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It depends on the car. Some cars are better with a manual/auto. Honda makes great manuals b/c they have no torque so they are easy to shift. Lexus makes smooth automatics great for a car like a LS.
I've never been able to drive a manual properly without it stalling (even after many tries in the past.) The only reason I don't drive one is I don't wish to get into an accident because of it stalling in traffic or something.
I've never been able to drive a manual properly without it stalling (even after many tries in the past.) The only reason I don't drive one is I don't wish to get into an accident because of it stalling in traffic or something.
When I was still learning to drive a manual, I drove my father's car by myself for the first time. On my way back home I hit traffic and stalled at every stop. Quite a few people were angry with me that day....Needless to say, I only made it home by a "miracle" (and by running through stops signs the rest of the way).
Now that I regularly drive a stick shift, I have a hard time liking automatics.
What I find odd is that on threads like these is that Manual drivers despite being in the minority of car drivers (in the US) make up most of the posts calming manual superiority for a variety of different (and questionable) reasons, the thread inevitably invokes more and more extreme comments and any one who defends the automatic is mercilessly ridiculed.
I have a small child, so it's easier to attend to her in case of emergency while driving automatic and not having the need to use my right arm to shift. If she cries for a sippy cup or something, I can just reach to her with my arm to give her what she wants. Plus I tend to end up in traffic a lot, and automatic is easier to drive in traffic situations.
I was having a grand old time in my challenger (manual) today until I made it to an off ramp that had a bit of an incline that I really wasn't aware of. So, I'm going into first and my car stalls. UGG. I stall the car again. This was really a horrible and embarassing situation. The people were beeping and getting annoyed. (I am new to the manual thing here). If I were driving an auto, this wouldn't have been an issue. When all is said and done, the manual is so much fun that I'm willing to deal with the learning curve!!
What you want is a hill assist feature on your manual transmission. Most newer automobiles with manual transmissions incorporate a feature that works as follows: if you stop at an incline, and then press the clutch pedal to take off, either the vehicle's clutch or the brakes will momentarily prevent the vehicle from moving backwards, which in turn gives you about a couple of seconds for you to engage the clutch and pull forward.
I used to drive large trucks that had this feature, but there was a air-operated engage/release button right on the stick. Lets say that I was driving a dump truck with a heavy load and had to stop on an incline. In this case all i had to do was to engage the hill assist feature just before engaging the clutch and moving uphill.
I can drive both but I can stand a manual car! I'm only 5 feet 3 inches and have to have the seat up all the way to drive it and frankly that's dangerous! I don't find them faster than a automatic either nor fun to drive. Can't stand the roll back too.
New automobiles with manual transmissions don't roll back on you anymore (read my previous post above)
That's incorrect. Most modern automatics are better on fuel mileage than the same car with a manual.
Drive a Subaru Forester with a manual 5-speed transmission against their 4-speed automatic, and you will save some fuel with the manual. However, more and more automobile manufacturers are adding more gears to their automatic transmissions, which in turn saves fuel on highway driving. But a manual transmission still has an advantage on fuel consumption unless the automatic transmission has a couple more gears than the manual. Also, paddle shifters on semi-automatic transmissions can help you save fuel when needed.
Modern CVTs (especially eCVTs) match or beat manual transmissions in fuel efficiency.
However, when it comes to fun, nothing beats the control of a manual.
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