Are Automatic Transmissions Becoming A Better Choice Than A Manual?

"6cyl" (6cyl)
08/27/2013 at 14:45 • Filed to: drive stick?, bmw, m3, m4

Is our local culture clouding our judgement on this matter? !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! is an interesting editorial over at BMWblog.com about this. What do you think?

DISCUSSION (31)

Victorious Secret > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 14:46

Kinja'd!!!

Personally? I am priveleged enough to have access to the entire gambit of cars with and without manuals.

Personally? I love the giddy feeling that a gated manual has. That snick-snick of metal on metal is just such a satisfying feeling.

Personally? I wouldn't buy a manual ever again, a few cars I want only come in manual and I can deal with that but as a new purchase? Hah. Fat chance.

I love our modern transmissions enough that I have no problem willingly picking them and enjoying them.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 14:47

Kinja'd!!!

6cyl > Victorious Secret
08/27/2013 at 14:48

I know this comes up all the time and is always a shit storm but this article has a few interesting points especially regarding cultural affects.

Party-vi > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 14:50

Auto if you want to win, manual if you want to have fun.

Victorious Secret > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 14:51

Culturally the times are changing.

Even with the old farts selection of auto enthusiasts I've found that they are happily willing to throw their manuals to the curb.

Hell, last weekend we test drove Californias and the general consensus was this car was brilliant and the DCT was a non-issue; hell one of the guys even said he preferred the even rawer single clutch versions because they were just that much more brutal and satisfying.

Different strokes and all. Back then it was manuals that were the majority, these days they aren't. I could get mad or I could just deal with it as they say.

maximillious > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 14:52

Kinja'd!!!

For Sweden > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 14:54

No.

A nutrient paste is much quicker and more efficient than a beef wellington, but the beef wellington is much more enjoyable.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Party-vi
08/27/2013 at 14:56

Interesting and intelligent response.

Z_Stig > For Sweden
08/27/2013 at 14:56

Excellent analogy, Sir.

J. Walter Weatherman > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:01

Is our local culture clouding our judgment on this matter?

I don't think so. I prefer manual because it is fun, not because it is "better" by any objective measures. I think most of the pro-manual crowd on here shares that sentiment. People that prefer autos are entitled to their own opinion and, for the most part, aren't judged on here. Sure, there are a couple vocal outliers, but I think they are far from the norm.

Decay buys too many beaters > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:04

From a quantitative perspective yes, the manual is outdated and the modern autos (even some slushboxes) are better. But from a qualitative point of view in terms of enjoyment, I'll take my outdated, POS, slow, and pointless manual every time.

I find there are generally three types of enthusiasts, those who drive a manual, those who wish they were driving a manual... and those who don't know how to drive a manual.

CobraJoe > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:04

Speaking for myself, everytime I've owned an auto car, I wished it was or dreamed about converting it to a manual.

Sure, a well sorted auto is faster, easier, safer for the mechanicals, and can even be more fuel efficient. However, it adds another layer of insulation between me and the machine.

I love cars that remind you that you are controlling a heavy 4 wheeled contraption powered by little explosions. The more mechanical the car feels, the more pride I take in being able to drive it the way I want to.

Besides, if I cared about having the best fuel economy, fastest lap times, or easiest to drive car, I wouldn't be a driver, I'd only be bragging.

Enginerrrrrrrrr > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:10

That is all

Kinja'd!!!

Tekamul > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:15

All the weight of this question sits behind one word

Better

What is better?
Is better faster at a dragstrip? - Auto
Is better faster around a track? - DCT or other manumatic posts better times with many modern cars
Is better fuel efficiency? - CVTs are the new hotness for MPGs
Is better more fun? - There is the last leg to stand on for manuals. It's a category that's subjective, nostalgic, and often quirky. It's also solely a matter of opinion.

I don't drag race. I rarely have the chance to make it to a track day, and if I do, it's not for bragging rights. I have a motorcycle or bicycle if I want to save gas.
I like a third pedal

So for me, the answer is (and always will be) no

nataku83 > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:15

It's funny, this conversation never seems to come up on the bike blogs...

duurtlang > J. Walter Weatherman
08/27/2013 at 15:17

Exactly. How would one define 'better'? To me 'better' means more fun to drive. Looking at it like that, no, an automatic isn't better.

Brewman15 > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:19

On paper, probably. I don't doubt autos are becoming faster, more intelligent, and able to be stuffed with more gears than a good ol' manual. I still doubt them being more efficient than the traditional manual. I just think auto manufacturers have more control of the auto trans to 'tune' it to get high numbers on the EPA cycle.

In the real world, no. I have driven a manually daily for the last 7 years. My wife and I made a manual transmission one of the top things on our list of wants for her new car. I just simply prefer it, because:

1. It makes mundane driving more fun (read commuting).

2. I have more control over the car and what it is doing.

3. I feel more connected to the car and a part of the driving experience.

4. It makes me feel like a big man. :)

5. The car seems more energetic and eager to be driven..even with the measly 145 hp my car has.

6. No one asks to borrow your car because they can't drive it.

7. It's more challenging to master than an auto or DSG-style gearbox and therefore more addicting to master.

8. Because....shut up! that's why!

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > Tekamul
08/27/2013 at 15:27

You can also add off road, you can't rock an automatic back and forth if you're stuck. You can with a manual.

magman007 > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:36

Flappy paddle lover here, even the single clutch units are better/ wish my sti had a dual clutch

Tekamul > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts.
08/27/2013 at 15:37

Good point. I was trying to add in getting out of snow drifts, but thought it too niche. This is better.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Brewman15
08/27/2013 at 15:43

Excellent response.

Manual enthusiasts get it I think. But when the point is to have fun, might as well have fun.

Justino6969 > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:49

Nope.

505 - morphine not found > 6cyl
08/27/2013 at 15:56

This one depends on the car. And i don't mean the purpose of the car, i mean the transmission choices available for the car. For instance the new mazda 6 is equally good with either, simply because both the auto and the manual are fucking excellent. If i were to chose a diesel BMW however, i would opt for the auto, as that 8speed ZF box is the sweetest thing, while their manuals, though still not bad, fall short of what you expect from a BMW. So there is no simple answer, not for me at least, as i can appreciate all tastes and flavors.

Of course this is only new cars. Because autos only really learned how to be good in the last 10-15 years, when i go and find myself another 25+ yo beater it'll be stricktly three pedal.*

(* Yeah, a Rolls-Royce would be an exception, as would be a W126. But you get my point )