Yada yada yada, I mean, you step on the gas and go you step on the brake and stop. Who wants more than that except the people that like to go ‘VROOM VROOM VROOM’ like at the arcade?
AMEN!!!
I drove a stick for 30 years then went automatic for 2 reasons:
Automatics these days are terrific, 5/6 speeds that shift efficiently and intelligently.
I’ve had soreness/tightness in my left leg, pushing a clutch, even light ones, did not seem to be helping.
Since I’ve gone auto I haven’t looked back.
Alex Krausz
Sorry, I am not an expert, but I have been driving stick shift cars for 60 years. I believe they are safer because the driver is much more engaged in the operation of the vehicle. You are so right about manual transmission cars getting more and more difficult to find. Good luck in your project. M in Sacramento
Your mileage may vary.
Do we have to drive like morons and downshift our manual transmissions just because we are not going as fast as the EPA would like us to go? Heavy foot + high rpm late shifting = low mileage. It is that simple. Mom’s 08 Fit w/ 5 speed auto can barely manage the new EPA city rating. My grandma says I drive slower than my mom, but my 04 manual xB routinely surpasses the old EPA rating.
Maybe if those new lightweight, efficient automated manuals replace all of the old school heavy, slippery conventional automatics, then I’ll concede to automatic’s virtues. For now, I rather drive my manual in Los Angeles traffic-I cannot stand the poor throttle response of an automatic when driving at low speed when the torque converter is unlocked.
C.A., have you ever driven an automatic CVT transmission? They always get better fuel economy than a manual, no matter how much you lug the engine on the manual.
Yes, I have driven a car with CVT. They are miles ahead of those old school automatics that I mentioned. But even Honda’s chief engineer of hybrid propulsion mentioned that MT gets better mileage when driven efficiently. So why can’t we have computer control MT that drive efficiently for us? Newer trucks and buses use these instead of CVTs.
OK, this is from the only female I’ve seen listed on this discussion…
Let’s be totally honest here, automatics are due to LAZINESS and nothing else.
If you are, while driving an automatic, talking on your cell phone, texting, emailing AND eating or drinking you could absolutely be doing the ‘work’ driving a manual transmission instead and be so much safer for the driving public and yourself!
Yes, it is more ‘work’, especially in city traffic, but you are more in control of your vehicle and much, much more aware of your cars engine and everything that is going on around you. You don’t rely on your brakes for control nearly as much.
It’s the difference between sailboats and powerboats. On one you learn to communicate with your boat and the world around you and the other you power up, steer and drink.
I believe that EVERYONE should have to learn to drive on a stick shift, you learn not only the techniques of driving but how to relate too your vehicle. (Minor side rant:- 16 is far, far too young to be given a driver’s license). I was once directly behind a girl, not more than 17 who was in a Mustang smoking and talking on her cell phone. With what hand was she holding the steering wheel?
As a transplanted European we cannot understand why there is such a strong resistance to sticks here in the US. The open roads here are a TRUE DRIVER’S dream! We don’t even really consider someone a ‘real’ driver if they are in an automatic.
What do you think of that all you so-called ‘hot rodders’?
Man (and woman) up , put down your smart phone (and make up kit) and learn how to really, truly drive.
As the ad said ‘DRIVER’S WANTED’.
Interesting that the premium European makes are putting out automatics as fast as they can, Ferrari included. It must feel nice to label 90% of the folks you see ‘lazy’. And automatics were popular long before cell phones, etc. Folks don’t ‘resist’ manuals, they prefer ATs. I’m sure part of it stemmed from cheap gas (low taxes). But today manuals have no significant mpg benefit.
Perfect solution to distracted driving and fuel economy: Ban automatic transmissions and power assist steering arrangements in all pass-car categories.
Autos are still needed for boat ramp duties.
From an engineering point of view, the dual clutch transmission is the best of all transmissions currently available (at least until electric cars become common) that will make much of the discussion in this blog moot with respect to many new cars. The dual clutch transmission is like two manual transmissions, each with its own clutch, that are shifted by computer. The clutch of one of the transmissions is engaged while the other is being disengaged. 1st, 3rd, and 5th are in one transmission and 2nd, 4th, and 6th (for 6-speed variations) are in the other. Shifts take on the order of 10 milliseconds when up shifting sequentially through the gears, though switches from, for example 1st to 3rd or 6th down to 4th, take quite a bit longer though still quick by manual transmission standards. To appreciate how fast this is, movies or videos change pictures every 30-40 milliseconds.
There is no torque converter to absorb energy and little loss due to engine slowing during a shift. The only indication of a shift is the engine sound. Both fuel economy and acceleration are better than manual or conventional automatics for the same engine. The transmission can be operated manually with shift levers on the steering wheel or a floor mounted lever. It can operate fully automatically in either an economy or a more ?sports? oriented mode.
I own a Jetta GLI that has such a transmission, the DSG (Direct-Shift Gearbox) now known as the S-tronic, and I can verify its benefits. VW was the first company to offer the dual clutch transmission commercially though Porsche first built them for racing cars. Computer shifted ?manual? transmissions have been used in F1, rally cars, and certain luxury cars for a long time though single clutch variations are much slower. Several domestic and other foreign brands apparently have their own variations of the dual clutch transmission either currently available or in development, so lots of people will be driving them in the near future.
Cars with electric motors, which have their highest torque at low speed, may not even need complex transmissions. Electric motors can even function as transmissions for gasoline or diesel motors, but that?s another term paper?..
Can these dual clutch automatic transmissions allow you to tow the vehicle with all four wheels on the ground, like you can with a manual transmission? Do these clutches wear out?
stick stifting is a pain in the butt,i love them since you have more control what your engine does.have you ever down shifted an auto in an emergency situation,nope no one dose.i tried it once when i was a teen and went the wrong way.needless to say that auto was trashed.it is simply people getting lazyer ever year with new gadgets they add to cars.as for accidents with a stuck gas peddle,push in the cluch and you stop as your engine reves and still stayes intack.they have made advances good advances on cars but its still easier to replace a cluch than have an auto rebuilt.and cheaper.hope this helps.
I do agree with you there. There should be an least one automatic in every family. I also think it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have at least one manual as well. Thank you.
I drive a Civic with a manual transmission (theirs are notoriously smooth), but the car I’m replacing it with isn’t available in manual, alas. Perhaps when the new CAFE standards go into effect, manuals will make a comeback? We should all be driving manuals or CVTs for optimum gas mileage. I would give up my manual happily for a CVT, if it would deliver better mileage. I think we gave up manuals because we got lazy, and lost interest in fuel economy.
The reason I keep coming back to stick shifts is mostly due to economics. Manual transmissions are a bit more economical, gas-wise, at least in my experience. The difference is usually around 10% (e.g. 22 mpg in my 6-cylinder 2005 Ford Ranger vs. a comparable vehicle with an automatic being rated at 20). The extra effort and skill required to operate it is what drives many to the automatic, so you have to like having a bit more direct control of your car.
But what really drives me to the stick shift is major maintenance. My Ranger had a clutch problem just before the warranty expired – I think it was a bad pressure plate. While they had the engine out (a $600 job), I was charged about $120 for parts and no labor to put in a new clutch, instead of living with the other 35,000 mile parts that were still good. I used the same rationale in my 4-speed 1964 XKE Roadster 30 years ago. Any time you had the engine out, you replaced the clutch. It’s cheap insurance.
On almost any automatic, a bad transmission will run you $2-3,000. Ask any transmission shop what their average repair runs. Ask them if they have a shortage of automatic transmissions to repair, rebuild, or replace. I don’t see a lot of mechanics just sitting around when I drive by these places. Automatic transmissions have lots more parts and complexity, thus a lot more chances to break.
My experience is that a stick-shift with a transmission problem runs about $750 maximum. Much easier to face once the warranty runs out, or if I never had one.
Traffic in the greater NJ metropolitan area is so bad I never want to drive a stick shift. Stop and go traffic is awful without automatic. My right foot gets cramped and my left foot falls asleep.
I never learned the two foot driving method as many of my friends do. They seem to have more crashes too.
Anyone who can’t drink a coffee while shifting a manual isn’t trying hard enough 
- The VW manual for my car does not make a distinction between DSG and their ordinary 6-speed automatic and states directly that a vehicle with an automatic should not be towed behind an RV. There is a good case for manual transmission cars for this application.
- Presumably these clutches eventually wear out due to their mechanical connection, just like clutches in a conventional manual transmission. The dual clutch transmission was derived from racing cars so it must be possible to make it reliable. The car equipped with this transmission hasn’t been out that long to know much about its long term reliability.
I think you are all missing the point by quoting historic fact about USA adoption of auto transmission. That was then - this is NOW. Gas prices are going to rise dramatically and Americans are going to abandon both the size of their autos and the amount that they drive them. Look to Europe for your future- you cannot sell a mid range car there that doesnt achieve 50 mpg overall and you wont find an automatic tranny anywhere in sight . Manual transmissions are THE most economical gearbox to drive and maintain. Yes, clutches wear out but cost 300-400 to replace - ask for the cost for a rebuild autobox - in the $1000s
You should be asking yourselves how we have kept the autoboxes for so long- the rest of the motoring world has moved on with out Detroit. How can they claim that 40 mpg is IMPOSSIBLE to achieve for the USA when every US car maker has a European subsidury producing a car that achieves this - the technology is already there - WAKE UP USA
Ok Rant Over - Graham