[extreme_torque]

Voted "MT or AT depending on the car" - Been driving automatics for three years now and I cannot go back to a manual on my everyday drive. Not only are automatics more efficient, the newer gearboxes are pretty darn good when it comes to harnessing every last bit of performance from the engine. You cannot beat the launch of a traditional torque converter automatic from the traffic lights. That said if I was buying a weekend car, purely for driving enjoyment, I would always go manual for the sheer thrill of the performance and driving enjoyment. For mundane grocery runs and work commute, automatics are the way to go.

[meetraghav]

For me it depends on the car. The answer lies in sheer drivability itself. Drive an AT Celerio, City, Vento and you shall understand that you hate the celerio, like the City and love the Vento.
In fact, I am in the market for a new car and the first filter I applied is AT transmission though this would be the first AT in my home. The idea of pressing the brakes by the time I get through changing gears and coming to an optimum speed in city traffic is not a good thing to imagine again.
Two things I would like to discuss here are:

A. Are the DSG/DCT gearboxes still that unreliable? The DSG is purely addictive In my opinion and if I were not scared of the stories of Volkswagen failures in part failure/service, I would have picked the Vento TSI AT long back.
B. The second question arises out of the first itself. Considering that DCTs or specifically here DSGs are pretty fun to drive (slide into S, ah?), why do people miss Manuals over them so much?

[pnredkar]

Hi,

Voted for "MT or AT depending on the car" as it closely represents my situation. I personally drive a manual Vento and was a MT only person till about 2 years ago. This was completely based on hearsay, as I had not driven any AT until then.

It was then that my wife had learned to drive and we were contemplating a small car for her. Somewhere along the way we decided to include automatics and eventually it was automatic only for her. Then I test-drove all sorts of ATs - AMT, Torque-converter, CVT and Dual-clutch and my opinion started changing. We finally bought a AMT Wagon-R for her.

On long drives, I wish that she would share some of my driving load and she would, if it were an automatic. Now though I enjoy driving a manual, I am contemplating replacing my 5 year Vento with a C+/D segment automatic. That's a gist of why I voted the way I did.

[amtak]

I have moved on from an era of 5 speed manual gearboxes to 6 speed DCT gearbox. I thoroughly enjoy the drive in my AT and just for the kicks, sometimes, switch the mode to sports for changing the gears manually.

Having said that, the biggest influence on why I shifted from manual to AT is our traffic conditions. I thought it was time to pay attention to body and not tire it too much in stop go traffic.

[jatinbindra]

I voted for "MT or AT depending on the car" based on the current experience that I have.
Most of my driving happens in Bangalore city where traffic conditions are getting worse by the day. AT gives a lot of convenience and is not hard on your body too. But according to me, it does lack that power when you need it the most for eg. during overtakes.

Driving an MT, is still fun especially when you need to overtake and having that control on the car and the engine power let's you do that. The downside is, its does take a toll on your body, especially after hours and hours of pressing that clutch pedal.

So, it all comes down to power and control vs ease of driving.

[blackwasp]

Voted for MT or AT depending on the car.

For city driving - I will prefer any automatic, even AMT will do.

For everything else, it will be MT for sure. In the age of electronics, there is no reason to put so much trust in electronics. That said, I'm pretty sure that the next generation will never get a chance to enjoy the joys of driving on the red line, aggressive upshifts, etc. Most autoboxes are very conservatively tuned. The DSGs are nicer of them, but still not as good as the MT.

My dad has already declared that the next car in the family must be an automatic or come with a full time driver! I'm guessing 4-5 years down the line we will have AT cars everywhere with only the enthusiasts opting for MT. This change is happening even in the fleet segment. I know a couple of fleet operators who are slowly welcoming the ATs in their fleets - can you believe it? Crysta AT, Ameo DSG, Dzire AMT to name a few cars with them.

[ashis89]

I belong to the minority that still believes in MT. I believe AT takes away the fun from a car which is derived from the control over clutch and GB. The Clutch + GB makes it more lively and involving. It is for the same reason that I hate the Activa back at home and still miss my Pulsar. For me, driving makes me happy and relaxes me. My daily route is 11 km one way through moderate to dense traffic. And yet, I look forward to the drive back home after a long day in office as it gives peace.

My experience with ATs is extremely limited - Santro AT, City CVT, Baleno CVT, Merc GLA 200d and Audi Q3. Have driven or been driven around these. Even driving a premium car like the Q3 and GLA with bigger engines with one of the best ATs and paddle shifters couldn't make me appreciate the technology and I felt bored/disconnected, just like my Activa.

Traffic is the main reason we are moving towards automatics. Back in 2011, I moved from Bhubaneswar to Hyderabad and after 3 months, I moved to Bangalore. Out of these 3 cities, I could clearly see a much higher number of automatic cars (lots of Hyundai and Maruti auto models) on Bangalore roads. The traffic conditions there, were slowing deteriorating back then and people were getting ready to pay more (in terms of fuel bills) for convenience and mental peace. I was sure the demand for automatics was going to grow multi-fold and people from other cities will also follow suit.

