[tarunchoudhary]

I would love an automatic for the ease of driving in traffic, but an automatic is just so boring if you are an enthusiast.. The way the gearbox dictates your driving experience is just so annoying.. Plus the hit on FE.

[Vigkey]

I am deeply worried how some of the "enthusiasts" consider AT-lovers as lesser beings and non-enthusiasts. I majorly drive a Petrol MT and have always driven a MT (at least in cars). To be frank, driving is serious fun especially in the hills and twisties. But in the City, I always yearn to get the convenience of an AT. The bumper to bumper drives in 1st and 2nd gears with a lot of clutch involved in the driving, AT would have been so good. However, my next car might also be a manual because none of the AT cars in my budget excites me.

Coming to my point of view, I never felt that the AT drivers are any less enthusiastic. If only pushing the machine to its limits and experiencing it in the track is considered enthusiastic - 99% of Indians can NEVER be auto enthusiasts. IMO, enthusiasm is not dependent on what we drive, but how we drive. The attitude of the driver matters the most.

As a forum, we should be receptive to views and respect each one's choice. To consider that an AT lover can only be sedate and that he cannot push his car to its limits and all other views does not seem to suit the character of this forum. IMO, many posts have bordered being offensive.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by Vigkey

As a forum, we should be receptive to views and respect each one's choice. To consider that an AT lover can only be sedate and that he cannot push his car to its limits and all other views does not seem to suit the character of this forum. IMO, many posts have bordered being offensive.

That is precisely what I am advocating. Several users are acting oblivious to the joys of a Manual, that does not however mean that there are none. Just as I am admitting it is more convenient to own an automatic and it will do 95% of what one will be able to achieve with a manual, it would also be nice if instead of looking down or passing snarky comments on the folks who advocate the joys of a manual, these people actually tried to see what it is all about. I am not saying to be an enthusiast you must fit a certain criteria. However, why not see what it is all about? That way we can all see the benefits of both sides of the coin instead of acting all high and mighty and completely dismissing the strengths of a manual box

[thehighwayman]

I was always curious as to how would an AT car fare on the hilly terrains of lets say Leh or Sikkim. Will it be as effective as an MT car?

[varunanb]

Originally Posted by thehighwayman

I was always curious as to how would an AT car fare on the hilly terrains of lets say Leh or Sikkim. Will it be as effective as an MT car?

Ive taken my car to most of the hill stations in TN. Difficult of them was Kolli hills with around 70 hairpin bends and steep climbs. The AT box gave the right gear every time and it was never out of breath. Roads were decent all the way. My friend in a manual Swift had sore knees and back by the time we reached top.

Apart from the altitude the terrein in any hills should be similar. So, my Civic with AT box should not have any problem except where roads are non existent.

Only grouse was the crome console near the gear lever becomes hot. Nothing much. This gets hotter even in stop go traffic. The car doesnt behave differently.

This is my car and cannont comment on other automatics.

[Carpainter]

Personally I feel normal CVT/AMTs are somewhat boring to drive. Advanced autos like DSG are special but have reliability concerns. Yet I considered it (Polo GT TSI) when I was in the market few months back but finally decided to get Honda City and stayed with the manual.

In our road condition, autobox can be an essential component for a large number of buyers in near future but I still believe that they will have to be efficient as well as reliable to succeed in our market.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by thehighwayman

I was always curious as to how would an AT car fare on the hilly terrains of lets say Leh or Sikkim. Will it be as effective as an MT car?

You will surprised how well AT cars fare on hills. They fare better than same size MTs and you will race up the hill faster. Don't believe it? Try it.

[shamanth]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

You will surprised how well AT cars fare on hills. They fare better than same size MTs and you will race up the hill faster. Don't believe it? Try it.

Yes, you will enjoy a lot while driving in hills, its difficult to beat an AT while driving in hills for longer duration.

Also Automatic car will be great advantage when you have decent amount of traffic in single lane highways. You can avoid changing gears for 1000 times.

Last but not least, in city you wont get angry on someone who brake in-front of you or cuts traffic in-front of you. You don't have to shift gears down and up again. Just brake and go..

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by thehighwayman

I was always curious as to how would an AT car fare on the hilly terrains of lets say Leh or Sikkim. Will it be as effective as an MT car?

I had a similar question - would my Astar AT climb up the supposedly steep Masinagudi (36) hairpin bends to Ooty? (or was it designed to tackle only "civilized mountains"). Happy to report that it easily climbed the hills. Make sure you keep it in a lower gear and understand how it works (I had never used an automatic on hills before, so had to read the manual, D - allows gears 1 to 4 (all gears), D3 allows 1 to 3, D2 allows 1 to 2 and L locks it in 1st.)

[Rahul Rao]

Originally Posted by thehighwayman

I was always curious as to how would an AT car fare on the hilly terrains of lets say Leh or Sikkim. Will it be as effective as an MT car?

