Thank God. Utterly pointless vestige. I remember the first time I went automatic in the States and couldn’t understand why we had persisted fannying around with gears for so long.
Entire_Interest3096 on
Love our auto. Saying that, mechanic told me it’s actually a manual gearbox but has separate box that does the gear changes! So much easier in traffic and hill starts are a breeze. I still enjoy driving a manual though but it dies take a little while to switch the brain to manual
Mode!
TheChrisD on
I suspect even the few remaining manuals will technically become semi-automatics with sequential gearboxes.
great_whitehope on
Manual gearbox is for leisure driving.
Most of the time, I just want to exist
SeaweedBasic290 on
The manual gearbox will become the best anti theft device in the future as most people switch to automatic.
KatarnsBeard on
Changed 3 years ago and absolutely wouldn’t go back
LovelyBloke on
We have an automartic and a manual, the amount of times I almost forget to clutch on the manual is mad.
I’ll never get a manual again though. No need.
Minimum_Holiday_5611 on
I love manual. Yeah in city with jams it gets tedious but still I like shifting gears. It keeps me engaged. And my car has cruise control so on motorway It’s easy.
The idea of self driving cars terrifies me. I wouldn’t like that at all.
Reasoned_Being on
I love manual and will never get an automatic
Ok-Dingo-2920 on
Feet can never get the clutch working. Just feel it does not work. Gave up and got an automatic license. Was like magic.
exposed_silver on
I got in the car after a week of driving an auto, I put my foot on the brake and was wondering why I couldn’t put it in gear. Fuck sake, brain just decided to forget over 10 years of manual driving. Using a manual will become a lost art
LimerickLegend on
Looks like I’m in the minority here so far. I’ve driven both and I much prefer the manual. I like being able to choose exactly when to change gear. I don’t feel like I’m really in charge in an automatic.
Jean_Rasczak on
Manual gearbox should have died years ago, I moved to automatic over 10 years ago and would never go back
StringAccomplished97 on
Never have and never will drive an automatic car.
mediaserver8 on
I’ve been driving auto for about 6 years now. Still, I find my foot instinctively going for the clutch sometimes when approaching roundabouts and the like.
sarcasticseawitch on
I changed to automatic last year and I love it. Can’t imagine going back to manual now
tychocaine on
I like driving manuals, and they make sense if you’re driving for fun. But 99% of my driving is just getting from A to B and for that I want the car to do as much as possible. So I’m all for automatic gearboxes, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, auto wipers, auto high beams and auto- everything I can get.
MrBulwark on
I moved here 7 years ago and was surprised at how many people are still using stick shifts for some reason
Breifne21 on
Had this conversation with my nephew and his friends a few weeks ago.
Of the six of them, 1 had learned manual and one was learning manual. The other four were learning automatic.
They just didn’t see the point of bothering with manual nowadays.
Available_Dish_1880 on
My first car was an ancient Mercedes with four pedals as the handbrake was a pedal. I was nervous as hell at the big hill outside my house hoping nobody would pull up behind me at the traffic lights fearing I would roll backwards. Never did but the fear was there
Driving an automatic with electric handbrake almost feels like cheating, so so easy. That said, I will never go back to manual
So_is_mine on
When you have semi-auto transmission like the ZF8HP available for daily drivers it truly changes your perception of auto transmissions. Don’t get me wrong, can’t beat a good manual for a bit of fun, but honestly well engineered high performance transmissions like the zf are just next level.
phyneas on
Can you believe heating systems these days, with their electronically controlled boilers and thermostats and automatic timers? Gone are the days where you had to really *engage* with your heating system by cutting or chopping your solid fuel to the proper size and composition and then select just the right pieces to feed the fire and placing them just right so that it would burn exactly as hot and as long as you wanted it to. Now you just push a button and some computer does it all for you. It’s a shame, truly.
TopOne7010 on
Aren’t manual gearboxes generally more reliable? Which is a big thing when buying a car
banie01 on
I switched to an auto in 2023 after 30yrs of driving manuals.
