“I believe manual transmission cars to be superior to automatics for a variety of reasons”
Not true for the great majority of cars and trucks on the road, right? You expect folks with four door sedans, minivans, pickups, SUVs, CUVs, station wagons, etc. to want manuals? Not going to happen. Automatics are far more convenient, no longer involve an mpg penalty in most cases, and are only slightly more expensive to buy. For the first purchaser (the one buying the car new) they are no more likely to fail. Do older cars with ATs have more mechanical problems? I guess, but by then they’re probably in the hands of the second, third, or fourth owner, not the original purchaser, and the automaker is not selling to those folks.
Please note, I grew up with manuals - Mustang, then Duster, then Scirocco, then GTI. I now have an AT in my ES300, wouldn’t have it any other way. Don’t confuse your preference, which is a legitimate opinion, with a ‘fact’ as to the superiority of one over the other.
Manual transmissions have lost some of their luster as automatics have improved. They no longer have an advantage in fuel economy, and their advantages in reliability and longevity are diminishing to the point where they are largely insignificant. However, manuals still maintain their advantage in cost of repair and cost of replacement.
I am a purist, and I think the easier you make driving, the more you lower the bar in terms of qualifications. For those who have disabilities, I am glad they have automatics as an option, but otherwise, if someone isn’t capable of learning how to shift a manual gear box and operating a clutch, the roads might be safer if that person wasn’t allowed to drive. I don’t want to take away freedom of choice, I just think the minimum qualifications for a driver’s license should include the ability to drive a manual unless the driver is disabled.
I don’t think the trend of increasing popularity for automatics can be reversed, nor do I think it should. That ship has sailed.
If you want to keep manual transmission vehicles in the market, insist on a car with a manual transmission when you buy one, and insist your children all learn how to operate a car with a manual transmission. Maybe if enough of us want them, they will keep making them available.
I don’t think manual transmissions will disappear totally. There are enough people out there who want them that even if the number of models with an available manual transmission decline, there will always be one or two manufacturers who have it to attract that niche of the market. If worst comes to worst, we purists can always import a vehicle from a country where they are still popular.
Old friend of mine is a gearhead but he preferred automatics to leave his hand free to hold a beer.
He’s in jail now (but not for vehicle related reasons).
An automatic transmission coupled with a bench seat does make for some interesting possibilities, like being able to ride around with your arm around your girlfriend’s shoulders. However, with today’s safety standards, that was already a thing of the past.
. . like being able to ride around with your arm around your girlfriend’s shoulders.
When I was in high school, my parents owned a 1954 Buick with a manual transmission and a 1952 Dodge with the “lift and clunk” Gyromatic transmission. The Buick with its V-8 engine and manual transmission would really go. However, I prefered the Dodge on a date for the reason you mentioned above.
American’s can’t drive a stick shift while talking on their cell phone, text messaging, drinking coffee, putting on makeup, shaving, looking at the navigation screen, changing iPod songs, etc.
When automatics first came out they were $300 extra on a $2000 car!! That’s quite a premium. They got progressively cheaper in terms of car prices to where now it is typically $1000+ on a $30,000 car.
Cars, in terms of income, have become much more affordable, so they are loaded up with “extras”, which are very profitable for the dealer and manufacturer.
American drivers have become used to the machine doing all the thinking for them, starting with automatic pop-up toasters, to automatic washers, self defrosting fridges, etc. Even computer software is now so user-friendly that it practically loads up itself.
We have also become lazy about learning to operate anything. Automatic transmissions, power steering, power brakes, cruise control, climate control all mean basically hands-off performance.
5.The increase in traffic congestion with resultant added driver fatigue has strongly favored automatics.
As in most cases, the preponderance of automatics has caused the US manufacturers of mainstream cars to NEGLECT the design and development of stickshifts. So the 3 speed column shift was outdated, and dropped entirely from Impalas, Caprices, Buicks, Crown Victorias, etc.
Automatics have become much better and more efficient, so that the difference in performance is small. The old 2 speed Powergide had more glide than power!
North America has the highest percentage of drivers in the population. By definition, many of these drivers are borderline (and might never be able to learn to shift gears), but need to drive because of the poor quality or absense of public transportation. As a result of this situation, cars are being made more and more crash proof and idiot proof.
I have a sister and brother-in-law in Europe who are gradually phasing out their (stickshift) car as they get older, and will happily be using the local superb public transportation system.
In your paper you need to bring up the cruel truth about the US democratic capitalist system; while it allows nearly everyone to BUY a car, it deprives many citizens (who CAN’T drive, or drive well) of access to good public transportation.
In summary, with more motor vehicles registered than licensed drivers, AND POOR ACCESS TO PUBLIC TRANSIT, the minimum driving skill in the US had to be dumbed down with all manner of automatic and crash proof gear.
There is a broad economic and sociological aspect to the question, not just personal consumer preference. When you rent a car in Europe or other foreign country outside of North America, you have to reserve early to get automatic, since they are few, and the population has not been weaned off manuals yet.
It’s a pain in the leg in stop and go traffic. That’s one thing I don’t miss with the automatic. If I could afford an amusement car I would consider a stick.
