Stick vs automatic

[caineroad]

This is not a sport car, hence i chose automatic. It's designed to zip around town and gets good fuel economy. I never regret ever so slightly with an auto.

However if I have a 370z or whatever sports car, I will pick manual.

[Lux]

As others have said, performance is not a criterion for these cars.

The dealbreaker for me in choosing the manual gearbox was maintenance. Don't know about anybody else here, but I fix my own geartrain; servicing a manual transaxle versus an automatic transmission are two dramatically different affairs. For instance, I'd rather repair my first-gear trust washer and synchro instead of doing a valvebody gasket job. I've done both and it's an obvious preference.

All vehicles that I've owned were three-pedal, so it was a natural choice, especially when slushboxes have the stupidest shift logic conceivable, as well as their annoying ECU self-learning bollocks.

[Profotoiam]

if i hadnt bought my yaris for every day driving 2000 miles a week i woulda went with stick vroom vroom

auto stills got some power thought

[ljming99]

Originally Posted by caineroad

This is not a sport car, hence i chose automatic. It's designed to zip around town and gets good fuel economy. I never regret ever so slightly with an auto.

However if I have a 370z or whatever sports car, I will pick manual.

I'm sorry but i have to disagree with the good fuel economy part, i recently have a chance to talk to a owner of a automatic yaris (while i drive a manual).

Cruising rpm of the engine in the manual is much higher than the automatic (at 100km/h - automatic is revving around 2000+ ish where my manual at 5th gear is doing 3000rpm)

I do alot of start-stop traffic and i have better mileage compared to an automatic.

Even my previous ride, an Aveo 1.4 AT was getting worse mileage compared to a optra which was a 1.6 M or even a Aveo 1.4 M.

For smaller engines, i would prefer a manual...its even more zippy


side note - a Nissan 370z gearbox can Rev-match at gear changes so whether a manual or an automatic - not much difference =P

[WeeYari]

Originally Posted by ljming99

Cruising rpm of the engine in the manual is much higher than the automatic (at 100km/h - automatic is revving around 2000+ ish where my manual at 5th gear is doing 3000rpm)

I don't know what is going on in Singapore, but my A/T is spinning ~2800 rpm at 100 kph.

[cali yaris]

OP never posted again....

It's still a good topic.

[jpmck03]

Originally Posted by WeeYari

I don't know what is going on in Singapore, but my A/T is spinning ~2800 rpm at 100 kph.

Same here in America with my M/T. ~2700-2800 rpm at about 100 kph (~62 mph). Sounds like the engine is running at about the same speed when highway cruising regardless of transmission type.

[RedRide]

......Inasmuch as some folks hate to see it, it probably won't be long before the manual transmission will go the way of the rotary phone, VCRs, etc. Technology has surpassed any advantage they once had...

They said the same thing about vinyl records but they refuse to die.

Personally, I don't see a death of manual any time soon. As long as there's a maket for something, there wiil be someone to sell it to you . Most manuals for the major manufacturers are trouble free and can live on for a long time with minor mods if neeeded.

Manuals add to the diving experience for many and it would be conterproductive to discontinue them unless most all maufactures did so in unison.
What I do see happening is that fewer models will be available with a manual saviing them for the sportier models.

BTW, when I got my Yaris , I ask what mnaual Yaris' they had on the lot. They said they had trouble locating one saying most wiil not drive a manual. I countered saying that I refuse to drive an automatic. They then found one on the lot in seconds!
I suspect that the manuals were scarce and in demand and they just wanted con me into buying an auto .
I then use their own words to lower the price aditionally reminding them that they said that about everyone wants an auto.

[mazilla]

Manual isn't going away, ever.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by WeeYari

Here's a good one for you to read;

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34641

I have an auto. There are certainly times when I wish it was a stick, but am satisfied the bulk of the time with A/T.

I read the entire thread you posted the link to above. I went a little crazy. I posted replies to 16 different posts and then created one post of my own that wasn't a reply .

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by tooter

If you've never driven a manual transmission vehicle. Do not buy one before driving one first, so that you can make certain that's what you want.

Personally, I can't stand automatics and will never own a vehicle with one... but that's only one individual preference. Lots of people love autos and can't stand sticks.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by MadMax

But there is also the other argument that an auto allows you to concentrate more on traffic.

There's debates for both types of transmissions, but in the end you gotta try both and decide which works best for you. I am able to maintain a good pace in traffic with my auto and while steep hills are a challenge, it's to be expected in such a small-engined car. I honestly don't see how a manual transmission would be an advantage on a steep hill, if anything much like stop-and-go traffic, the auto would be preferable.

By the way, in competition offroading, more people are going with automatic transmissions due to advances. Same is true in high performance cars, the new autos shift faster than a manual. Those same developments mean the differences in gas mileage is nominal if any. I think the Yaris is rated the same or just 1 MPG off between the two transmissions.

