Automatic or manual…And the debate rages on

Manual….errr….no Automatic…ummm…or Manual.

Flats or Stilettos? Pants or Saris? Highways or City driving? Controlling the gears or a free hand to fidget with the music system?

At Indiandrives we intend to carry forward this raging debate in order to let you make up your mind between the two mechanisms- Manual and Auto transmissions.

The retort to all these matters lies in a not-so-difficult to make choice-manual or automatic transmission. Regardless of the mechanism, the transmission be it a automatic or manual- enables the motor to shift from the given speed to the subsequent in a comfortable manner and in the process gives you a commanding control over the vehicle. The only difference between these two options is the “Decision Maker”, in simpler terms, who gets to decide which the right time to shift gears is. Before choosing the car one must need to consider various things in order to decide the type of mechanism that suits you the best- Automatic or Manual transmission.

Sense of the vehicle

One constant statement that emanates from the drivers of automatic transmission cars is that they don’t get a feel of the car while driving the automatic transmission enabled car. It is nothing more than a child’s play as it does not let you to get intimately involved in the affair of the engine beyond the brakes and the accelerator. In the process it allows one pair of your hand and feet to be absolutely free with which you can fidget around with your hand-phone or the music system. For some folks a transition from the Manual to Automatic transmission can be a real pain in the rear-end (for the lack of better words in print). Generally people feel empowered by virtue of getting to decide which the ideal time to shift the gears is.

The power factor

While driving the car the key difference that you may come across is the difference between the mechanisms in terms of the power they generate. If you are a power-freak and would like to make the optimum out of the engine, you are definitely a manual transmission guy. If you are insensitive about the power and certainly don’t give a damn if your car takes a few more seconds to attain the desired speed albeit with less power, then be assured you are an automatic transmission types. In current time there are a few latest automatic transmission technologies like the CVT, which is know for better acceleration. Test-drive is the ideal exercise to determine the actual difference. If the automatic transmission enabled car requires 14-15 seconds to clock a speed of 100 kmph, the same model with a manual transmission will achieve the same feat in say 11-12 seconds. Furthermore, if the car churns out 100bhp@5000rpm rpm, and the auto-transmission shifts to the ultimate gear at 4000 rpm, then be rest assured, you may never get to taste the full potential of the engine in terms of horsepower. On the other hand in a manual transmission set-up you have the liberty to choose the timing of gear-shifts in order to attain the maximum power.

The economic factor

In lay man language if you have to do half the work and expect the same outcome, folks you are way too demanding. Same applies to the automatic transmission cars as well, the output that you get is traded with the additional work the car does. In this case the output, which is the fuel economy, is reduced. But natural, the automatic wolfs down more energy than the labor-intensive manual. But one must not paint the entire picture with a single brush. Some of the latest automatic transmissions are not much demanding and are refined to a level to take in only a marginal more than the manual. This has the potential to singe  your pocket but avoid a full blown hole. Surveys have shown that, in any case, the manual drivers don’t make the most out of their fuel by not utilizing the gears optimally.

Repairs and Maintenance

A simple cardinal rule applies here. If you live in a god-forsaken place with no easy assess to well equipped and computerized garages, refrain from getting an automatic. Service needed on the automatic transmission is frequent as the mechanism is more prone-to damage. It’s a rare conversation where you may come upon gear shift which requires fluid changes. In case of a break down in the middle of nowhere, an automatic transmission enabled car needs to be jump-started as the only option. On the contrary, if the usage of the clutch is not prudent in a manual set-up, it will call for a frequent replacement which has the potential to set you back financially.

The cost factor

Manual cars are tad cheaper than the automatic ones, due to the fact that the latter does a part of work meant for the driver. Automatic transmission cars are approximately Rs. 50,000-70,000 more dearer than their labor-intensive manual counterparts.

The size factor

If you intend to buy a mid-sized hatch or a small car, manual is recommended. The rationale being, a car of that dimension is generally powered by 1-1.5 liter engine capable of generating 60 and 80 bhp. In such cases you will require the expediency of a manual transmission, to get the majority out of the vehicle, especially on highways and inclines etc. if the car that you mull to buy is more powerful and big in size, then you will always have then there will be an adequate amount of superfluous power in the engine to employ the automatic transmission and provide you a first-rate ride quality.

Based on need

If you scuffle with city traffic on an every day basis and employ your car on main roads or in a lesser amount of traffic only sporadically, then set out for the automatic transmission. No struggling with the accelerator, gear shift, brake and clutch -this is the solitary major recompense of an auto-transmission. But if you reside in a consign where the traffic is relatively fewer or an undulating region, then a car with manual transmission is a superior alternative. Also decide on for the auto-transmission if you are bodily not capable to make use of a stick shift on a habitual basis.

New incisor gears

Courtesy to the automotive industry which is relentlessly developing, many auto manufacturers – Toyota, Chevy, Opel, Honda etc – are now making available a nuptial between the 2 transmissions. Semi-manual, semi-auto, Manumatic, Easytronic, all these vocabulary illustrates the most up-to-date in transmissions where the clutch is hydraulically or electronically occupied by the vehicle and all that is called for is transfer the gear. You drive the automobile like an auto-transmission, but have the sumptuousness of changing gears like a manual-transmission.

2 thoughts on “Automatic or manual…And the debate rages on

  1. One constant statement that emanates from the drivers of automatic transmission cars is that they don’t get a feel of the car while driving the automatic transmission enabled car.

  2. Look the advantage and this advantage of the difference between the mechanisms in terms of the power they generate. Its up to you if you want 🙂

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