With today’s light hydraulic clutches, does it really cause pain? I can take stop-and-go traffic all day in my Civic. What were you driving, a dump truck with a cable-activated clutch?
I love manual transmissions and enjoy driving them. That said…I like automatics as well but I really prefer a manual shift vehicle. I would hate to see them go. I always get better fuel economy with a manual shift but automatics have come a long way in improving fuel economy.
My 1954 manual transmission Buick had a clutch that took almost both feet to depress. I was used to it and that Buick was my favorite car. One great thing about this car with its stiff clutch–nobody ever wanted to borrow it.
My son didn’t think he could master a manual shift. He married a woman that owned a 5 speed manual transmission Ford Mustang. His wife now has back trouble so she only drives their minivan. My son has become very proficient with the manual transmission on the Mustang and it has become his csr.
I have shifted between stick and auto. My ideas pro stick are lower maintenance costs and better control of transmission as needed, like starting out in second in snow. My last stick was an o3 ranger that offered better gas mileage than auto, a bud of mine had a PT cruiser manual for the same reason, but luckily his failed under warranty and was replaced. The best analogy I can come up with is using a calculator or a adding numbers longhand. Everyone gets to the same place all said and done.
When an automatic transmission fails, usually at between 90,000 and 160,000 miles, it usually totals the car because by that time the cars value has fallen below the repair cost for the transmission. This is EXACTLY what the car makers and the government wants…Cars now have a fixed end-date…
I don’t have any data or information, just opinions. I also choose stick - in my 98 Saturn wagon. The only miles on it when I bought it (Dec 98) was from Saturn driving it dealer to dealer looking for someone willing to buy a wagon with stick! (At the time, only about 5% of new cars sold were MT.) My husband has a 99 Saturn sedan stick. Unfortunately, his alternate car is a Honda AT; hard to get used to when I’ve used stick so many years. (The few times I car pool or take my Dad anywhere I use it, since it’s a little bit larger.) I do remember my Dad (born 1925) telling me that when AT first came out, purchasers wouldn’t buy it if it traveled in idle. Now you have to make sure to keep your foot on the brake at stops in any AT I’ve been in.
I was warned when I bought the car that MT are harder to use when you have kids (I was 8 months pregnant), but I’ve never had any difficulty.
My family is very unusual. 7 siblings, most owning MT cars as of a decade ago (all having used MT cars at some point in their lives.)
I think most people, unfamiliar with MT, are afraid to try them. Yes, the learning curve is longer than for AT, but once you’re used to it they are easy to drive - I don’t even notice when I’m shifting. I just listen to the engine to figure out when (too many cars without a tachometer, and that’s how my Dad taught me to drive one.)
Manual Transmission vs. Automatic Transmission
This subject has become more complex recently, because there are two more options available to deal with the advantages and disadvantage of traditional manual or automatic transmission. Also the Continuous Variable Transmission had a comeback some years ago. The sequential manual transmission is available since several years in high end sport cars and the newest kind of transmission is the dual clutch transmission.
But let?s get back to the basics:
Manual Transmission ? This transmission form is in the cars since the beginning of the Benz Motorwagen of 1886. It has a clutch and a gearbox. To change the gears the clutch needs to be disengage, which interrupts the flow of power. Depending on the skill and experience of the driver, engaging the clutch to start driving or while changing the gears can be smooth or jerky. Some drivers like the total control of their cars, which the manual transmission provides. With a manual transmission you can set up the car for a power slide around a hairpin turn or prepare for a fast passing on a two lane road by shifting in the lower gear early.
The advantages for the manual transmission are:
a) fuel economy, due to no losses in the torque converter
b) car control for fast driving
c) possibility to push start a car with a dead battery
d) lowest cost transmission
The disadvantages are:
a) the need to shift by hand and using a clutch, because stop and go traffic can become tiring, or steering, holding a phone and drinking coffee leaves no hand free for shifting.
b) longer power interruptions to change gears
c) the danger to burn the clutch under heavy load
Automatic Transmission ? The request for comfort had this form of transmission developed. People didn?t want to have to deal with gearshifts or engaging the clutch with skill. It is the same thinking, which gave us remote controls for TVs and garage doors. The former VP of sales for BMW called the automatic transmissions at a speech in Detroit in the ?90s ?the shift-whenever-I don?t-want-transmission. This comment was due to the experience with automatic transmission in strong cars and spirited driving. While driving along a road, you come up to a slower vehicle, you slow down a little to see if it is save to pass, then you press the gas pedal, but instead of simple accelerating, the car starts shifting. A manual transmission would have not done so. In a manual car you would have to decide upfront if your car is strong enough to pull by in the current gear, or if you want to shift down before starting the passing maneuver.
Also in turns the automatic transmission can you get in trouble. E.g. you drive fast, brake before a curve and push the gas pedal at the apex of the curve. The automatic transmission may want to shift down in the middle of the curve, which will destabilize the car and may send you spinning in the ditch. This may be the reason, why modern automatic transmission in sporty cars come often with ?select shift? ? a so-called manual mode to make sure that you can stay in a certain gear.