Today, Hyderabad (my current city) is where Bangalore was in 2013. Other smaller cities will catch up soon. As a result, automatic scooters have been enjoying increasing demand growth Y-o-Y and all the OEM manufacturers are adding automatic cars to their portfolio.
I know I might be forced to drive an automatic few years down line,but that can only be due to health reasons and nothing else. I will still keep a manual to keep me happy whenever I want to enjoy my drive.

[GTO]

Whoa! Poll is a sign of the times indeed.

37% of BHPians will buy only an Automatic. 49% are open to ATs (depending on the car). Merely 14% insist on an MT. Sure is a bittersweet poll if I ever saw one.

Even if we take half the number of poll option 3 (dependent on car), it means 62% of petrolheads will buy ATs. What a change the last decade has been.

No wonder that the maker of the ultimate driving machines - Ferrari - has abandoned manuals altogether. I remember a Porsche manager saying something on the lines of "people only talk of MTs - when it comes to buying, 99.99% of our customers select ATs".

My current garage has 2 MTs & 1 AT. Whatever happens, I will always have at least 1 MT parked down the house.

[vb-saan]

Originally Posted by GTO

No wonder that the maker of the ultimate driving machines - Ferrari - has abandoned manuals altogether. I remember a Porsche manager saying something on the lines of "people only talk of MTs - when it comes to buying, 99.99% of our customers select ATs".

That’s indeed the case with almost all high-end cars or even a wave below them. Even those purist dream brands like BMW or Alfa Romeo are largely prioritizing on AT. I won’t be surprised if the likes of BMW M cars do away with MT completely in near future.

[Waspune]

Voted for MT. I know with the growing traffic in the cities AT has become the new choice but still I would love/prefer a MT over AT any day as I want to be the sole driver of the car without taking any help from the electronics.

Having said that , the MT cars on their way to extinction which is what the poll also suggests. I would love to drive a manual till the last breed of MT cars are available.

[KarthikK]

Voted for MT/AT depending on the car (and the box).
After more than a decade with manual stick shifts, I grudgingly moved to the world of automatics when I picked up a pre-worshiped BMW 320D E90 last year and before I got used to that idea of driving a pure automatic, just like other manual box fans, kept ranting to myself on how I 'wouldn't have control over the box anymore' and would be at the mercy of the car's brain.

One year and 10,000km of roadtrips later, I have to say I appreciate the flexibility of having a good automatic gearbox which is intuitive enough to quickly understand the changing inputs, both from me and the changing situation outside, and act accordingly. For pure kicks I always have the tiptronic mode to take manual control and have some fun blasting the car in the hills. In the city's traffic jams, it is a given that it is a breeze to drive compared to a manual box with a clutch.

I cannot say the same about my sister's Celerio AMT which is horribly jerky, takes ages to understand what I am trying to do, and goofs up very frequently. So, in the lower price bracket I would stick to a manual variant of the car because I don't see well-designed or engineered auto boxes yet, barring maybe the Brio AT. Also, if I were to buy a simple car for rough use in some remote area (say, a Thar or Omni), I would choose a manual for ease of maintenance.

To summarize, I would say it all depends on the segment I am choosing the car from and what purpose/location it will be used in. For well engineered European cars with intuitive gearboxes, an automatic won't make you miss the manual. For lower price segments, and rough usage, manuals would suit better in my opinion

[satishv1987]

I've never been a fan of ATs. I've driven the i10 AT, the Alto K10 AT. I found them lifeless and quite boring to drive. Those experiences further solidified my view that I would never be able to connect with a AT the way I do when I drive a car with a manual transmission.

All that changed when I drove the E250 last week. Man, what a car! The gear shifts were smoother than Hema Malini's cheeks. I dont think even the best driver in the world would be able to replicate that in a MT. Maybe my perspective is being skewed by the fact that the E250 was the first high end car I've ever driven. But I am no longer a MT fundamentalist

[jensjoseph]

I chose AT only.

I dont have an AT now, but I have driven quite a few ATs till date while owning an MT. I feel awkward for the first five minutes and then I'm comfortable. From then on, its just a lot less work more me and I'm much more free to engage in an active conversation without bothering about gear changes.

Add to that the number of options in ATs now, and I have decided to get an AT as my next car.

[rpunwani]

For me its AT all the way.

I have been using the Passat for 5 years now, the 6 speed DSG with Paddle Shifts & Sports Mode is super slick. IMHO, in a bigger vehicle, I would want either a DSG or ZF.

In a smaller vehicle, it does not matter whether its a Torque Converter or CVT. Would avoid the AMT as far as possible.

[Arjun Reddy]

Voted for only AT, being a Bangalored made my choice easy. Would not buy an AMT though.