Inasmuch as some folks hate to see it, it probably won't be long before the manual transmission will go the way of the rotary phone, VCRs, etc. Technology has surpassed any advantage they once had...

Cheers! M2

....Yes, an automatic ALLOWS FOR MORE concentration on the road, but it also ALLOWS FOR LESS concentration and, unfortunately (in the U.S. at least) LESS is usually the result.

[MadMax]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

....Yes, an automatic ALLOWS FOR MORE concentration on the road, but it also ALLOWS FOR LESS concentration and, unfortunately (in the U.S. at least) LESS is usually the result.

Well, most people in Houston drive like idiots anyway, no matter what kind of transmission they got!

But your correlation makes no sense. It allows for both more and less?!?

Bad drivers in the US have nothing to do with the transmission people have in their cars...

[CoryM]

I bought a manual trans because:
- I can autoX it.
- It's MUCH less likely to be an ex-rental car (I'm too cheap to buy new).

If I were in traffic everyday I would probably go for an auto though. Much more comfortable and faster to left-foot-brake. Thankfully I live >5min from work :D

[TPA5]

To be honest it boils down to this:

Preference.

Test drive an AT and an MT. Pick the one you like. Don't pick one based on what someone else thinks/feels/says. You're the one who will be driving it. Buy what feels good, and call it done.

[ljming99]

Thanks for clearing up the cruising rpm for automatic vs manual, learnt something different =)

Anyway my point is that the conventional automatic gearbox it is always running a heavy torque converter slushing ATF around, hence its effect pretty much the similar to running bigger / heavier rims.

It uses more power from the engine, so it is unlikely that automatic would get better fuel economy vs a manual (assuming similar driving conditions)

[richard_rsp]

My 2012 Yaris is a manual and have owned manuals my entire driving life. My wife, on the other hand, has a 2012 xD with an Automatic. While it is nice having her automatic for being in traffic, I really don't even think about shifting anymore in my Yaris - it's an "automatic" response. So don't worry if you have to think about it at first, it will become an instinct.

I prefer manual transmission for 3 main reasons:
1) Control / Power - I know what gear I am in at all times. I don't have to worry about it up-shifting when I am about to accelerate out of a corner. Also, manuals have less of a parasitic drag on the amount of Horsepower that reaches the wheels (very important in a car with a small, low-power engine).

2) Maintenance - While clutch jobs are semi-expensive, they are nothing to rebuilding a transmission. Autos generally require more maintenance (flushes, etc) compared to manuals and have more electronics. This is less of an issue in newer cars, but if I am keeping a car for 300k miles, I prefer to be as simple to repair as possible.

3) Cost - generally cars with manual transmissions are less expensive than their automatic counterparts. On a new car, you can bet that a car's MSRP will be $800 - $1500 cheaper with a manual versus auto.

But this is just why I prefer them. You HAVE to make sure you are willing to put the effort into driving one. My wife had a manual transmission Mazda 5 before the xD and she really regretted getting the manual. Her reasoning was due to fear of starting off on hills / traffic.

A word of advice regarding the Yaris/xD - Neither of them have telescopic steering and steering wheel is mounted rather close to the dash. In an automatic, I have a tendency to sit further back (as do most people) since there is no clutch to push to the floor. I find this to be an issue when trying to get comfortable in the xD - I sit far back to be more comfortable for the pedals, but i have to move my seat up to reach the steering wheel. This isnt as much of an issue with a manual transmission in my Yaris because I am already close to the wheel (due to the clutch). So be sure to try both before buying.

Hope that helps? :-)

Originally Posted by MadMax

But your correlation makes no sense. It allows for both more and less?!? .

I actually kind of agree with an Auto allowing more AND less concentration. Having an automatic allows people (mainly applies new drivers) to worry less about what gear they are in (since no shifting), and concentrate on the road around them. HOWEVER, since she has gotten an auto, my wife pointed out that she has caught herself wanting to multitask more and her mind wandering more while driving (and she is a decent driver). So I could see how an argument could be made for it allowing more and less concentration.

It allows you to concentrate more on the road, as long as that IS what you are actually concentrating on!

[bronsin]

I am too lazy to read all the previous posts to see if this is covered already. But my personal opinion is too valuble not to share it with the general public.

Now that I can no longer drive a manual the thing I miss most about it is with an auto the car does not slow down very much when you let off the gas. This results in a loss of degree of control epsecially in winter weather. You have to brake a lot more with an automatic than a manual. Thats not good on slipperly roads.

And of course a manual is cheaper to buy, gets better gas mileage, and potentially lasts longer with less trouble than the auto.

But theres good news"

The Smart Car comes with an auto trans that is really an auto clutch. You shift it by pushing the gearsgift.. Theres no torque converter so it slows down when you let off the gas.

Thats a good thing.