Manual gearboxes are so last century

[Trewithy]

It looks like the end is in sight for manual gearboxes:

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/is-it-the-end-of-the-road-for-manual-gearboxes-as-their-used-car-residual-values-tumble/302918

 

[darhon]

Having just moved over from a manual car to a hybrid I honestly thought I'd hate the idea of the automatic gearbox. It's grown on me very quickly having initially thought I'd be bored. Not to say I don't miss it completely as it was an extra element to driving but that's being outweighed by the smooth and comfortable drive and things like cruise control being so much better with a full auto gearbox. 

[2toyos]

Auto and manual have their needs, auto is fantastic for lazy motorway, city driving, while manual is fantastic from off-roading, heavy haulage etc etc 

[Rhymes with Paris]

Well, I have had both auto and manual over the years, and do prefer manual while my left leg still works, that may of course change.

What does amuse me though,is drivers like my pal Denzel, when he changed from manual to auto affected a strange performance when in drive, of touching the gear shift to simulate a manual gear change.🤔

I suppose similar to the weird habit of yoofs on auto mopeds who in addition to revving the engine at traffic lights, while holding the brake, and wearing out the centrifugal clutch, also throttle off and on again while moving to pretend that they are riding a motorcycle with gears and clutch.

Still, I suppose we were all young and daft once.

I did like the torque converter auto in my old lexus is, but doubt that CVT and other autos such as mmt and such could ever match the use and longevity of this tried and tested technology.

But I am willing to be educated how good the new systems are, not having driven any.

[Primus1]

My first ever auto…I’m never going back to manual..

[Haliotis]

In my early days of motoring, automatic gearboxes were not very friendly, and I always preferred manual.  However, that all changed with my 2017 VW Caravelle, which I had for 5 years. Made automatic a dream, and was brilliant when towing our caravan.

When we gave up caravanning, and I changed my Caravelle to a Toyota C-HR, I never even gave a thought to a manual box. For me, with the roads congested, an automatic puts some of the pleasure back in driving.  And most of our relatives and friends have gone down the automatic route.

[Cyker]

It does seem there is an increase in people getting Auto-only licences so it follows.

I still hate most normal autoboxes - The ones I've tried have all had terrible responsiveness compared to manual gears and really don't suit the way I drive as I always seem to confuse them and end up being left hanging while they try and decide on what gear to use. They're fine if you're just driving gently in a straight line but if you're trying to nip through a bunch of back roads which requires a lot of rapid speed changes they utterly suck.

I think they're more suited to big heavy elephantine cars than small light nippy ones.

Trying to get away quickly from a standstill is another thing I always found them terrible at - Almost every autobox I've driven had a significantly delay compared to what I could do with a manual unless you used the launch control, but that just revs the engine obnoxiously and can't be held for any useful length of time e.g. when waiting for a gap in traffic.

It's one thing that I find so miraculous about the HSD - It's so responsive and is the only 'autobox' that hasn't annoyed me - When I tell it to do something it just does it  

It's more like driving an EV than a normal automatic, and for their downsides, the one thing EVs do really well is pedal responsiveness.

[Haliotis]

Automatic gearboxes usually hold a lower gear and give rapid acceleration by “kicking down” - a sharp hard press down on the accelerator pedal.

Regarding learning to drive, I would always advise a manual gearbox, as this gives the driver the best of both worlds for his/her future choice of cars.

But, on today’s congested roads, with much stop-start in heavy traffic, an automatic does provide a less tiring drive.

[MC1216]

Over 40 years of driving mainly manual cars and a few company cars with automatic gearboxes it really dosen't bother me which i drive...i would be more than happy to do my trip from Preston to Malaga in either.

What i find is that people have a pre conceived idea about certain gearboxes without driving them.

I also own a VW with the DSG gearbox and in 30000 miles it's never hunted for gears or been in the wrong gear but i know many people who don't like the DSG gearbox.

I have driven many BMW's with the ZF gearbox and they are brilliant.

I have also driven a few Volvo's and i can't get on with those automatic boxes for some reason.

I had a MX5 a few years ago and the manual was the only one i would want in a car like that.

Moving on to the Toyota you cannot fault it as it's smooth and in the 2.0 the eCVT dosen't scream it's head off too much if you mash the peddle(yes i know it's not that type of car)but it really dosen't given you any driver involvement.

I always thought automatic gearboxes were the last stop before god's waiting room and an electric mobility scooter but i am afraid i have reached that age.😀

[Haliotis]

In my early years of driving (have now been driving for over 70 years), quite a lot of drivers - mainly male - regarded an automatic gearbox to be for less able drivers, probably thinking of them being unable to cope with the precision of smooth gear changes and/or unable to select the right gear  at the right time.

My first car was a 1938 Standard 9 - had been resprayed and generally in good condition, but the gearbox synchronesh was well worn.    I learned how to double-declutch and how to change gear smoothly, up and down, without using the clutch pedal - I once had to drive a hired car with a seized clutch in this manner, from St Athan in Wales all the way to Leicester.

Although still capable of driving a car with a manual box, I have now settled myself to the comfort of the automatic box - but it took me until 2018 and two cars to come to making this change.  Haven’t looked back, though.

