I've Had An Epiphany: Manual Transmissions Are Overrated #blogpost

14 Mar 2017

I am 100% sure that no matter what I say in this post, there will be people in the comments defending the standard transmission like it’s their only child. They’ll say things like “they’re cheaper”, “they give you more direct control over the powertrain”, “they’re more fun” and so on and so forth. However, I think many car enthusiasts have overhyped the manual transmission.

I will admit that it is fun to drive a car with a good manual transmission… most of the time. Sometimes, you’re stuck in stop and go traffic where your left leg will be sore by the time you get to your destination. We as humans make mistakes, and with manual transmissions, they’re very apparent when we make them. Grinding gears, stalling, and shifting into the wrong gear (or no gear at all) is no fun and is rather embarrassing. Meanwhile, automatics are much smoother and easier to drive; they can also be rather relaxing for some people. Who says you have to shift your own gears all the time?

It used to be that if you wanted a fast car, you had to get one with a clutch pedal. However, that is no longer the case. Modern dual clutch automatics can up and down shift faster than any human ever could and their programming can be really smart. In some cases, it’s so smart that you could leave it in automatic mode and it would do everything you wanted it to.

Those who say manual transmissions always get you better fuel economy aren’t telling the entire truth. Today’s CVT’s and automatics can give you great fuel mileage. I hate to say it but computers do a better job of conserving fuel than us humans just leaving it in overdrive.

One of the main purposes of a car is to get you from one destination to another. An automatic transmission will accomplish that goal just as well as a manual.

In conclusion, petrolheads love manual transmissions for a reason. Personally, I like manual transmissions. However, we should take off the rose colored glasses we’ve been wearing for so long in regards to manual transmissions. They don’t live up to the hype we give them and automatics aren’t as bad as we think they are.

Comments

I think most of the points you’ve raised are right. Modern manuals though, are built with a light clutch specifically to help in traffic. Not disputing you, just stating it XD Manuals are overrated in some circles.

Wait until the “Real Car Guy” terrorist army gets you haha

They’re out in droves already

Ian Wright Mark Mason Mr.PurpleV12 I’d rather be in my tractor. (CosworthSquad)

Thanks for the tag, I also agree with you that they aren’t always best opinion and they are over rated

Besides, driving a tractor AND operating a manual transmission would be super difficult

At least manuals always work, my one auto doesn’t always work properly

When you have a quite light clutch stop & go traffic isnt that bad tho. If I were to choose between both for stop & go traffic tho? Auto all the way. It makes life much easier and I can be my lazy self.

Manuals are waaay overrated tho. You can have tons of fun with semi autos too

Sometimes, this stuff doesn’t make sense. The clutch pedal these days is quite light (ask my dad, he drives a manual polo in INDIAN traffic). If you want speed, a dual clutch wont make much of a difference in a ROAD CAR. We aren’t in the middle of a Grand Prix.

Plus, the added weight of two clutches and the price is an instant turn off for many.

As easy as Automatic transmission is to drive, I still prefer manual I’ve never won a drag race with automatic.(believe me I’ve tried) Automatic can also be very expensive to fix if it goes out your talking thousand of dollars. Manual however is a lot cheaper to fix costing usually $100-$300 to fix, most people can fix manual transmission them selves (usually you just need to fix the clutch) Not to mention how cool you feel driving manual .