[Caramba]

I had huge apprehensions while moving to an autobox, now there is no way I am going back. Granted the dsg in the octavia is not reputed to be reliable. But it is a whole load of fun. Once you get used to the paddles, you get the joy of a manual with the convenience of the automatic. For city driving there is simply no comparison.

[manmeetd]

I used to drive a red Figo 1.4 three years ago and now have an automatic Baleno. The Baleno is just so easy to drive inside the city, I lovingly compare it to the kinetic I used to ride when I was in school. I'm glad that I do not have to slot the lever between the 1st and the 2nd gears in traffic.

However, I do miss putting my Figo in the five gear and then downshifting to the 4th. Also, miss having my left hand always on the gear lever, ready to shift up and down on the open roads.

[NiInJa]

Since I don't qualify for a vote (never driven an AT car), I'll just tell my experience about automatic scooters. I used to ride my bike to office and during peak hours, fiddling with the clutch would frustrate me, then I took my dad's Jupiter (which has much better handling and suspension than the Dio ) and it changed my perspective about automatic scooters completely. I then test rode the NTorq just for the heck of it and found that the fun factor is there too. My next 'commuter' two wheeler is definitely doing to be a scooter now. Having said that, higher capacity bikes with manual shifting are more fun on open roads.

[Rahul_]

As many have already pointed out above that this question is heavily dependent on that tech of one's AutoGearBox.

A couple of years back while on a trip to the US I rented Lancer because had read so much about the car and had video-game memories of the car - Any time when the right foot got heavy the engine use to scream and actually the car didn't respond on the road as much and I would be shouting in my head - "Change gear, Please change gears !!!". It got so bad that I ended up replacing it with Jetta and has been my preferred one at rentals ever since if available.

Back at Bangalore when the traffic got much much worse (Read: Silkboard and ORR) and wife wanted to drive as well (she was used to auto scooters and argued - why should I change gears when they can change automatically !!) I ended up getting a DSG powered car which was a middle ground for comfort, drivability and affordability (couldn't afford any car with ZF-8 speed then). I have never actually looked back at driving a manual or never ever miss it at all. Actually, I thought I would use manual mode a lot, but honestly, its really been only about switching between drive and sport modes. I do miss paddle shifters with DSG on the Vento that I own.

[GS-R]

I Voted NO for this question. I am sure my Knees are thanking me as well for making the switch.

I had a smaller sports car Integra GS-R in the US with a sweet engine and a beautiful MT...but then after owning and driving BMW, Volvo and Skoda and their AT systems the new systems are phenomenal and driven the right way are very peppy with shifting as well.

And the biggest advantage is driving in the horrible horrible traffic and roads of Bangalore!

[wordsworth]

Some context - owned three cars which I have driven extensively. 2nd gen honda city & i20 CRDi and Hexa XTA.

Having a superbly tuned gearbox like in the Hexa (with sport mode, race car mode, tiptronics) doesn't make me miss MT of my earlier cars (both of which had great gear boxes). Smooth shifts and modes which help in overtaking / inclines goes to show how far a ATs have come. Plus owning a suv, the AT is a blessing and doesn't make me miss a MT.

However, few instances on weekends when you want to chuck a car and take all gear ratios to its extreme (with torque on the boil) makes me miss a MT. Thinking of a MT hatch to chuck around for a fun drive experience. On all other most occasions, almost never miss a MT.

[DudeWithaFiat]

I drive a manual so I cannot vote, but I have another question:

Do long time AT users lose their ability or fluency to drive an MT car? Do you get de-skilled?

[mvadg]

No!
I fell for this "pleasure of driving an MT" once, resolved, never again. Nothing like sailing past dense traffic with a torque converter AT gently bullying its way past the hesitation of those silly clutch and gear vehicles unable to decide whether to risk jumping ahead without control or stalling in the middle of traffic!

I still drive a manual once in a while and do enjoy the "pleasure of full control", but I'm not fool enough to fall for that for nonsense full time. You could say I've learnt my lesson and I know I'm a comfort loving creature. YMMV though.

[mvadg]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Do long time AT users lose their ability or fluency to drive an MT car? Do you get de-skilled?

It's like riding a bicycle. You never forget.

[reihem]

Voted NO.

The 6 speed auto in my Volvo is a dream to use, it was clearly designed to deal with the 177hp/400nm the engine spits out. Unlike many of my previous cars, slotting it into S isn't merely about manual override (which I found most use to save fuel by keeping revs low and not for "sport" at all), in this case slotting it into Sport makes the entire car behave differently.

My other car is electric and has just the one gear ! But then again her permanent magnet synchronous motor put out 136hp/395Nm from the get go, irrespective, so there is nothing more I can ask for !

[kamilharis]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Do you get de-skilled?

This is partially a myth actually. After driving the LHD + AT car abroad for month and years, then visiting India for 1 month vacation pushes me back to the RHD + MT combo. Yes it takes a day or two to adjust from the LHS to RHS, apart from that things are pretty much fine regards to the AT to MT switching.

[roy_libran]

Originally Posted by DudeWithaFiat

Do long time AT users lose their ability or fluency to drive an MT car? Do you get de-skilled?

Not at all! I have now been with AT's since 2013 and I find that when I slip into the seat of a MT car, somehow the presence of the clutch pedal seems to trigger muscle memory, thus manual shifting and clutching becomes a natural thing for me. This might also be because I owned a MT and AT vehicle concurrently for a long time.

Nowadays, I don't even want to own or drive a MT car on a regular basis unless it is MT for a purpose that an AT cannot fulfil. I started from a Ford DCT in 2013 and nowadays drive an AMT. One thing that is non negotiable for me though, is a manual over-ride for special circumstances. Moreover, I find old Torque-Convertors and CVT gearboxes painful.

[mug:mush]

Voted a No. Both my cars - Innova Crysta and Jazz are AT's. Use the Innova for highway travel and Jazz for bumper to bumper traffic. For my use case, I definitely do not miss the manual. The quality and technical competency of today's AT's are miles better than say, a decade old industry standard AT.

[ohaak]

With the XUV500, I have driven in highways, bad roads, ghats, slow traffic, etc. with the torque convertor automatic transmission and I have voted NO. My earlier XUV500 was a manual transmission. The journeys are easier with an AT and more importantly the AT is able to take whatever scenario I throw at it. I move the mode to manual for engine braking. Apart from playing with the clutch, manual transmission offers little. Perhaps for specific scenarios like off-roading, manual transmission would give an advantage, but that is not my use case.

The other car in my family - Polo GT TSI with the DCT is a fun machine. Manual transmission is not missed.

[RoadSurfer]

I am myself a hardcore MT guy transferred to an AT man. So much so that, when I advice anyone in my circle to buy AT car in their shortlisted ones, a few question me how this transformation has happened. All credit goes to the DQ250 in my Jetta. This lovely & reliable box matted to the powerful 2.0TDI has really changed the way I used to think of transmissions.
Yes I do miss a MT in my earlier favourite Ford Figo, but only on twisties. For all rest driving conditions, I would go and also suggest an AT (Dual clutch, Torque Converter and CVT in that order).