They actually climb better than manuals, but some do not have engine braking and make you run extra cautious while descending.
A friction clutch in manuals only slips to prevent engine stalling, but when a torque converter in a auto slips it actually multiplies torque, even in sedans you get about 50% more output torque than input torque with a slip of 1.65:1, but SUV's and buses have converters with high multiplication, that used in Rexton, Fortuner, etc give you more than twice the output torque, while the Allison converters in low floor city Buses can give you an output more than 2.5 times the input.

Originally Posted by mvadg

I had a similar question - would my Astar AT climb up the supposedly steep Masinagudi (36) hairpin bends to Ooty? (or was it designed to tackle only "civilized mountains"). Happy to report that it easily climbed the hills. Make sure you keep it in a lower gear and understand how it works (I had never used an automatic on hills before, so had to read the manual, D - allows gears 1 to 4 (all gears), D3 allows 1 to 3, D2 allows 1 to 2 and L locks it in 1st.)

You do not have to keep low gear while climbing but have to do so while descending to keep speed in control and avoid burning your brakes.

Rahul

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by mvadg

I had a similar question - would my Astar AT climb up the supposedly steep Masinagudi (36) hairpin bends to Ooty? (or was it designed to tackle only "civilized mountains"). Happy to report that it easily climbed the hills. Make sure you keep it in a lower gear and understand how it works (I had never used an automatic on hills before, so had to read the manual, D - allows gears 1 to 4 (all gears), D3 allows 1 to 3, D2 allows 1 to 2 and L locks it in 1st.)

Since you brought this up, let me narrate mine. I own an A-Star AT, too. Anyone who knows my city, there is a very steep hill called Kailasgiri on beach road. The last leg of hairpin bends uphill is very very steep and my li'l A-Star AT with 5 up (repeat 5 up) AND aircon on, charged up the slope in D. I saw other MT hatchbacks struggling. I did this just for the heck of testing the car. In MT when speed increases and you have to change to 2nd, the minute you enter the process of changing gear, the car slows down and you slot back in 1st again. AT, even torque converter changes gears in spilt second.

[sun_king]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

<snip>
In MT when speed increases and you have to change to 2nd, the minute you enter the process of changing gear, the car slows down and you slot back in 1st again. AT, even torque converter changes gears in spilt second.

You described a clumsy gear shift probably executed by a novice. This is not how experienced drivers shift gears, there is a little bit of planning and and optimization. If it is found that we may slow down, we probably will delay the upshift.

And this is one of the differences. A competent MT driver can plan ahead and drive adapting to to the road dynamics. The AT can only respond. It can be argued that timed lifting can invoke gear changes, but that is just an ersatz shifting. The aforementioned planning comes instinctively and requires no great exertions from the ones who are comfortable with Manuals. It is part of the joy!

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by sun_king

You described a clumsy gear shift probably executed by a novice. This is not how experienced drivers shift gears, there is a little bit of planning and and optimization. If it is found that we may slow down, we probably will delay the upshift.

And this is one of the differences. A competent MT driver can plan ahead and drive adapting to to the road dynamics. The AT can only respond. It can be argued that timed lifting can invoke gear changes, but that is just an ersatz shifting. The aforementioned planning comes instinctively and requires no great exertions from the ones who are comfortable with Manuals. It is part of the joy!

I was referring to changing gears up a steep gradient. I'm an MT driver, too. Not that i'm new to MT cars. In fact, I grew up on diet of variety of MT cars. It is AT cars that I'm new to. On a very steep gradient you need to over-rev to make up for the lost time in changing gears, now this over-revving doesn't speed the car up. Only all-buzzy sound, if petrol, and lot of black smoke, if diesel. Not a very pleasant experience or sight. Not just a novice, an experienced driver will experience it, too. There is no way we can match machines when it comes to a few things. Even torque converter shifts up a gradient lightning fast. This is what makes AT feels faster up the slope, as explained by some other users in above posts. I'm not the only one who feels that way.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

...
There is no way we can match machines when it comes to a few things.
...

I read this, just when I was thinking of clutchless shifting and thought to myself, somebody must have automated it by now! And here it is:

http://flatshifter.com/technical/

...
when a pre-set amount of force has been applied to the gear lever. The control unit momentarily ‘kills’ the engine by disconnecting the ignition coils or fuel injection, removing the torque from the gearbox and allowing the gears to move, giving a virtually instant gear shift.

The control unit then re-connects the supply allowing the engine to run again. The kill time is typically around 60ms but may be adjusted on the control unit. The control unit also has a 250ms lockout time immediately after the kill time to prevent multiple triggering caused by bumpy road surfaces or friction in the gear linkage. Shifts can be made smoothly and quickly at part or full throttle.


By operating the gear lever in the downshifting direction, the patented throttle blip system allows a smooth downshift to be made at all speeds without the need for a slipper clutch...

I want this for my dream car, no, wait, I'll go with a Tesla.

[vivriti]

MT enthusiasts seem to have the idea that there is only one way to enjoy driving. It is like saying sprinting is the only way to enjoy while marathon, walking, jogging are all waste.

Many of us just enjoy driving our vehicles around relaxedly and also enjoy the sights or just the journey itself without bothering about optimum rpm.