Poll: To all car drivers - Automatic or Manual

[Doug]

I live in the UK and drive a manual. Never driven an automatic, so I have no basis for comparson. I imagine its easier to drive an automatic, but I also imagine they get worse MPG.

 

[fix-the-spade]

I do not understand how anyone drives an auto transmition.

It like driving with a third of the control taken away from you, they don't corner properly, they don't grip properly, if they slide for any reason you're buggered, you can't controls the revs properly, they're just stupid, stupid machines. The state of roads and weather up here driving an automatic is just asking for some kind of horrible crash.

I love my clutch pedal.

 

[Boba Frag]

I can't drive yet, but from my driving lessons I have learnt that the clutch can burn in the firey pits of hell for all eternity. So automatic.

Pah, I say. Pah!

Practice more then.

 

[silasbufu]

It's pretty simple .
Manual has a better feeling and gives a better performance if you're into that kind of driving.
Automatic is if you're too comfortable and see your car just as something that gets you from A to B.
I'm manual all the way.

 

[Boba Frag]

Automatic.

There is absolutely no practical value to manual in the way I use it.

Also manual requires two hands. Automatic does not.

It also requires skill and brain activity

Automatic is fine on big ass highways where you're driving on straight, straight roads, but everywhere else in the world where that isn't the case, manual gives way more power and tighter control over the car/vehicle/whathaveyou

 

[GuideBot]

It's all about the manual, friends. It's another degree of control between you and the car, another dimension of interface. If driving a car is about more to you than just moving to another location, then manual is a must. I also think that if being driven by a good driver, then it's safer, more comfortable and more economic.

I've driven both and automatic is like sex with a condom. Just not the same.

 

[Stoic raptor]

Well, i am not old enough to drive yet. But I would love to learn stick shift, if someone could teach me. Most of the cars in america are automatic

 

[Matt_LRR]

Manual. It's more fun, puts you more in tune with the car and the road, performs better, keeps you active, and gives you superior control.

It is superior in every way that counts, and I wouldn't go back to auto unless I had to.

-m

 

[Cyrano Jones]

I've driven both and automatic is like sex with a condom. Just not the same.

I am frightened by the thought of what sort of diseases my car might give me. That's not even thinking about a rental.
I've just become "Automatic 4 Life".

 

[Asehujiko]

It also requires skill and brain activity

And taking attention away from the road in front of you is a good thing?

 

[Laughing Man]

Sorry but this has to be said, so far at least three people have said pedal shifters! No such thing as 'pedal' shifters. Technically ALL manual cars are 'pedal' shift as you have to use the clutch pedal before 'shifting' gearing. What I think they meant was 'paddle shift'.

Manual, saying that I can stick my car in 4th at 15mph and then not have to change gear again until I hit 80mph.

 

[Boba Frag]

It also requires skill and brain activity

And taking attention away from the road in front of you is a good thing?

If you have to actually take away attention from the road to shift gears, then you are doing it totally wrong.

It's trickier to learn how to use manual, but it's not impossible by any means, you just need to put in some effort.

It takes less then a few seconds to shift gears while driving while maintaining concentration on the traffic.

To each their own.

 

[I Resurection I]

Manual is more fun but automatic is easier, i'll go with automatic

 

[Baby Tea]

In the latest episode of Listener Mail, Frankie the cab driver addresses this exact question! So, following that line of thinking: I really like Macaroni and Cheese, and therefore I drive an automatic!

There ya go! Piece of cake.

 

[asinann]

I live in the US, so to get a manual is getting more and more difficult (automatics are standard now, and dealerships make you pay to have a manual added) but I still drive a manual. Prefer them to automatics, I tend to fall asleep when I don't have anything to do except steer.

 

[esperandote]

The family's automovil is automatic so that's what i drive. I would learn manual if the car i buy in the future is manual.

 

[Denamic]

Automatic is pleasant, sure, but it also kinda makes me feel disconnected from the car.
Shifting gears manually gives me a feeling of control.
Keeps me awake.

 

[Harbinger_]

Automatic, any added convenience is great.