I also have a flappy paddle gearbox that means if/when I feel the need to have some granular control of the ratios, that it’s there.
In the 2½yrs I’ve had this car?
I’ve used the paddles maybe 8 times, and only out of curiosity rather than need.
I will never go back to manual for a daily driver.
Yes, I’ll use it for classic or camper but for day to day driving, manual is dead for me.
LogicalAsk5426 on
1. A good auto box is a million times better than manual
2. People who hate autos likely only drove an old crap one
3. If you want a fast car you want an auto with a manual input option
4. People are now converting manuals to auto
Most popular is the BMW 8hp auto into anything with power.
Bumpy_Uncles on
Automatic drivers can do my tits in with the constant break lights. They’ve no gear resistance, so they just look nervous as fuck on motorway traffic
thommcg on
Manual’s about as appealing to me as going back to a rotary phone is.
Munzo69 on
I always reckoned that automatics were for people who couldn’t really drive properly. I’m driving manual all my life and still do but rented automatics on a few recent holidays and was very impressed. I realised I had been a manual snob and talking through my arse for years. I would consider buying one now.
irqdly on
Both our cars are manual, and they’re enjoyable to drive too. Helps that the driving itself isn’t something that I dread. For a lot of people it’s just a means of A to B.
Cruise control helps with the mundane parts, and shifting gears feels solid, unlike some cars where it’s like trying to stir old porridge.
The future is EV, which is boring, fast and efficient and EnViRoMeNtaLLy friendly… but boring.
Different-Class1771 on
Was against autos for a long time until I had to drive one daily for work, now it’s all I drive a decade later.
Rented a manual car in Spain last summer and I was actually bolloxed with my hip / back by the end of the holiday.
dchudds on
Auto for life baby
Icy-Reporter-6322 on
Christ the journal is really out here posting AI generated articles. I’m not saying the entire thing is AI but many parts clearly are so I assume they used AI then changed it up a bit
AI detector agrees
chonkykais16 on
Did all my lessons on manual so I could drive one to get from point a to b. But I much prefer automatic.
styleshbk on
I got an automatic for the first time and I really love it. But I also made my partner get a manual as her first car at passing her test. I wanted to make sure she developed her skills with a manual but also so that I would still be driving one too.
There is something so satisfying about changing the gear yourself on an open road and listening to some great music. You don’t get that with the automatic .
CT0292 on
I love a manual for fun driving. You feel more engaged, more at one with the car. Feeling the rear wheels spin under you. Quickly changing through the gears. Getting a bit squirrely on a twisty bend. Tons of fun. Front engine, rear drive, manual transmission. It’s lovely.
I love an automatic for commuting. For going to the shops or sitting in traffic. Forget about it. I don’t want to think I just want to be a vegetable and scoot along with the flow of slow moving traffic.
Best option is something sporty on weekends and something boring for weekdays.
Oh_I_still_here on
I don’t have my licence and I’m 31. Focusing on work right now and don’t need a car, can get by with public transport. But I know that when I get back to learning I’m not arsed with learning in a manual. I don’t have a whole heap of places to go by myself so I’m just getting an automatic one and moving on with my life.
When I was 17 and learning to drive I just found it insanely overwhelming and the instructors were useless. I’ve Asperger’s/ASD so found it difficult juggling keeping my observation skills high while trying to just operate the vehicle all while some fella is criticising me the whole time for the smallest thing time after time.
Yeah I know automatic cars are more expensive, but if I need a car I’ll pay the money. I’ll leave the manuals to people who give a shite, to me it’s a box with wheels that gets you places. Simple as.
Let the manual gearbox die or become something enthusiasts care about.
Xeon360 on
Passed my test in a manual, then immediately after drove only automatic for 3 years. Recently starting driving manual again and I much prefer it, you feel more connected to the car and anticipate further ahead, plus it’s always fun to shift gears.
microplastic-addict on
I love driving and sports cars so I don’t forsee myself never not having at least one manual car but if you’re a normal person who doesn’t enjoy driving I don’t see much of a point to anything other than an EV anyway.
niallo_ on
I’ve always avoided automatic cars, have an EV now and wouldn’t go back. Constant power available at all times, it’s much better. I’d even consider replacing my bike with an automatic now but they cost a bomb.
rapstyleDArobloxian on
More of a car enthusiast but I genuinely do prefer driving a manual. Maybe cause im a young fella I don’t get as tired even in stop start traffic but most of my 20km commute is national roads and motorway so its a lot more engaging and fun in a way. I can usually quickly switch my brain from automatic to manual depending on the car im driving
finzaz on
I’ve driven an auto for nearly 10 years. Was manual all the way before that. Rented a manual on holiday in Italy a couple of years ago and wow it just makes driving unnecessarily harder. Especially in Italy where you need one hand free to gesticulate to other road users.
wolf101123 on
Manuals can be fun, but with the grind of the daily commute automatic all the way.
Immortal_Tuttle on
It all depends on a car to be honest. Absolutely hated EV with 2 manual gears. Absolutely loved a well tuned hybrid with just telling the computer it’s city or sport mode I want to go. Absolutely hated auto in 2016 Passat and old Merc. Loved it in 2017 Merc. However in one of the old Merc petrol, auto was too… kind. It was just wrong. Same model with 6 gears manual was just “it”.
However the worst expert experience? Manual gearbox in Scania (18? 24? Gears and half gears… 300rpm optimal Rev range). It just screams to give it electric motors and use that diesel as a generator…
Scrofulla on
We recently got our first car ever. Decided to buy an electric so we don’t know any better lol. It is so much easier than a manual. I love it.
My_Name_A_Jeoff on
As someone who’s recently had knee issues I cannot wait to change my car to an automatic
crlthrn on
Given that EVs will also be ‘automatics’ with simply a brake and an accelerator, there’ll eventually be next to no need for manual driving skills, except for enthusiasts.
fafan4 on
I feel I have more control of the car when I’m driving a manual. But moving in slow traffic was tiring me out – the constant pedal work and gear stick movements as I stop-started along at 5mph
So I recently bought an automatic to ease the workload in traffic. I don’t “feel” the car as well as the manual, but it’s so much easier in traffic. I’m not wiped when I get to my destination
coalduststar on
It’s not a choice manuals aren’t available- automatic is the worst
Seanb621 on
I don’t know what it is about the manual but I much prefer it, I feel like it make the driving that little bit more engaging and entertaining for me
49 commenti
Thank God. Utterly pointless vestige. I remember the first time I went automatic in the States and couldn’t understand why we had persisted fannying around with gears for so long.
Love our auto. Saying that, mechanic told me it’s actually a manual gearbox but has separate box that does the gear changes! So much easier in traffic and hill starts are a breeze. I still enjoy driving a manual though but it dies take a little while to switch the brain to manual
Mode!
I suspect even the few remaining manuals will technically become semi-automatics with sequential gearboxes.
Manual gearbox is for leisure driving.
Most of the time, I just want to exist
The manual gearbox will become the best anti theft device in the future as most people switch to automatic.
Changed 3 years ago and absolutely wouldn’t go back
We have an automartic and a manual, the amount of times I almost forget to clutch on the manual is mad.
I’ll never get a manual again though. No need.
I love manual. Yeah in city with jams it gets tedious but still I like shifting gears. It keeps me engaged. And my car has cruise control so on motorway It’s easy.
The idea of self driving cars terrifies me. I wouldn’t like that at all.
I love manual and will never get an automatic
Feet can never get the clutch working. Just feel it does not work. Gave up and got an automatic license. Was like magic.
I got in the car after a week of driving an auto, I put my foot on the brake and was wondering why I couldn’t put it in gear. Fuck sake, brain just decided to forget over 10 years of manual driving. Using a manual will become a lost art
Looks like I’m in the minority here so far. I’ve driven both and I much prefer the manual. I like being able to choose exactly when to change gear. I don’t feel like I’m really in charge in an automatic.
