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If you are all driving automatics look out for lots of parking accidents - unless you use left-foot braking of course!
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If you are all driving automatics look out for lots of parking accidents - unless you use left-foot braking of course!
And don't forget to use Npower "Advanced Ion" electricity.
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I get WhatCar every month and the new cars all seem to be either hybrid or full electric models.All of these cars, by their very nature, are automatics so does this mean that slowly manuals are going to disappear?
Do you think the manufacturers will produce a manual version of an electric car?
I know it doesn't need it but you can't beat stirring a manual gear box on a twisty road.
Not sure about any others, but having looked at the Suzuki Swift and Ignis recently i know that the (mild) hybrid versions of both (surprisingly) are manual only.
But ignoring the 'full hybrid' and electric factor, far more new cars sold have two pedals than used to be the case. The difference for cars up to the size of a Golf is maybe not as big, but it is the case for pretty much everything else.
Picking out one car in particular (because i was reading an article about it the other day), the 'new' (just a facelift really) Jaguar F-Type won't be available with a manual gearbox at all. The pre-facelift version was, but only 7 buyers opted for it in 2019!. If buyers are not interested in changing gears themselves on one of them (a sports car), you can't really blame car manufacturers for not wanting to bother. The new Renault Alpine, lauded by the motoring press as being one of, if not the best drivers cars currently available at any price, is not available as a manual, only a DCT. Porsche did do away with manual boxes for a while on the 911, but due to consumer demand it has been given a reprieve on some models.
Wouldn't bother me in the slightest if manuals are done away with though, i prefer auto.
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Depends if so many people continue to rent (whatever term is used) their cars long term as against buy them outright with a view to long term ownership.
As above massive economic problems are coming, with worsening national economic prospects for every day people are kept under house arrest measures, not many new cars will be sold in the forseeable whatever the drivetrain, there simply won't be the money to spare when keeping roofs over heads will be the priority for many who arn't being paid to sunbathe and the many who won't have any job when this is over.
Edited by gordonbennet on 25/04/2020 at 21:09
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The financial impact of covid-19 is going to be colossal. Governments are having to borrow huge sums of money to tackle the crisis, businesses will fail, many people will lose their jobs and taxes will have to be increased. Life will not go back to the way things were.
One result of this will be the need for simpler, cheaper and more efficient vehicles. I don't think any of the car manufacturers that survive will be considering adding any unnecessary complications.
To you and me, yes. However the "Green" movement will demand ever more complex vehicles to try and stop the natural cycles of the sun, and from a GDP point of view, fixing cars that keep breaking with money conjured up from nothing and added to a bank balance sheet is positive.
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However the "Green" movement will demand ever more complex vehicles to try and stop the natural cycles
Can't stop the natural cycles of the sun.
Thankfully climate change is not caused by them...and can be sorted out...just need to get people to not get all their scientific knowledge from Donald Trump.
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The sun has no effect on Earth's climate?
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The sun has no effect on Earth's climate?
The sun has an affect on the climate.
The extreme changes in weather caused by man are separate from the natural varying sun.
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The extreme changes in weather caused by man are separate from the natural varying sun.
Big if true. Got any proof?
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the "Green" movement will demand ever more complex vehicles to try and stop the natural cycles of the sun,
My understanding of the green position is that they want people to keep the cars they already have for longer so as to reduce the pollution caused by vehicle manufacture.
As for automatics, about 85% of vehicles sold here in Australia are automatics and many people only have automatic licences. Fleets will only buy autos because many of their staff cannot drive manuals.
It is becoming harder to sell manuals and even car thieves don't take manuals. A few years ago some car jackers in Melbourne threw the keys back at the owner when they found his car was manual.
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I was looking to change my car and SWMBO reckoned that we should once the CV is over.
Lock down means I have not been out at all in 4 weeks. No reason to g out as my son brings in "food parcels" twice a week.
My thoughts are not to buy
1) Doing next to no miles and no real prospect of going anywhere anytime soon
2) Have you seen the "new car prices" ? - Subaru put £5,000 on each car in January
cars you thought about have had a mild face life / new model & the prices have leapt.
£30K bought a "nice car" - now it can still buy a nice car BUT it will be a model size down or the bottom of the range rather than the best specification.
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It is becoming harder to sell manuals and even car thieves don't take manuals. A few years ago some car jackers in Melbourne threw the keys back at the owner when they found his car was manual.
Criminals going mainstream, re- joining dumbed down society.
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Last year I changed to an auto (I have had a couple many years ago) having driven a manual for the past 15 years.
I was suddenly struck by how pointless a manual gearbox was:
- there may have been some justification in the past when economy, complexity and performance were seriously blunted in a conventional auto
- I tend to drive fairly sedately - but with traffic volumes at normal levels there is little chance to exploit any manual performance advantage (Sunday morning blast on B roads aside!")
- and many autos now perform similarly to their manual equivalents.
The only possible reason for a manual for most people (serious 4X4 etc aside) is in satisfying the illusion that the driver is somehow in control, and improving the driving experience.
Personally I will not buy a manual in future. And far from being investments, many who take the driving test will go for an auto only licence reducing the market for full fat manuals in the future.
