As the automotive landscape evolves, a cultural shift away from manual cars has become increasingly apparent. The recent revelation from the DVLA that only 29% of registrations last year were for manual cars, accompanied by the news that 20% of driving tests are now taken in automatics, signals a significant departure from the traditional preference for manual transmission vehicles. This trend has sparked debates among driving enthusiasts and industry experts alike, prompting reflections on the changing nature of driving and the implications for those who have long prided themselves on their manual driving prowess.

 

For many driving enthusiasts, the manual gearbox has been a symbol of skill, control, and engagement behind the wheel. The act of changing gears, whether executed smoothly or with a hint of aggression, has been cherished as a fundamental aspect of the driving experience. However, as automatic transmissions become more prevalent and advancements in technology make driving easier and more convenient, the allure of manual driving is waning.

 

The decline of manual transmission vehicles is not merely a matter of personal preference; it reflects broader shifts in automotive technology and consumer behavior. Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which are increasingly popular due to their environmental benefits and cost-saving advantages, predominantly feature automatic transmissions. Additionally, the emergence of autonomous driving technology raises questions about the future role of manual driving in a world where cars may soon be capable of navigating themselves.

 

For some driving enthusiasts, the decline of manual cars represents a loss of connection with the vehicle and a diminishment of the driving experience. Manual driving has long been celebrated for the intimate relationship it fosters between driver and car, requiring keen attention and precise coordination. The tactile feedback and sense of control offered by manual transmissions have been integral to the enjoyment of driving for many enthusiasts.

 

However, as automatic transmissions become the norm, manual driving is increasingly viewed as a niche and nostalgic pursuit rather than a practical skill. While some lament the potential loss of a "lost art" and express concerns about the erosion of driving pleasure, others acknowledge the inevitability of technological progress and shifting consumer preferences.

 

Ultimately, the transition away from manual cars raises questions about identity, pride, and the evolving nature of automotive culture. For those who have long prided themselves on their manual driving skills, the changing landscape may evoke a sense of loss and nostalgia. Yet, as technology continues to reshape the way we drive, it is essential to adapt and embrace the future of mobility, even as we fondly remember the joys of rowing through the gears on an open road.

 

05.03.24

Source

 

The thousands of truckers who will be put out of work by auto drive vehicles will definitely miss manual driven vehicles.

 

A disproportionate number of these people are Veterans, good, well paying jobs about to be stripped out.

 

Profit up, wealth distribution down.

 

I drive an automatic, but only because traffic jams are now a regular part of driving. Using a manual in a traffic jam would be a nightmare.

I prefer a manual gearbox,  I feel it keeps my mind more concentrated on the task of driving,gives more control better for ascending and descending hills  much harder to press the wrong pedal and go zooming off in the car park, of course the auto wins in heavy traffic.

 

Some would like to remove the human element from driving altogether with fully automated vehicles  when that happens I'm sure there will be many missing the old ways  not just the smuggest.

23 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

The thousands of truckers who will be put out of work by auto drive vehicles will definitely miss manual driven vehicles.

 

A disproportionate number of these people are Veterans, good, well paying jobs about to be stripped out.

 

Profit up, wealth distribution down.

 

 

This article is about manual vs automatic gearboxes.

 

Not self drive vehicles. 

14 minutes ago, johng said:

I prefer a manual gearbox,  I feel it keeps my mind more concentrated on the task of driving,gives more control better for ascending and descending hills  much harder to press the wrong pedal and go zooming off in the car park, of course the auto wins in heavy traffic.

 

Some would like to remove the human element from driving altogether with fully automated vehicles  when that happens I'm sure there will be many missing the old ways  not just the smuggest.

 

In a car I'm not too bothered, I'm quite happy with an Auto since I do a lot of driving in and around Bangkok and I get very little pleasure from driving in such an environment anyway.

 

On motorcycles, I much prefer a manual gearbox. Being able to control the amount of engine braking, throttle response, availability of power etc. by selecting the correct gear gives you much more control and makes it a much more engaging, visceral experience. Especially when mated to a 140hp Italian V-Twin.  

5 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

 

This article is about manual vs automatic gearboxes.

 

Not self drive vehicles. 

You are correct.

 

My bad.

 

Thanks for pointing it out.