Advantages of automatic transmissions:
a) comfort and smooth operation
b) easy possibility to deal with heavy load, e.g. trailer operation
Disadvantages:
a) less car control (shift whenever the automatic seems to be right)
b) less engine braking to slow down (unintentional acceleration down hill)
c) power loss in torque converter (up to 50hp in older cars with large engines) That is why most small cars in Europe don?t use automatic transmission.
d) fuel economy due to c) But newer automatic transmissions got better by providing a torque lock in the top gear. Also car manufacturers selecting the top gear to be extremely long (low rpm at a given speed) to get back to an acceptable fuel economy.
e) very heavy transmission, due to weight of torque converter,
f) cost control only through high numbers built
Continuous Variable Transmission ? using a clutch or a torque converter, this transmission type has the engine always running on the optimum rpm for acceleration or cruising. These transmissions use belts instead of gears, which limits the amount of power possible to transfer.
Advantages:
a) fuel economy
b) some level of automatic driving
Disadvantages
a) only possible for less powerful engines, less heavy vehicles
Sequential Manual Transmission ? came from the motor sport. The idea is to replace the driver operation of the clutch paddle with a computer controlled electric hydraulic system.
Advantages:
a) can be driven fully automatic or with manual shifts (no clutch pedal)
b) no power or fuel economy loss
Disadvantages
a) harsh when fast, slow when smooth
b) expensive
Dual Clutch Transmission ? the newest and perhaps best of all. This transmission addresses nearly all disadvantages of the other transmissions. It uses two clutches to change the gears in a very fast and smooth way. It is the next level improvement of the SMG transmission (4).
Advantages:
a) can be driven fully automatic or with manual shifts (no clutch pedal)
b) no power or fuel economy loss
c) fast and smooth
Disadvantages
b) expensive
I have driven all of these transmissions and I like to have car control. Therefore the fast majority of my cars were manual transmission, but my latest experience with the new dual clutch transmission would me select this if the price is not to much above the standard.
Hermann Schaller
former Siemens Automotive
(supplier of automatic transmission control units and many other parts)
The old conspiracy theory. It’s true that in some countries, like Japan and some European car producing states they put such stringent inspections and parts replacement laws on cars at 10 years, that as they age that is is not worthwhile to replace all those things that really don’t need replacing. Those cars are shipped off to Africa and other developing areas and live happily for another 10 years, being maintained with cheap local labor and in many cases, Chinese aftermarket parts.
I don’t believe US car manufacturers are smart enough to make a car self-destruct (Mission Imposible style) at that exact moment. They do sell “low maintenance” and as we all know, low maintenance on an automatic means short economic car life. If the owner is concientious and maintains his vehicle well, that automatic will go 300,000 miles before totalling the car.
Having said that, I do know one person, a Computer Expert, who scrapped two automatic cars, both Japanese, at 125,000 miles because he did not maintain the transmissions. The rest of the cars was OK enough for many more miles. His wife has now taken over the car care and is adamant about cooling system, timing belt, and transmission maintenance, the three critical areas in car care.
“What were you driving, a dump truck with a cable-activated clutch?”
How’d you know?!
No, I drove a 196x Corvair, 196x Corvair Greenbriar, Mercury Capri GT, Porsche 914, VW Rabbit, Chevy Cavalier, and Chevy Corsica. The Corsica had a hydraulic clutch, but I’m not sure about the others. And even the Corsica led to leg aches in rush hour stop-and-go.
We are talking about a disposable consumer product here, not an engineering masterpiece…They all look the same after they have gone through a shredder…
Besides, we have reached the point nobody can (or wants to) fix this stuff anymore…
OK, to be very simple, Stick Shift gives you full control of your gear box, automatic shifters always limited by there governors (Even in manual mode like tiptronic or steptronic or else). Automatic, easier to drive, stick-shift, you cant be on the cell and sms at the same time (You need at least one hand avaliable!!!)
This subject has become more complex recently, because there are two more options available to deal with . . .
I don’t think there are as many options as there were back in the late 1930’s, 1940’s, and early 1950’2. Chrysler had its semi-automatic transmission where one used the clutch to put the car in either driving range, low range, neutral or reverse. In driving range, one accelerated up to 15 miles per hour and released the accelerator. The transmission then shifted into top gear. Originally, there was a fluid coupling (no torque multiplication) between the engine and transmission. In the 1950’s, the transmission was offered with a torque converter instead of the fluid coupling. Dodge had a fluid coupling in front of a 3 speed manual transmission and clutch. One could start in high, but it was painfully slow. In 1953 through early 1954, Plymouth offered a variation on the Dodge fluid drive, but had a torque converter instead of the fluid coupling in front of the 3 speed manual transmission. Packard offered an electric clutch, Cord had a preselector where one could preselect the gear and then let up to shift, Hudson had its Drivemaster transmission. The clutch was operated by a vacuum cylinder and the shift occured when one released the accelerator. Chevrolet even had a vacuum assist on its column shift from 1939 through 1948 which gave “finger tip” shifting.
Now you come along and tell me about all these options today. I just got the options straightened out from 60 years ago.