Manual gearbox should have died years ago, I moved to automatic over 10 years ago and would never go back
Never have and never will drive an automatic car.
I’ve been driving auto for about 6 years now. Still, I find my foot instinctively going for the clutch sometimes when approaching roundabouts and the like.
I changed to automatic last year and I love it. Can’t imagine going back to manual now
I like driving manuals, and they make sense if you’re driving for fun. But 99% of my driving is just getting from A to B and for that I want the car to do as much as possible. So I’m all for automatic gearboxes, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, auto wipers, auto high beams and auto- everything I can get.
I moved here 7 years ago and was surprised at how many people are still using stick shifts for some reason
Had this conversation with my nephew and his friends a few weeks ago.
Of the six of them, 1 had learned manual and one was learning manual. The other four were learning automatic.
They just didn’t see the point of bothering with manual nowadays.
My first car was an ancient Mercedes with four pedals as the handbrake was a pedal. I was nervous as hell at the big hill outside my house hoping nobody would pull up behind me at the traffic lights fearing I would roll backwards. Never did but the fear was there
Driving an automatic with electric handbrake almost feels like cheating, so so easy. That said, I will never go back to manual
When you have semi-auto transmission like the ZF8HP available for daily drivers it truly changes your perception of auto transmissions. Don’t get me wrong, can’t beat a good manual for a bit of fun, but honestly well engineered high performance transmissions like the zf are just next level.
Can you believe heating systems these days, with their electronically controlled boilers and thermostats and automatic timers? Gone are the days where you had to really *engage* with your heating system by cutting or chopping your solid fuel to the proper size and composition and then select just the right pieces to feed the fire and placing them just right so that it would burn exactly as hot and as long as you wanted it to. Now you just push a button and some computer does it all for you. It’s a shame, truly.
Aren’t manual gearboxes generally more reliable? Which is a big thing when buying a car
I switched to an auto in 2023 after 30yrs of driving manuals.
I also have a flappy paddle gearbox that means if/when I feel the need to have some granular control of the ratios, that it’s there.
In the 2½yrs I’ve had this car?
I’ve used the paddles maybe 8 times, and only out of curiosity rather than need.
I will never go back to manual for a daily driver.
Yes, I’ll use it for classic or camper but for day to day driving, manual is dead for me.
1. A good auto box is a million times better than manual
2. People who hate autos likely only drove an old crap one
3. If you want a fast car you want an auto with a manual input option
4. People are now converting manuals to auto
Most popular is the BMW 8hp auto into anything with power.
Automatic drivers can do my tits in with the constant break lights. They’ve no gear resistance, so they just look nervous as fuck on motorway traffic
Manual’s about as appealing to me as going back to a rotary phone is.
I always reckoned that automatics were for people who couldn’t really drive properly. I’m driving manual all my life and still do but rented automatics on a few recent holidays and was very impressed. I realised I had been a manual snob and talking through my arse for years. I would consider buying one now.
Both our cars are manual, and they’re enjoyable to drive too. Helps that the driving itself isn’t something that I dread. For a lot of people it’s just a means of A to B.
Cruise control helps with the mundane parts, and shifting gears feels solid, unlike some cars where it’s like trying to stir old porridge.
The future is EV, which is boring, fast and efficient and EnViRoMeNtaLLy friendly… but boring.
Was against autos for a long time until I had to drive one daily for work, now it’s all I drive a decade later.
Rented a manual car in Spain last summer and I was actually bolloxed with my hip / back by the end of the holiday.
Auto for life baby
Christ the journal is really out here posting AI generated articles. I’m not saying the entire thing is AI but many parts clearly are so I assume they used AI then changed it up a bit
AI detector agrees
Did all my lessons on manual so I could drive one to get from point a to b. But I much prefer automatic.
I got an automatic for the first time and I really love it. But I also made my partner get a manual as her first car at passing her test. I wanted to make sure she developed her skills with a manual but also so that I would still be driving one too.
