Moved: Another manual vs Auto debate...

[martin_y]

DARN ! Auto :-(

[Beastlee]

Martin, there's nowt wrong with having an auto box in these cars.

[martin_y]

Hi jacking a "for sale " thread here, arent we?

Anyway, I confess, I have not driven an auto for ages, let alone a tiptronic.

But here goes anyway:

1)Manual is more fuel efficient.

2)On take off, I want an instant response, especially if I am ducking into a gap in the traffic. I remember driving a Toyota Cressida auto, flooring it, and then having to wait while the car decides when we should be going. All the while, the traffic was thundering down towards me! When you let the clutch out, its instantaneous!

3)Auto changes gear in the middle of a corner. Hey, just when I am on the limit, the last thing I want is the bloody gearbox changing for me, upsetting the whole balance of the car.

4)Auto changes when driving at a constant speed. Most irritating, but if I drive at a constant speed, lets say, 75. Autos have a tendency to occasionally go: 4,3,4,3,4,3,2,3,4 all in about 2 seconds, with passengers heads being jerked back and forth!

5) After a bit of research, the auto box seems to be a bit of a weakness on these cars.

6) I aspire to the days when motoring was an ART, so please dont take away another part of motoring and replace it with a machine.

7)REAL men can change gears! :-)

[miller]

Anyway, I confess, I have not driven an auto for ages, let alone a tiptronic.

Kinda blows your argument out of the water doesnt it really?




1)Manual is more fuel efficient..
Maybe, depends on YOUR style of driving.



2)On take off, I want an instant response, especially if I am ducking into a gap in the traffic. I remember driving a Toyota Cressida auto, flooring it, and then having to wait while the car decides when we should be going. All the while, the traffic was thundering down towards me! When you let the clutch out, its instantaneous!..
Dont forget TIP is available for this manouvre though i do think the box is quick enough especially if the INVECS has adapted to a 'quick' style



3)Auto changes gear in the middle of a corner. Hey, just when I am on the limit, the last thing I want is the bloody gearbox changing for me, upsetting the whole balance of the car.
Again if your driving on the limit TIP is there for these means.



4)Auto changes when driving at a constant speed. Most irritating, but if I drive at a constant speed, lets say, 75. Autos have a tendency to occasionally go: 4,3,4,3,4,3,2,3,4 all in about 2 seconds, with passengers heads being jerked back and forth
each gear has a high and low setting so you dont get these erratic changes, ie hi 5 low 5 hi 5 low five, almost un noticeable. Get a good auto and you wont notice any change whatsoever.



5) After a bit of research, the auto box seems to be a bit of a weakness on these cars.
Auto's will go bang just as often as manuals and their clutch's. NOT a know general weakness on the galant/legnum, unless you have 400bhp plus running through it constantly



6) I aspire to the days when motoring was an ART, so please dont take away another part of motoring and replace it with a machine. .
True manual driving can be fun, i ALWAYS dismissed the auto idea until my legnum, think i got lucky with my choice of motor, its auto box and its setup. Currently i love it and it will take a fair amount to get me back in a manual.



7)REAL men can change gears! :-) /pan /pan /pan /pan /pan /pan /pan /pan

[martin_y]

8) How about changing down before a corner? Heel and toe can get a really really smooth change. I'm not sure auto can change down smooth enough when you're near the limit.

and this one sums it up , and blows YOUR arguments out of the water....

"but neither do I expect to be able to count to 5 before the box decides to change as instructed!"

:tiny: :tiny: :tiny: :tiny: :tiny:

[diggerboy]

Martin,

My comment about 5 seconds referred specifically to the BMW and Ford boxes, as described.

I'm as big as fan of manuals as you are, but it might be worth your time playing with a decent auto 'box before you dismiss the Legnums!

And if we're talking about Driving for Purists, I assume you'll be disconnecting the AYC, ASC, ABS., power steering...etc? ;)

[Kieran]

Martin....

You're making a lot of sweeping statements about an automatic box that you've never driven.... And a lot of them are inaccurate!

Certainly, Your points 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8 are just not an accurate assesment of these particular gearboxes. At least try one before you buy. Honestly, the Autos in these cars are VERY good.

Diggerboy - I'll tidy this thread up in a bit and move these posts to a new thread :)

[Beastlee]

Hi jacking a "for sale " thread here, arent we?

Unfortunately that's what happens when you respond to a For Sale thread with :


DARN ! Auto :-(

If it wasn't what you wanted then why provide a response like that? Just don't reply.

On the box matter, I have only ever had Manuals before but the INVECSII combined with the excellent tip box make this a fantastic box. This is my second car VR-4 and both were tip, I really enjoy it. Downshifts in tip are immediate and trust me I drive mine full on every day, swapping Autobahns needs some nifty shifting at times and the downshifts are always immediate.

Please don't take this as an attack on you, I don't want to give a bad impression to a new forum member, just my input from someone with some experience (although not as much experience as some..).

Kieran, please feel free to delete my posts in this thread rather than move it if you see fit.

Diggerboy, sorry for any hi-jacking just want to support the idea of buying an Auto(tip)box.

[martin_y]

Ok, all valid points, and a good dialogue and banter. :-)

If I am honest, its just a personal choice, and I am going for a ride in a manual tonight, as I hove only been in an auto.

Auto is not bad, in fact, I use taxis a lot , and most times , I WISH they were auto, because the drivers cant co-ordinate clutch and acc pedal into smooth gear changes, and one can feel quite car-sick quite soon with some drivers.

I want an auto because... I want one, thats all. My objections to auto above are nearly all meant in jest, to get some banter going :-) :iloveyou: :iloveyou:

[bradc]

Number 5 is a valid point, the auto's do die regularly. Mostly due to incorrect servicing though.

If you're going for big power I wouldn't buy an auto. I do like manuals, there are 6 manual cars sitting around this place (monaro, 850csi, 2x legnums etc) but if I had some spare money I would buy an auto VR-4 as a nice car to go cruising in.

[Wodjno]

Oh Oh :speechles

[elnevio]

My tuppence's worth:

I have found the auto box, whether in D or tip, to be very smooth when changing gear on gentle acceleration (slurrrring, as Kieran would call it!). But when on full throttle, the changes are very sharp with minimal loss of acceleration between changes. It's pretty much the same when decelerating - all very smooth.

When hooning around Castle Combe at JapFest, which I did entirely in tip, I found that the changes were awesome. The upshifts were instant and sharp, the downshifts at high revs were instant, and definitely not head-jerking at all.

I do very occasionally miss the clutch control of a manual. But as with anything you don't have, you work around it.

Another point, which will probably directly affect economy (and bradc has mentioned this before so will no doubt correct me, or more hopefully, corroborate!), the final gear ratio (by that, I mean fifth) in the auto is geared longer, so you do less revs at motorway speeds.

As for reliability, keep it Amsoiled up - and it is unlikely to ever let you down. Brad's right about lack of maintenance being the real killer.

I'm guessing the strength of your feeling would suggest that you ARE going to end up with a manual, however!

Either way, I'm sure you'll enjoy it! :thumbsup:

[Subaru ETA]

i have a manual and my mate has an auto galant. both prefacelift so his is down on power. but when i drove it and put my foot through the floor it felt quicker and gear changes were not noticable...and his had a buggered transfer case trans and rear diff!!!! (all due to some monkey putting the wrong fluids in it!)

my legnum was tip and it was just as fun through the windy stuff. so as everyone has said..dont dismiss it untill you have taken one for a VERY good drive