[Rodie09]

6 months into automatic now. Initially I missed it with my Safari XZA+. However, here you still get the option to satisfy your craving by upshifting using the stick in the manual mode. Yes, there is no clutch and you don't get manual downshifts, but you can have fun shooting off from a signal or from stationary once in a while. I am using the manual mode quite a few times in the ghaat sections as it puts the car in sports mode by default with more grunt and also gives more control and pleasure.

[NPV]

Last year, in April 2023 I finally had made up my mind to replace my trusty soon-to-be 15 year old Swift Dzire Vxi of 2009 vintage. I had decided on the Tata Harrier and though I was considering the automatic as an afterthought, none of the dealers had an automatic for a TD!

Purely from a manoeuvrability perspective, I thought it may well be worth taking the risk and live with any sluggishness or other shortcomings of the auto box (though many BHPian friends did assure me I won’t go wrong with that decision), I took the plunge and booked the XZA+ #Dark. Cut to now, it’s just 3 months short of a year of driving the car around covering about 8k km, I couldn’t be happier with my choice.

I recently drove a friends Jimny automatic 4x4 and this is what I said in another post (Is the Jimny a good choice to learn offroading?)

I was living in a make believe world thinking only manuals are for enthusiasts and very reluctantly switched to an automatic but I now realise how wrong I was, and this was one of the best decisions I made going against the mental block. I’m a total automatic convert now.

Edit: Latest feedback on my driving (our second car and city beater is the Wagon R ZXI) from wifey and daughter is that they’re convinced I can’t drive manuals anymore

[sameerpatel90]

I continue to favor manual transmissions (MTs) over automatic transmissions (ATs). Being employed in the automotive service sector, I believe the increasing congestion in urban traffic conditions makes opting for an AT a preferable choice, in my humble opinion.

I often advise many customers to opt for an AT rather than MT, and many concur, particularly those living in metropolitan areas.

Once someone loves manual transmission, that affection remains. The thrill of the adrenaline rush is unparalleled.

[jthomas]

Voted No.

Upgraded from Seltos 1.5 NA manual to Hycross Hybrid. The daily drive to office has become effortless. Also Hycross 2.0 engine with eCVT doesn't make one wanting for more power. Adequate power is always there at the tip of the accelerator.

[PrideRed]

If it’s just 1 car, then it would be AT by all means. However if you have multi car garage, I prefer having mix of AT and MT. For driving inside city though, irrespective of number of cars you own, AT any day. There is no fun shifting gears in traffic.

[bblost]

I picked up my Verna SX(O) DCT on October 31, 2023.
So far have clocked in a little over 6,000 kms.

When I got the automatic, it made a lot of my friends find it very amusing since I have always loved driving my manual cars.

The reason for the automatic was also my wife insisting on it. So that someday she will drive this car.

Now when anyone asks me for a car recommendation, I only suggest automatics.

Traffic is no longer a concern. The DCT is way better at changing gears on a consistent basis than any driver.

To be honest in my mid-40's this is actually making me enjoy my drive a lot more.

[harry10]

Voted No.
I switched over from Honda City diesel which was manual to Sonet D-AT. Couldn't have been happier. If you do lots of driving in NCR peak traffic you will understand the relaxation an automatic gives. Plus the combination of a good engine and gearbox makes it fun too. I am never switching back to manual for myself atleast.

[vamsi.vadrevu]

I voted yes. Missing my old MT gearbox from Alto K10.

Probably because I switched to a CVT (Nissan Magnite turbo CVT) from an Alto K10.

I realised I was missing the manual transmission a few weeks ago when I was coming back from railway station and I had taken my father's Alto K10 instead of my Magnite. I was more confident and assertive in the K10 while driving because of immediate and absolute control on the acceleration and deceleration with Alto K10s manual transmission.

It had been about 10 months and 7000km on Magnite CVT and I've realised that subconsciously my driving style had changed. Because of the slight delay between accelerator input and vehicle movement, my driving style changes when I'm driving the CVT. It's more relaxed and I don't go for every opening in the traffic. In fact, I'm forced to give way to a lot of 2 wheelers because I don't actively defend the space in front of my vehicle This obviously makes me a safer driver but sometimes it also makes it stressful because I'm having to compute the delay between accelerator input and vehicle movement in my driving.

On the Alto K10, when I drove it recently, it was such a "back to home" feeling, that I had forgotten how refreshingly quick it was and I realised it was because it was a manual. I had about 10 years or 75000km of driving experience on that Alto K10, which probably also makes it sort of like an extension of my own body when driving. And to add to that, it's such a small nimble and quick car, I hardly have to think or plan, I just point it into a gap and it closes closes the gap instantly on a slight throttle input. I realised I truly missed this aspect in my driving.

And the engine breaking was another factor. The CVT on the Magnite has very little engine braking. Perhaps, in the interest of fuel economy, the CVT switches to higher gear for low RPM I'm not sure, but I have to actively switch my right foot between accelerator and brake and this gets more tiring than operating the clutch and accelerator and brake in stop go traffic or crawling traffic.

Either that or I'm just a luddite and can't appreciate the convenience of a modern CVT. I just loved shifting the gears on the Alto. I had learnt driving in it. I spent countless hours perfecting the clutch control and made my own exercises for hill ascent. I'd take pride in smoothest gear shifts without any jerks. I think it was therapeutic. I learnt mechanical sympathy with that car. I could feel and tell what the tyres were doing and the suspension and even tyre pressure was evident if one tire was off in pressure. It is such a communicative car! Perhaps my love for the actual car is also affecting my objectivity in assessing the transmission.

I see most of the fellow bhpians don't miss their manual transmissions because they went with better auto gearboxes. May be the instant acceleration and engine braking are offered in dsg or torque converter.

[Noctis]

Got my first AT (DCT) over a decade ago and a few years later replaced my manual car with a second AT (CVT) for city use. Now this combo for CVT for slow city traffic and DCT for highway runs have worked extremely well for me and never really felt I'm missing out on anything.

And if there is an urge to try manual again I can always borrow a friends car, but options are slowly dwindling there as well with more of them going with ATs for their new cars.