There is something so satisfying about changing the gear yourself on an open road and listening to some great music. You don’t get that with the automatic .
I love a manual for fun driving. You feel more engaged, more at one with the car. Feeling the rear wheels spin under you. Quickly changing through the gears. Getting a bit squirrely on a twisty bend. Tons of fun. Front engine, rear drive, manual transmission. It’s lovely.
I love an automatic for commuting. For going to the shops or sitting in traffic. Forget about it. I don’t want to think I just want to be a vegetable and scoot along with the flow of slow moving traffic.
Best option is something sporty on weekends and something boring for weekdays.
I don’t have my licence and I’m 31. Focusing on work right now and don’t need a car, can get by with public transport. But I know that when I get back to learning I’m not arsed with learning in a manual. I don’t have a whole heap of places to go by myself so I’m just getting an automatic one and moving on with my life.
When I was 17 and learning to drive I just found it insanely overwhelming and the instructors were useless. I’ve Asperger’s/ASD so found it difficult juggling keeping my observation skills high while trying to just operate the vehicle all while some fella is criticising me the whole time for the smallest thing time after time.
Yeah I know automatic cars are more expensive, but if I need a car I’ll pay the money. I’ll leave the manuals to people who give a shite, to me it’s a box with wheels that gets you places. Simple as.
Let the manual gearbox die or become something enthusiasts care about.
Passed my test in a manual, then immediately after drove only automatic for 3 years. Recently starting driving manual again and I much prefer it, you feel more connected to the car and anticipate further ahead, plus it’s always fun to shift gears.
I love driving and sports cars so I don’t forsee myself never not having at least one manual car but if you’re a normal person who doesn’t enjoy driving I don’t see much of a point to anything other than an EV anyway.
I’ve always avoided automatic cars, have an EV now and wouldn’t go back. Constant power available at all times, it’s much better. I’d even consider replacing my bike with an automatic now but they cost a bomb.
More of a car enthusiast but I genuinely do prefer driving a manual. Maybe cause im a young fella I don’t get as tired even in stop start traffic but most of my 20km commute is national roads and motorway so its a lot more engaging and fun in a way. I can usually quickly switch my brain from automatic to manual depending on the car im driving
I’ve driven an auto for nearly 10 years. Was manual all the way before that. Rented a manual on holiday in Italy a couple of years ago and wow it just makes driving unnecessarily harder. Especially in Italy where you need one hand free to gesticulate to other road users.
Manuals can be fun, but with the grind of the daily commute automatic all the way.
It all depends on a car to be honest. Absolutely hated EV with 2 manual gears. Absolutely loved a well tuned hybrid with just telling the computer it’s city or sport mode I want to go. Absolutely hated auto in 2016 Passat and old Merc. Loved it in 2017 Merc. However in one of the old Merc petrol, auto was too… kind. It was just wrong. Same model with 6 gears manual was just “it”.
However the worst expert experience? Manual gearbox in Scania (18? 24? Gears and half gears… 300rpm optimal Rev range). It just screams to give it electric motors and use that diesel as a generator…
We recently got our first car ever. Decided to buy an electric so we don’t know any better lol. It is so much easier than a manual. I love it.
As someone who’s recently had knee issues I cannot wait to change my car to an automatic
Given that EVs will also be ‘automatics’ with simply a brake and an accelerator, there’ll eventually be next to no need for manual driving skills, except for enthusiasts.
I feel I have more control of the car when I’m driving a manual. But moving in slow traffic was tiring me out – the constant pedal work and gear stick movements as I stop-started along at 5mph
So I recently bought an automatic to ease the workload in traffic. I don’t “feel” the car as well as the manual, but it’s so much easier in traffic. I’m not wiped when I get to my destination
It’s not a choice manuals aren’t available- automatic is the worst
I don’t know what it is about the manual but I much prefer it, I feel like it make the driving that little bit more engaging and entertaining for me