[dzvero]

Just saw this on msn. Sad to see manuals disappearing

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/owner...YFp?li=BBnb7Kz

[Ric in RVA]

The real death knell will be the feds requiring automatic collision braking in the future.

You won't be able to come to a complete stop with a manual or be in the right gear if the car is automatically stopping.

Thus no more manual by law.

Not looking forward to the self driving car era at all......

[Red Bread]

Mazda switched to offering lots of safety tech on the manual Mazda 3 this year after previously offering it on the automatic only. All it takes for something like auto brakes is a way to essentially engage the clutch automatically, or just eject the shifter from gear.

Efficiency is really going to be the biggest factor. When I looked at the BRZ, the mileage was about 4mpg better for the auto. The GTI is about 2. But it will continue to get worse and fewer companies will want to take the hit to fleet averages.

But some cars, Miatas, 911's and Wranglers will fight the good fight for a long time to come.

[trey100]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Mazda switched to offering lots of safety tech on the manual Mazda 3 this year after previously offering it on the automatic only. All it takes for something like auto brakes is a way to essentially engage the clutch automatically, or just eject the shifter from gear.

Efficiency is really going to be the biggest factor. When I looked at the BRZ, the mileage was about 4mpg better for the auto. The GTI is about 2. But it will continue to get worse and fewer companies will want to take the hit to fleet averages.

But some cars, Miatas, 911's and Wranglers will fight the good fight for a long time to come.

Isn't the M3 DCT rated worse than the Manual?

I agree that on average the ratings are better for automatics, but I'm not sure if in the real world the results are as different as the official ratings.

My manual M3 gets 1 mpg better efficiency than my previous G37x automatic. With a 100 more HP and more aggressive driving in the M3. They were both rated 20 mpg overall. I also think the M3 (like my 335 6MT before) has too short of a 6th gear. If they made it longer I wouldn't be surprised if I gained about her mpg or 2 there alone.

Hopefully technology of engines can take the load off of the transmissions. It will be a sad day when they are gone for good.

[RM7]

Automatic transmissions use to be slower for fast/competitive driving. Now they are faster.

Automatic transmissions used to be less efficient as far as MPG. Now they are more efficient.

That's it.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by Ric in RVA

Not looking forward to the self driving car era at all......

I commute by bicycle. The number of people I see looking at phones or talking on them is absolutely staggering. People are literally dying to get self-driving cars. It's being "asked for" through our actions, on a massive scale.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

Automatic transmissions use to be slower for fast/competitive driving. Now they are faster.

Automatic transmissions used to be less efficient as far as MPG. Now they are more efficient.

That's it.

That and no one orders them anymore.

[fecurtis]

Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes

I commute by bicycle. The number of people I see looking at phones or talking on them is absolutely staggering. People are literally dying to get self-driving cars. It's being "asked for" through our actions, on a massive scale.

As a runner, I loathe you.

#ONYOURLEFT

[Sassicaia]

Dying because its a generational thing. Millennials would look at an automatic car like a VCR.

People who enjoy the engagement of driving a car are a dying breed.

[shay2nak]

maybe people are punks nowadays?

[longress]

The process was probably started due to vehicle emissions and fuel economy. When the computer wants you to shift the trans shifts no matter what lever you pull on.

[Jdub679]

Every time I drop my car off at BMW for service, all the porters always tell me how nice my car is. Finally I asked why - I mean, they see brand new M3's and M5's everyday. Because my car is a manual and I guess they don't see them very much anymore. True story.

Now if I can just find a manual Cayman..

[sygazelle]

This manual device is gone too


Kidding aside, I really miss driving manual. Did it for 20 years. But, the autos are so good now I'm not going back for a daily driver. A weekend car? That's another story.

[NickyC]

I hope the mindless drones with their faces forever stuck in some iDumbass gadget never buy another manual transmission car again. I hope the resale on all cars with a manual plummets, because then I can pick up dream cars for cheap the rest of my life.

No new car in the past almost ten years has really interested me much, I'm fine with what is available in a manual right now.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by NickyC

I hope the resale on all cars with a manual plummets, because then I can pick up dream cars for cheap the rest of my life.

Not a chance, look at for instance the price difference between a manual and dual clutch ferrari 599
the 29 people who opted for the manual made the investment of their life

[Red Bread]

Or just the resale of a 911R, even with it pretty clearly known that the 991.2 GT3 will offer a manual again.

[GuidoK]

^true, porsche managed to make it a very expensive and exclusive option if you look at the 911r price.
Marketing at its best (with most cars, the manual was the cheapest version)

[Gamb1t]

I am always tickled whenever our friends discovered my wife can drive manual. So many young people have no idea what to do with 3 pedals and a stick that doesn't read PRND.

Once can also think of the manual shifter as a theft deterrent!

People who view a driving to achieve a result will gravitate to automated transportation.
People who view a driving as a process will appreciate a more symbiotic relationship with the car.

I commute by bicycle. The number of people I see looking at phones or talking on them is absolutely staggering. People are literally dying to get self-driving cars. It's being "asked for" through our actions, on a massive scale.

BTW my commuter bike has an automatic hub. So good. But my weekend road bike is a regular brifter.

[MalibuBimmer]

DCT isn't a slushbox. It's essentially stick shift with an electronic clutch. For those of us geezers who find the clutch pedal a bit difficult it's a godsend.

Fuel mileage and performance with DCT should be better than with a stick, because shifting is more efficient. Electronics are quicker and more accurate than the left leg/foot.

[Red Bread]

DCT is an automated manual, the same thing a Hydraglide was. Two pedals = automatic, no matter how fancy.

And my commuter bike has one gear, like a Tesla.

[GuidoK]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

DCT is an automated manual, the same thing a Hydraglide was. Two pedals = automatic, no matter how fancy.

No, per definition when something else other than the driver decides what gear is selected, then its an automatic.
A DCT with flappy paddles is a semi-automatic with an automatic mode, and the flappy paddles on a zf 8 speed (slushbox) makes it a manumatic with automatic mode

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-a...c_transmission
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manumatic

But both are not manual gearboxes though. (and a DCT isnt an automated manual as it has twin clutches, but a SMG is)

For the layman this may seem the same but this is a car forum. No laymen here

[Red Bread]

Think of it like walking and riding a Segway. I've driven a manual thru LA and Dallas traffic for 27 years. It's not hard, as I don't really know any different. I've driven my wife's automatics, I tend to kick the shit out of the brake pedal at inopportune times.

No doubt that DCT's are faster, more efficient and more complex. I just don't want one, same as plenty of people don't want my Luddite transmission.

And to counter all that, I'm looking forward to fully automated cars. Most drivers are so poorly engaged now I'd welcome the chance to remove all of us from the dangerous game of commuting. Leave actual driving to back roads and race tracks.