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Similar experience to Terry W. Have had two automatics in the past. A Honda Accord and an Audi 100. Both petrol and company cars foisted on me to run out the leases. Both surprisingly good and easy to drive. Always reverted to manuals though. 2017 I changed to an auto and I really enjoy it. At 70mph it shows below 2000 revs in top gear (8 speed box). No parking problems even without recourse to left foot braking!! Don't know what the future holds for the motor industry or wider economy but I think autos are making headway and will be the norm before too long.
Cheers Concrete
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If you are all driving automatics look out for lots of parking accidents - unless you use left-foot braking of course!
Its left foot braking that causes a majority of parking accidents in auto's, when drivers are "surprised" they tend to press down instantly with both feet (like you would in a manual) and suddenly you find yourself going very fast and in the panic never think of lifting off the accelerator. But after a second or so it would be too late anyway.
Back in February we had a Volvo XC40 on a 2 day test drive. It was the first auto I had driven for any length of time since about 1987 (excluding a couple of VAG DSG's we had for brief test drive when manuals were not available - hateful things) and we really liked it. Smooth, quiet, did not change gear needlessly and parking using the creep of the torque converter was easy just using the right foot.
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We have one of each, as SWMBO doesn't like automatics - and that suits me fine. Most of the time I'm very happy with the automatic (wet-clutch DSG - just as smooth as the TQ auto I had on the previous car); but sometimes it's good to have a manual to drive on the B-roads and lanes of rural Dorset.
I may be wrong but I can't see any market for a manual EV or PHEV. But the manual gearbox I think still has a short-term future up to 2035, esprcially with younger buyers. All of my four children - in their 30s and 40s - prefer manuals, as did I when I was their age.
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Good point Avant. An automatic is looked upon as an older persons preference. I changed because an auto suits my driving style. Fairly laid back using my forward thinking and vision to anticipate problems as opposed to reacting. More relaxing. Learned over the years that dashing around like a lunatic does little for your blood pressure, vehicle or wallet, so slow down a bit and see whats happening around you.Probably a trait for the older person too.
Cheers Concrete
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An automatic is looked upon as an older persons preference.
Not sure i'd agree with that. My first experience of automatic cars came when i was 18 and working at a Saab dealer. If i could have afforded any Saab at the time, i would have gone for an auto. Neither of my sons (18 and 22) drive, and while i have not discussed it with the eldest, i have with the younger one. He says that when he does start learning to drive, he will do so in a manual. Because doing so will mean he can drive either and as he is studying drama, it is unlikely he will be in a position to afford anything more than £2k, so being able to drive either will give him much more choice. He would, ultimately, prefer manual out of the two though. The youth of today are much more interested in their mobile phones than in cars, driving is something to be endured simply to get from a to b, preferably with as little effort as possible. In fact i'd go as far as saying that i really believe when self driving cars are a reality, most younger drivers will take that option, so there will be no possibility of them missing something vitally important on social media!.
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An automatic is looked upon as an older persons preference.
may have been years ago but not now, a lot of people like or prefer Autos, though when EVs take off they wont need a gearbox as the rev range will have the torque throughout the range not to need a gearbox including really good braking
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An automatic is looked upon as an older persons preference.
may have been years ago but not now, a lot of people like or prefer Autos, though when EVs take off they wont need a gearbox as the rev range will have the torque throughout the range not to need a gearbox including really good braking
More people are choosing automatic now as its can be a more relaxed drive and with traffic levels especially in big cities it just makes life easier.
They're more responsive than they used to be and far more fuel efficient than previously. We have a manual and a auto and I much prefer the auto and once the old manual car dies (its 10 years old and not showing any signs yet) will be replaced by a automatic.
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In my ( not entirely humble ) opinion, if you have a little revvy engine, get a manual every time, if you have a big torquey engine, get an auto.
My son's Aygo really suits being a manual and is great fun to rock around the box, my E Class estate suits being an auto and a place of calm.
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In my ( not entirely humble ) opinion, if you have a little revvy engine, get a manual every time, if you have a big torquey engine, get an auto. My son's Aygo really suits being a manual and is great fun to rock around the box, my E Class estate suits being an auto and a place of calm.
Hmm, our Honda Jazz has a little revvy engine and it has a (stepped) CVT auto. I have not driven a manual Jazz with this engine, but i very much doubt it would be more fun to hussle than the CVT. The manual has 5 gears, the CVT has 7 'ratios', which is much better to get the most out of a very narrow power band. You can use sport mode, which hangs on to the revs longer, or use the paddles to change manually. I don't usually bother with either these myself as the CVT's reactions are so quick in D anyway. But it is a surprisingly quick combo provided you make full use of the revs (peak torque is 5000 rpm)!.
The only issue is cruising at motorway/dual carriageway speeds, where the lack of torque means the transmission can get very busy on hills. Much as i like the car, i do wonder why Honda didn't put the 1.0 3 pot turbo into the Jazz. This engine, with the CVT, would have made a much more relaxed machine in the above circumstances and (imo), would have made a better all round car than the short lived (in this country) 1.5 Sport.
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As part of your holiday preparation make sure that you check that your xxxx are up to date. Even popular holiday destinations can leave you with a life-threatening illness.
Edited by Avant on 30/04/2020 at 00:24
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As part of your holiday preparation make sure that you check that your [spam link] are up to date. Even popular holiday destinations can leave you with a life-threatening illness.
You again, with the same canned pork products. Berk.
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