[AndrueC]

Fine by me. I haven't owned a manual for over 20 years - might indeed have been the last century. My previous three cars (Honda Jazz) all had CVT boxes and were a joy to drive. As of course does/is my Corolla albeit 'eCVT' instead of belt.

More efficient than manuals, smoother ride and no need to waste scarce mental resources (😁) on moving a silly stick around while holding down a silly pedal.

[AndrueC]

20 hours ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

I did like the torque converter auto in my old lexus is, but doubt that CVT and other autos such as mmt and such could ever match the use and longevity of this tried and tested technology.

CVTs should be at least as reliable. They have fewer moving parts which means less to wear out (though if they have a belt it can wear eventually). The eCVT used in Toyota's HSD doesn't even have a belt - it's just a fixed planetary gear set like a differential so as long as it's properly lubricated will likely last as long as the vehicle.

[Cyker]

I'd like to caveat that with *Toyota* CVTs should be at least as reliable!  

Before Toyota's current gen of CVTs came out (And I mean actual CVTs here, not the HSD's simulated one), they had a dreadful reputation for being very unreliable and extremely expensive to repair (Often they were irreparable and a whole new unit would be needed!).

There are many images of exploded Nissan CVTs with all the little metal elements scattered all over the place.

Somehow, Toyota worked their magic and made them not just reliable, but so reliable I don't think I've seen a single problem post about them on here, and that is a near-miraculous feat! Definitely a big leap up from the horrible MMT (If even Toyota couldn't make that reliable you know it's impossible  )

 

[Pannett]

I would never go back to a manual gearbox again. When I was much younger, I liked tha manual gearbox in my sporty cars, especially the Peugeot 205 and Morgan Plus 8, so that I could work through the gears on interesting roads eg Hawes to Ingleton and Trentham to Stone (until speed cameras and 50 mph limits were prevalent on the latter). After many years of having manual company cars. I found it tiresome on stop/start driving in heavy traffic in the home counties. I've had three DSG boxes in previous Skodas and found them to have very smooth changes, particularly useful on the twisty, windey sometimes steep roads in N Yorkshire. The Hole of Horcum and the Saltburn hairpins are two good reasons to rely on an automatic gearbox.However the eCVT fitted to our Corolla is even better than the DSG as it is even smoother in use, reacts immediately if I need sharp acceleration and is so relaxing on all types of motoring. Over the years I've driven manual, early CVT (a Daf 55 with cones and rubber bands - truly dreadful), Borg Warner autos, DSG and eCVT. The VAG group DSG's do work well but if for example the mechatronic unit fails it is a very expensive repair job. The eCVT is a well-proven and robust drive system and this combined with a ten-year warranty give me peace of mind. So for me it's eCVT as the winner.

[TEST DRIVER]

I haven driven and/or owned many manual and auto cars over the years but have always preferred autos. They are perfect for todays congested stop start traffic conditions in big cities. Having said that my current car is manual as the car (VW) was not available in auto. I could not resist the car as it looks great, goes like a rocket is cheap to run and i got a superb deal saving over £5000 pounds compared to the new price  when i bought the car when it was only 9 months old.

The latest new Minis are only available in auto and when i am ready to change cars i am sure it will be an auto. On my list at the moment for test drives are the Mini Cooper auto, Toyota Aygo X auto, MG3 Hybrid auto, Kia Picanto auto, but also a Mazda MX5 soft top which would be manual and perhaps a classic MG Midget 1500 for week end fun.

For me big cars must be auto like Jags, Mercs, BMWs etc  but also small city cars that spend most of the time in city traffic should also be auto, just as Black Cab Taxis and buses are.

For soft top sports cars it does not really matter as putting the hood down for that one week of summer and having a drive in the country is what it is all about. Fun motoring.

Who remembers those days before speed cameras, road humps, average speed cameras, cycle lanes that are never used and petrol was 25 pence a gallon. I used to drive my MGB into the fuel station and asked the attendant (remember them) to put a pounds worth in the tank and i got 4 galls for the pound. Oh yes those were the days. 

[Mjolinor]

Interesting to note that when petrol was 5 bob a new car would cost you between 300 and 400 pounds. Approx 1000 gallons for the price of the car. Now a new car will cost you 15k and that will buy you over 2000 gallons of petrol so petrol is half the price (or cars are twice as much) and they do a lot more to the gallon now as well.

 

*Note: Top of the head numbers I aint calling on Google but I am sure someone will. 🙂

 

[Cyker]

I preferred manuals as I found most auto-boxes that use clutchs worse, but the Toyota hybrid system is more like an EV-driving experience and is far better than any DSG IMHO.

IMHO DSGs are only good on track - At low speeds, esp. sub-idle speed manoeuvring, I find them horrible.

In comparison I love how fast and responsive the HSD is - I can flip from forward to reverse and back again so fast compared to a DSG.

Case in point - I once had an impromptu race with an Audi A1, trying to do a 3(9)-point turn to get out of a long queue of traffic on a narrow road (My psychic London driver senses told me there'd been an accident and it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon), and I'd already turned around and gotten away before the Audi had even gotten their car half-way round, as they had a delay between each direction change that I didn't