 

 

37 minutes ago, johng said:

  I feel it keeps my mind more concentrated on the task of driving,gives more control better for ascending and descending hills

I feel the exact opposite. Both hands on the wheel. I do break with left foot so it's not bored too much.

Don't try without exercise first 😊

 

But each to his own although it's close to impossible to buy a new limo/sedan here with manual gearbox.

 

Up/down: sounds you never drove auto. Standard auto's have at least three choices (D/S/L) that can smoothly be selected without any clutch pressing. I never use kickdown.

Of course much more sophisticated auto's available.

Merc has abolished.

Porsche has manual as an alternative but comparison drives also ridicule the "save fuel" argument.

Edited March 5, 20242 yr by KhunBENQ

But even I am not too happy about the CVT automatics that seem to be standard now in new small cars in Thailand.

Do they live long?

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I drive an automatic, but only because traffic jams are now a regular part of driving. Using a manual in a traffic jam would be a nightmare.

I’ve always had a manual even in traffic it’s no big deal guess I’m just used to it although my Jeep gladiator is an automatic because I need the max tow option it’s not offered in the manual configuration.also I think part of the reason for no more manual Transmissions is the manufactures want economy of scale and simplicity of just not offering that option.

Ever try push starting an automatic? No can do. Not as frequently needed as back when I was a young shaver, however....

My American friend  has told me it is possible to bump start an auto

but it needs pushing/pulling faster than any human could do it,I have never seen it done and won't try it with my car. 

I tend to agree with Gustavo Petro ,

 

“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.”

 

If people were truly serious about saving the planet then focusing on improving public transport would be better than getting everyone into an automatic electric vehicles . 

 

On 3/5/2024 at 8:27 AM, Chomper Higgot said:

The thousands of truckers who will be put out of work by auto drive vehicles will definitely miss manual driven vehicles.

 

Many European big rig trucks are already automatic.

31 minutes ago, johng said:

My American friend  has told me it is possible to bump start an auto

but it needs pushing/pulling faster than any human could do it,I have never seen it done and won't try it with my car. 

It is possible, as I've done it, and correct, a few people pushing won't get it going fast enough.

 

On topic ... the only manual shift vehicles I had by choice, were my work trucks.   Any car, and it was because it was cheaper or, it loss too much power being an AT, so MT was preferred.

 

I never owned a stick, for the pleasure of the 'driving experience', though fun to beat the hell out of one at times, I prefer to relax when driving, and shifting, especially in rush hour, city traffic, is not relaxing.

Edited March 6, 20242 yr by KhunLA

I don't have any stats, but I would bet that the majority of cars in France are still manual. I recently had to teach a visiting friend how to use a manual, as his rental SUV had a six speed on the floor. That third pedal really had him anxious.

 

Get an older car, and there's sometimes three on the shaft, not a stick in the island. That's likely a lost (and unnecessary) skill.

 

If commuting, an automatic is preferred, but if driving for fun, I do enjoy a standard. It's the same with flying a plane...for long trips autopilot is preferable, but hand flying is so much more fun.

1 minute ago, Walker88 said:

and there's sometimes three on the shaft,

 

I think you mean three on the tree🤔

1 minute ago, KhunLA said:

It is possible, as I've done it, and correct, a few people pushing won't get it going fast enough.

 

 

bull<deleted>.

 

I had a 3mth work contract in New Zealand in 2022, had the pick of the manual cars in the business fleet due to the very high % of staff who could drive autos only.

 

A sign of age! None of the under 30s I worked with had a manual endorsement on their licence.

 

As leases expired, all manual cars were being replaced with autos.

 

There was a minivan that 'no one can drive' - three speed column shift. Useful when I wanted to move my furniture.

 

 

On 3/5/2024 at 9:08 AM, KhunBENQ said:

I do break with left foot so it's not bored too much.

Don't try without exercise first 😊

Yes first time I drive my auto  I was trying to use 2 feet  constantly stamping on the brake pedal  quickly gave up and went to right foot for everything mode.

 

On 3/5/2024 at 9:08 AM, KhunBENQ said:

Standard auto's have at least three choices (D/S/L) that can smoothly be selected without any clutch pressing.

I only ever use D and R  mind you there are not many hills or winding mountain roads around the Pattaya/Jomtien area.

 

I did a couple of tours around Thailand  firstly in 2001 

Ford Laser bought in Bangkok  drove all the way to Phucket then up to Chaingmai  and then back down to Pattaya

one highlight being the front left wheel was almost ripped off  after hitting a pot hole on the way to Chaingmai at 3AM and having to drive extremely slowly for about 75 Kilometres to reach a garage in Chaingmai to fix it.

 

Then a couple of other times in Pickup trucks up to northern Thailand  all manual..I'm too old for (this s**t) those long drives now 😢  even if someone else is driving (bus or coach) can't take sitting for hours on end.

51 minutes ago, Denim said:

I tend to agree with Gustavo Petro ,

 

“A developed country is not a place where the poor have cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.”

 

If people were truly serious about saving the planet then focusing on improving public transport would be better than getting everyone into an automatic electric vehicles . 

 

 

I don't think there are any countries where the rich use public transportation other than for the occasional publicity stunt or instagram post.

 

They do encourage the proles to do so though. Leaves more space on the roads for them. 

46 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

bull<deleted>.

 

If you haven't tried, then you wouldn't know.  50 yrs ago, not sure if you can do with today's cars, and that car was 10 yrs old to start with.

 

"You see, back in the day, some of the first automatics had the pump at the rear of the transmission – and those you can push start.

 

All automatic cars through 1958 and some into the mid 1960s were push startable, some examples are GM’s hydramatic through 1958"

 

"Used to be you actually could push-start an automatic. Some of them, anyway (mid-60's and earlier Torqueflites that I know of for certain, and at least one other make). But when tranny rear oil pumps went the way of the dinosaur, so did the ability to push-start automatics."

Edited March 6, 20242 yr by KhunLA

Just now, KhunLA said:

If you haven't tried, then you wouldn't know.  50 yrs ago, not sure if you can do with todays cars, and that car was 10 yrs old to start with.

 

It is technically impossible.

7 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

It is technically impossible.

it was ... not now, I edited previous post

Edited March 6, 20242 yr by KhunLA

On 3/5/2024 at 4:42 AM, Social Media said:

Source

The source of this is one of those feminists who write for The Guardian.

Now what should we expect from such a person?

 

Why don't we all use what we like? Maybe a Porsche with manual gearbox for fun and an automatic car or EV in the city? We don't have to all go in the same direction.

 

Let's remember the good old times.

 

I like to driver dodgem cars at the fairground,they are fun and require very little thought . When I am actually driving, I like to be actually driving....

 

You will own nothing and be happy. 

CVT been around a long time and is reliable

I grew up with gearshift cars and didn't have an automatic (CVT or otherwise) till I came to Thailand. Now I prefer "automatic" in any form.

I told my kid she's learning to drive our manual truck first. It's a good skill to have. For boys it's a must and for girls it can't hurt. I bet there's a lot of sissy men who never learned the manual transmission.

8 hours ago, gomangosteen said:

I had a 3mth work contract in New Zealand in 2022, had the pick of the manual cars in the business fleet due to the very high % of staff who could drive autos only.

 

A sign of age! None of the under 30s I worked with had a manual endorsement on their licence.

 

As leases expired, all manual cars were being replaced with autos.

 

There was a minivan that 'no one can drive' - three speed column shift. Useful when I wanted to move my furniture.

 

 

A long time ago I relearned how to drive a manual when the company gave me a very old Leyland (I think) truck to work with. It had a 5 speed manual gearbox (on the floor), a 2 speed rear axle, and NO synchromesh in the gearbox (called a crash gearbox back then).

I was given an hours tuition and was taught how to double declutch (I still do most of the time in my 2001 Ford Ranger).

 

It was called a crash gearbox because if you got the engine revs wrong you could still get it into gear, but you would go partly deaf as you shoved it into a gear.

 

I also used to drive an Austin/Morris J2 van which had a 4 speed column gearbox change and if the gear lever worked you were in a gear, though not necessarily the one you actually wanted.

 

Quite often yo would change up or down and get reverse instead.

 

Nasty evil machine that was.

 

I have also driven an old Armstrong Siddeley that had a pre selector gearbox. You could select any gear you wanted while driving and nothing happened until you used the clutch and it would then change to whatever gear was selected.

 

My first wife in the UK had a couple of DAF 44s or 55s and she loved them.

Edited March 6, 20242 yr by billd766
added extra text