there aren't any other points where manual beats auto. And of course operating the manual becomes second nature and you hardly notice you're doing it after a short while, but still... Auto surely has to be the better user interface (sorry, IT guy here). You can't select the wrong gear. You can't stall the thing. No hassle at hills. One less pedal to slip from in your heels (I'm thinking for the other half of the population here). You just drive. Not everybody is a closet rally driver. Some people just want to get from A to B.

To stick with the IT analogy, it's like 20 years ago with those old-school people who said they would do everything from the command line interface rather than use 'Windows'. Thats great for that once a month perl script you're running to sort your video collection, but for mundane everyday use? No thanks. Now people wouldn't even know there was a time before Windows.

IT analogy? Alright - 18-speed Eaton Twin-Split == AIX.

Boskowski

jimgoose wrote: »

IT analogy? Alright - 18-speed Eaton Twin-Split == AIX.

I know what AIX is, but I'm lost on the other one. I have a suspicion though. Is AIX really that bad? We're actually migrating from Solaris to it.

jimgoose

Boskowski wrote: »

I know what AIX is, but I'm lost on the other one. I have a suspicion though. Is AIX really that bad? We're actually migrating to it.

Like the Twin-Split, AIX is either the greatest transmission ever fitted to a lorry, or it isn't. I am, among other things, an AIX admin, BTW.

Changing from one command line to another is a bit like changing cars and finding out that it has a "Chinese" gearbox!
In other words, you almost have to relearn how to change gear as the gate is different and you sometimes end up in second instead of fourth, and as for finding reverse.... :mad:

Boskowski

jimgoose wrote: »

Like the Twin-Split, AIX is either the greatest transmission ever fitted to a lorry, or it isn't. I am, among other things, an AIX admin, BTW.

I'm a user of many things, some of them being various flavours of Unix. It is then safe to say that AIX is not like the autobox in my 5 series? :pac:

kefir32

Drive an s tronic Audi a3 - could only get in UK and its a dream to drive. Most definitely more frugal on gas than manual

CosmicSmash

doovdela wrote: »

The manual car is better than an automatic you have more control of the car even if you conk out or car rolls a little!

Did you ever drive an automatic? and if you conk out or roll a little you shouldn't be driving a manual.

jimgoose

Boskowski wrote: »

I'm a user of many things, some of them being various flavours of Unix. It is then safe to say that AIX is not like the autobox in my 5 series? :pac:

Absolutely. AIX works, in a Martian sort of way.

Boskowski

After 12 pages of this thread I'm beginning to think auto vs manual preference may be at least partially an age thing. Driving a car and everything about it was a big deal to me too when I was twenty. Twenty years on I still like my car and I look after it but now I'm driving mostly to get from here to there rather than to express myself or whatever.

jimgoose

CosmicSmash wrote: »

Did you ever drive an automatic? and if you conk out or roll a little you shouldn't be driving a manual.

Duly noted, chief - I'll hand in my license on Monday morning. :):)

jimgoose

Boskowski wrote: »

After 12 pages of this thread I'm beginning to think auto vs manual preference may be at least partially an age thing. Driving a car and everything about it was a big deal to me too when I was twenty. Twenty years on I still like my car and I look after it but now I'm driving mostly to get from here to there rather than to express myself or whatever.

If you do both, it can "shorten" the oul' commute.

Boskowski

Tearin It Up wrote: »

All my life I was treated like as if I was stupid, my own mother got me down, teachers didn't believe in me in school, off I go and do something for myself and "is it an automatic".

Where did not stupid question come from?

Not attacking anyone who does drive an automatic, but I felt as if I was being knocked down and I must have been too stupid for a manual. Am I not allowed to learn in a manual and make up my own mind but I should have been automatically handed an automatic.

Or maybe he had an automatic himself so everyone must have one. But another lad in work was learning to drive and this every same person never asked him was it an automatic.

That comment, i'll will always find an automatic car as an insult.

Anyway, I ramble to much but no reason to limit yourself by sticking with an automatic. Especially a learner driver, give it time and stick with it and it becomes second nature.

Fair play for coming back and explaining yourself. When I read your post the first time I thought 'what an angry young man'. And that probably still holds true, but I now see you didn't mean any harm.
Thing is I bet your man probably didn't mean it the way you picked it up either.
Its all good man. Automatic is not for stupid or handicapped people (well, it can be). Its for lazy people (like me).