How many years does the manual have left?
Discussion
Once my Subaru has passed its MOT, had a new clutch and ABS light has been fixed I plan to sell. I've already started looking for new cars and I am if a good spec car came up that was an auto I may consider it.
I was thinking...why do we really need a manual in the modern world? I know it is lazy and when you want to go for a hoon nothing beats the sensation of dropping a gear and hearing the overrun. But I don't 'hoon' as much as I ever used to. (petrol prices don't you know). An auto to mean right now at least seems a lot easier to live with and a manual when you think about it is just an inconvenience. When going around town you don't need to keep operating the clutch, traffic on a hill means no hill starting every few seconds.
I don't know but it seems to me that with the growing presence of the Auto in a few years only track cars will have a Manual.
I was thinking...why do we really need a manual in the modern world? I know it is lazy and when you want to go for a hoon nothing beats the sensation of dropping a gear and hearing the overrun. But I don't 'hoon' as much as I ever used to. (petrol prices don't you know). An auto to mean right now at least seems a lot easier to live with and a manual when you think about it is just an inconvenience. When going around town you don't need to keep operating the clutch, traffic on a hill means no hill starting every few seconds.
I don't know but it seems to me that with the growing presence of the Auto in a few years only track cars will have a Manual.
Do we need them? No, of course we don't, but we don't need luxury or performance cars at all.
I think there will be a tipping point at some point in the next 10-20 years where young drivers start to view it as unnecessary to get a manual licence... after that the manual in mainstream cars is doomed.
I think there will be a tipping point at some point in the next 10-20 years where young drivers start to view it as unnecessary to get a manual licence... after that the manual in mainstream cars is doomed.
In the family wagon, I can see our next one being an auto of some sort but we're not planning to get the next car for another decade or so.
In the Caterham I doubt I'll ever want anything but the manual, especially as the gear linkage is so direct (the gearbox is directly under the gearstick), manual seems simplest and best in that case.
In the Caterham I doubt I'll ever want anything but the manual, especially as the gear linkage is so direct (the gearbox is directly under the gearstick), manual seems simplest and best in that case.
GravelMachineGun said:
LuS1fer said:
Because manuals rool.
I agree, I've driven both the manual and auto classic Mini and the auto is pathetic. Butttt from time to time I wish I could just relax a bit and with auto boxes now getting more and more intelligent I don't think the manual has a long life left. Unless emissions tests are radically altered, it'll become a rare option on more sporty cars where emissions aren't important. For day to day motoring I can't see why an auto isn't appropriate for most people, for those of us that like stirring the cogs it'll be an option to check on your sports cars, hopefully.
Manual= proper driving.
Auto= lazy driving...or ghay.
I've never owned an auto car in the 36 years of driving, though I've driven a few ,I personaly don't think I will ever own one, yet the cars i've been looking at are auto so maybe this is the way all car makers are heading, which is a shame.
Auto= lazy driving...or ghay.
I've never owned an auto car in the 36 years of driving, though I've driven a few ,I personaly don't think I will ever own one, yet the cars i've been looking at are auto so maybe this is the way all car makers are heading, which is a shame.
heebeegeetee said:
I was manouevreing a manual vehicle into a space at work which was a bit tight and involved a slope and a couple of ledges/shallow steps in the concrete.
It does now seem archaic to me to use three pedals and a handbrake instead of just using two pedals.
That was my thinking. I always worry about the person in front of me as well if I'm in traffic on a hill. Especially when you see they do not use their handbrakes. It does now seem archaic to me to use three pedals and a handbrake instead of just using two pedals.
I will always hanker after a manual personally & I agree they dont seem to have long left when a Clio is now an auto!
I still think if you do 20k miles plus a year an auto makes sense with the amount of time stuck in congestion, but if not I think it's nice to enjoy the interaction of a manual & I am pleased that Evo magazine prefer the manual box to the DCT in the E92 M3 as a manual was the only option I considered when buying mine.
I still think if you do 20k miles plus a year an auto makes sense with the amount of time stuck in congestion, but if not I think it's nice to enjoy the interaction of a manual & I am pleased that Evo magazine prefer the manual box to the DCT in the E92 M3 as a manual was the only option I considered when buying mine.
GravelMachineGun said:
An auto to mean right now at least seems a lot easier to live with and a manual when you think about it is just an inconvenience. When going around town you don't need to keep operating the clutch, traffic on a hill means no hill starting every few seconds.
I don't know but it seems to me that with the growing presence of the Auto in a few years only track cars will have a Manual.
Autos really are lovely in heavy traffic. Especially old BMW & Mercedes slushbox autos from the 80s/90s. Very relaxing to drive and none of the knee-ache associated with constant clutch riding, especially if it's a powerful car with a heavy clutch.I don't know but it seems to me that with the growing presence of the Auto in a few years only track cars will have a Manual.
So long as a manual has a slick action and a light clutch, I would always take that over a torque converter or DSG auto. DSG type autos still leave a lot to be desired in auto mode, but are ironically OK if using the paddles to shift manually.
yonex said:
LuS1fer said:
Soon, they will only have an auto driving test and the wooses won't be able to drive any car requiring a modicum of skill or driver control.
Why don't we adopt the US driving test, covers all ineptitude in one easy to pass solution?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff