Pls Add Your View On Automatic Transmission + Comfort

[THAIPHUKET]

this thread is already very informative

But in addition to economical considerations

which car has a good automatic transmission, good kick-down , smooth shifting ?

Suitable for more mountainous roads.

What about other comfort criteria?

[proximity]

Are you buying a new car? If so there isn't any terrible automatic transmissions. Electronic controls make them all reasonably smooth shifting and smart enough for mountainous roads. You can select a lower gear for descending grades or if you want to prevent "hunting" while climbing a grade.

[wandrinstar]

I cant wait to get away from them. Great in City traffic,but for Mountain Blasts,and Open Road Sporty driving their no fun. A Personal Choise.:jap:P.S They have never made one yet i haven't broken.

[harrry]

Try an automatic like the Vigo has. You can select the gear you want ant it drives in the mountains like a manual.

[juehoe]

Or try the new Mazda 3 2 litre, which has a 5-speed automatic transmission and shift paddles at the steering wheel.

We drove the old 4-speed Mazda for 3 years and 95'000 kilometres and were very satisfied with smooth and responsive transmission. The new Mazda 3 is even better.

[guzzi850m2]

I like the auto trans in my City, it have paddle shifters at the steering wheel too, but never use it, come on its not exactly a Ferrari, he-he.

For a entry level sedan like the City, I find the auto trans fine. It make live easy in heavy traffic here in Pattaya.

My wife just passed her driver license for car and for her it will be perfect when she starts to drive herself.

[Kwasaki]

I have had many auto cars over the years big and small and found no trouble at all with any of them except one of the Volvo's I had that developed a leak from a seal, easier enough to fix, mine you it had done 250,000 miles not little Kilos.

I would say any vehicle you get in auto will be fine whether it's a 4 or 5 speed.

My wife's Yaris is fine in the steep hills say e.g. on the way to Mae-sot, if I want to go quicker and smoother up steep hills I just use the auto lever to stiff gears.

[transam]

Modern auto trans or CVT trans are all good , gone are the day's of 2 or 3 speed slush boxes, though even those could be upgraded with after market parts. I personally will never have a manual ride again.

Comfort is really individual taste and so a test drive is essential, for me in LOS l wouldn't have leather seats but others love them.

[Shocktreatment]

Autos are great for the wife or city driving, most old people prefur a auto.

I do have two automatic cars both have been great but only bought them so the wife could drive them, I prefur the manual box for my own car which is good so the wife cant drive it.

[transam]

Autos are great for the wife or city driving, most old people prefur a auto.

I do have two automatic cars both have been great but only bought them so the wife could drive them, I prefur the manual box for my own car which is good so the wife cant drive it.

Perhaps older folk are wiser and don't see the point of wrestling with a stick all day.

[guzzi850m2]

Also if I am not mistaken most Thais prefer auto, so when selling easier too.

[Naam]

Autos are great for the wife or city driving, most old people prefur a auto.

I do have two automatic cars both have been great but only bought them so the wife could drive them, I prefur the manual box for my own car which is good so the wife cant drive it.

Perhaps older folk are wiser and don't see the point of wrestling with a stick all day.

and older people don't like "fur on the box". they consider it unhygienic

[WarpSpeed]

I cant wait to get away from them. Great in City traffic,but for Mountain Blasts,and Open Road Sporty driving their no fun. A Personal Choise.:jap:P.S They have never made one yet i haven't broken.

I love a manual in the city too, while everyone else is waiting for their autos to kick in to a passing gear to change lanes or something mine is just point and squirt, I love it, can anticipate openings and no hesitation like the autos, get to a light and once stopped, no brakes, just relax, rolling is bit of a PITA when traffic is neither stopped nor moving well but it's good, cheap exercise and keeps your legs in good condition and your blood flowing to your legs which is important while sitting a lot like........... Driving for example..

[WarpSpeed]

Autos are great for the wife or city driving, most old people prefur a auto.

I do have two automatic cars both have been great but only bought them so the wife could drive them, I prefur the manual box for my own car which is good so the wife cant drive it.

Perhaps older folk are wiser and don't see the point of wrestling with a stick all day.

That's one way of justifying it .. I'd rather like to say that older people just don't see the point ....Which is why I'll never get that old.

Edited August 15, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[transam]

I cant wait to get away from them. Great in City traffic,but for Mountain Blasts,and Open Road Sporty driving their no fun. A Personal Choise.:jap:P.S They have never made one yet i haven't broken.

I love a manual in the city too, while everyone else is waiting for their autos to kick in to a passing gear to change lanes or something mine is just point and squirt, I love it, can anticipate openings and no hesitation like the autos, get to a light and once stopped, no brakes, just relax, rolling is bit of a PITA when traffic is neither stopped nor moving well but it's good, cheap exercise and keeps your legs in good condition and your blood flowing to your legs which is important while sitting a lot like........... Driving for example..

Sounds like you haven't driven an auto ride in a very long time.

[WarpSpeed]

I cant wait to get away from them. Great in City traffic,but for Mountain Blasts,and Open Road Sporty driving their no fun. A Personal Choise.:jap:P.S They have never made one yet i haven't broken.

I love a manual in the city too, while everyone else is waiting for their autos to kick in to a passing gear to change lanes or something mine is just point and squirt, I love it, can anticipate openings and no hesitation like the autos, get to a light and once stopped, no brakes, just relax, rolling is bit of a PITA when traffic is neither stopped nor moving well but it's good, cheap exercise and keeps your legs in good condition and your blood flowing to your legs which is important while sitting a lot like........... Driving for example..

Sounds like you haven't driven an auto ride in a very long time.

Yeah, at least a year or 2? Have they changed that much already??

I forgot to include that a manual is much better for these small bore under powered engines to give them much better performance and response.

I see a turn coming I go down a gear or two and go through in the gear I choose, no autos allow you to anticipate like a manual except high end cars such as Ferrari as only one example and when you do have one that you can do that with the tranny is still not as strong and has to allow it to slip some to prevent it from failing or over locking.

Edited August 15, 2011 by WarpSpeed

[Naam]

WarpSpeed: I love a manual in the city too, while everyone else is waiting for their autos to kick in to a passing gear...

your experience seems to be based on driving that 1951 model you owned many rainy seasons ago and who's warp core was defective

modern automatics switch much faster than you can move your tired arms and feet! not to talk about the six-speed auto gearboxes already available (Porsche, BMW, Audi and Mercedes) and the seven-speed to be presented next month at the fair in Frankfurt :jap:

[Gary A]

My Ford Focus has the paddle shift and it is OK but I much prefer a manual. Even my Thai wife prefers the manual transmission. I may feel differently if I lived in Bangkok but I don't and if I did, I wouldn't own a car or truck.

[wandrinstar]

Auto wasn't available for Non Hi So Thais , hence most Thai Ladies are Handy with Manual. Then it became a Must Have.The long movement to engage First in Trucks caused many short Ladies to fall off the Seat. So there was a need to Fit the Fortuna with Auto. Apart from sounding terrible the Spotivo Box works well. In My Rage Rover Sport i use manual side mainly,except in the Town or Drinking Beer whilst driving. When i get back to the Bkk Office i use a City with a manuall box, A SUPER Small Car..

[snarky66]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

[thaicruze]

Most of these automatics now come with a "manual mode".

In my Honda City, I had a button that said "7 speed mode" and I could press buttons to change the gear , or the car would change the gear by itself.

Now my Cruze has from P-D (no 2 or L) and you push the handle to the left and you can push up or down to change the gear. So, if I'm going up a steep hill, I just push it to the left and shift down to 1.

I would never own a manual transmission car though. Way too much work.

Edited August 15, 2011 by thaicruze

[katabeachbum]

I cant wait to get away from them. Great in City traffic,but for Mountain Blasts,and Open Road Sporty driving their no fun. A Personal Choise.:jap:P.S They have never made one yet i haven't broken.

I love a manual in the city too, while everyone else is waiting for their autos to kick in to a passing gear to change lanes or something mine is just point and squirt, I love it, can anticipate openings and no hesitation like the autos, get to a light and once stopped, no brakes, just relax, rolling is bit of a PITA when traffic is neither stopped nor moving well but it's good, cheap exercise and keeps your legs in good condition and your blood flowing to your legs which is important while sitting a lot like........... Driving for example..

Sounds like you haven't driven an auto ride in a very long time.

Yeah, at least a year or 2? Have they changed that much already??

I forgot to include that a manual is much better for these small bore under powered engines to give them much better performance and response.

I see a turn coming I go down a gear or two and go through in the gear I choose, no autos allow you to anticipate like a manual except high end cars such as Ferrari as only one example and when you do have one that you can do that with the tranny is still not as strong and has to allow it to slip some to prevent it from failing or over locking.

a dsg box like in Fiesta, provides less fuel consumption than manual gear/clutch, thus more efficient

and it shifts faster than you and me

been a manual driver since I started using my mums car at age of 16, but with modern dsg tech I do not see the point of manual any more. Neither does Ferrari

as for OPs question, I am not fond of the cvt autos, feels od with engine at same rpm most of the time, but as they are cheap I do see the point in them. Cvt are also very comfy, no noticable shift point. Try a Nissan Teana 2,5 V6 cvt for a smooth experience

[transam]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

Not about HP in an auto truck, it's about low RPM torque. My auto Vigo at the stop light drags see's off EVERY manual truck, no question, never been beat. Some here are blinkered in their macho madness.

Mr & Mrs average cannot shift as quick as a modern auto, period. Slush boxes are a thing of the past.

[Naam]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

yeah right! real men who live by the beliefs of yesteryear when they were boys and possess a wealth of "no technical knowledge"

[transam]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

yeah right! real men who live by the beliefs of yesteryear when they were boys and possess a wealth of "no technical knowledge"

How true. Perhaps playing with their knobs continues in their rides eh.

[Shocktreatment]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

Not about HP in an auto truck, it's about low RPM torque. My auto Vigo at the stop light drags see's off EVERY manual truck, no question, never been beat. Some here are blinkered in their macho madness.

Mr & Mrs average cannot shift as quick as a modern auto, period. Slush boxes are a thing of the past.

Must be that super HP chip you have and your wealth of driving skill,

[wandrinstar]

Most of these automatics now come with a "manual mode".

In my Honda City, I had a button that said "7 speed mode" and I could press buttons to change the gear , or the car would change the gear by itself.

Now my Cruze has from P-D (no 2 or L) and you push the handle to the left and you can push up or down to change the gear. So, if I'm going up a steep hill, I just push it to the left and shift down to 1.

I would never own a manual transmission car though. Way too much work.

So it needs Manual for steep hills you say. You push down to the left and shift down.Not very Auto is it !!.Small engines do struggle,more so with a full tank , luggage and full passenger compliment . V8 Rules

[Shocktreatment]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

yeah right! real men who live by the beliefs of yesteryear when they were boys and possess a wealth of "no technical knowledge"

The autos are great for a family/city car but for fun in small diesel performances truck forget the autos they arent yet up to the task and can not take the torque or abuse a stick will.

[transam]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

Not about HP in an auto truck, it's about low RPM torque. My auto Vigo at the stop light drags see's off EVERY manual truck, no question, never been beat. Some here are blinkered in their macho madness.

Mr & Mrs average cannot shift as quick as a modern auto, period. Slush boxes are a thing of the past.

Must be that super HP chip you have and your wealth of driving skill,

The cheap chip raised low RPM torque from 363 to 400 ft/lbs torque. Cool eh.

Driving skill, nooooooooo, don't have that. Well, l don't think so, but my range of UK driving licenses perhaps say's l do.

[transam]

Auto in a car fine. In a pick-up never.

Agree with Gary A.

I am not willing to give up the horsepower a slushbox wastes. Real men drive sticks.

yeah right! real men who live by the beliefs of yesteryear when they were boys and possess a wealth of "no technical knowledge"

The autos are great for a family/city car but for fun in small diesel performances truck forget the autos they arent yet up to the task and can not take the torque or abuse a stick will.

Total nonsense.