Manual vs Automatic

deweyzeph said:
I own an automatic and have for the last 3 years. I can honestly say I will never go back to a manual. It's so weird though when you have to drive a manual again (e.g. the courtesy car when your car is at the panelbeater), and you keep stalling the car because you forget to push the clutch in when you get to a traffic light or stop street. Your muscle memory gets completely used to driving an automatic and it takes a while for your left leg to get back into the action when you have to drive a manual again for whatever reason.
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Odd, my mom's been driving an automatic since 2014, got here a few days ago and no issue with manual and opposite side of the road...

Personally also don't have that issue, but longest I spent using an auto was three months before heading back to manual.

I prefer manual here, mostly due to gear shift for hill, and then in Cape Town I preferred it for Kloofnek, but just pressing power mode on an automatic if it had proper gearing worked well enough as well.

My next car here in a year or two will probably be EV due to tax breaks, so guess no more manual, right now I use car sharing stuff for weekends and most are still manuals outside of getting a Tesla.
 
Neuk_ said:
Try a Type 1, Type 2 or Type 3 gearbox where finding gears is like stirring a bucket of coal with a poker.
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The 2.5i caravelle (with dog-leg 1st) ... got to be the worse ever. I swear the linkages were made out of silly putty.
 
FiestaST said:
No comments about the 1400 Champ 'box? Horrible driving position aside I was not impressed with it's gears.

This was a good few years since I drove one though.

@TheChamp
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I did my driving test in one of those. Only redeeming quality is the instructor thinks I'm doing blindspot, mirror, mirror, mirror, blindspot when in fact I'm just shaking my head at this stupid thing not engaging first.
 
Sinbad said:
The 2.5i caravelle (with dog-leg 1st) ... got to be the worse ever. I swear the linkages were made out of silly putty.
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They were s.....t! Part of the reason I became a VAG hater. My wife grew up with similar horror stories involving a Passat, Golf 2, Caravelle and many others. Don't even get me started on petrol cables snapping and that utterly useless Digifant injection system.

Ours decided we only needed 3rd gear while in the Etosha game reserve. Thankfully come coaxing with a long straw with oil sucked up into it and leaning into the back of the van, past the engine to reach the linkages, did the trick after lost of oil was soaked into it.
 
I'm teaching my son to drive (in a manual, obviously). It's hard to explain how much coordination and practice is needed while learning, when it's so easy after driving for many years. It's absolutely the hardest part of learning to drive.
 
Mercedes-Benz to Kill Manual Gearbox Globally in 2023

Though you’ll struggle to find a new Mercedes-Benz sporting a manual gearbox in SA today, the option remains in some parts of the world. But that’ll change in 2023, when the firm officially pulls the plug on three-pedal cars…

Mercedes-Benz will officially phase out the manual gearbox in 2023, thereafter offering only automatic transmissions globally.

Although the Stuttgart-based firm’s local passenger-car line-up is already devoid of three-pedal models, seven of the derivatives in the latest 14-strong Vito range still ship with six-speed manual cog-swappers. The since-discontinued Mercedes-Benz X-Class, meanwhile, was also available in South Africa with a clutch pedal.

A Mercedes-Benz spokesperson confirmed to German publication Automobilewoche the company would phase out manual models globally next year.

“With increasing electrification, we see that customer demand is shifting towards electric mobility components, batteries and [partial] electric drive systems,” the spokesman told Automobilewoche, adding Mercedes-Benz would “gradually no longer offer manual transmissions”.

In some European markets, certain derivatives in the A-Class, B-Class and CLA line-ups can still be ordered with three pedals, while only automatic Mercedes-Benz models have been available in the United States since 2011.

www.cars.co.za

Mercedes-Benz to Kill Manual Gearbox Globally in 2023

Though you'll struggle to find a new Mercedes-Benz with a manual gearbox in SA today, the option remains in some parts. But that’ll change in 2023...
www.cars.co.za www.cars.co.za
 
The Voice said:
Reckon most manufacturers will ditch manual boxes altogether with the pressure to go electric.
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The mighty BMW will hopefully continue to allow people to have an option when it comes to their M cars. A manual M2 Competition is levels.
 
6spdmanual said:
The mighty BMW will hopefully continue to allow people to have an option when it comes to their M cars. A manual M2 Competition is levels.
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doubt it.The M cars are becomming less and less hardcore.My feeling is that the M cars will be just "another" bmw , and the alpina will replace the M cars as the halo cars in the bmw portfolio.
 
ubercal said:
doubt it.The M cars are becomming less and less hardcore.My feeling is that the M cars will be just "another" bmw , and the alpina will replace the M cars as the halo cars in the bmw portfolio.
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Couldn’t disagree more. I’m willing to make a monetary bet on this statement. I don’t think BMW would ever dilute their very own M division for a brand that they basically acquired.

I could eventually be wrong, but I highly doubt it.
 
FiestaST said:
Some okes here are coming up with massive assumptions wrt M cars lol
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Lol I don't think BMW would ever dilute the M brand. I'm willing to bet good money that the M division will be the only brand offering a manual on its high performance cars. Auto as standard, manual as optional.

As stated above, an M2 Competition is manual guise is levels!

Maybe people confuse M Sport with M?
 
6spdmanual said:
Lol I don't think BMW would ever dilute the M brand. I'm willing to bet good money that the M division will be the only brand offering a manual on its high performance cars. Auto as standard, manual as optional.

As stated above, an M2 Competition is manual guise is levels!

Maybe people confuse M Sport with M?
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Yup, for the most part I concur with you.

This Alpina purchase makes for some interesting times.
 
ubercal said:
doubt it.The M cars are becomming less and less hardcore.My feeling is that the M cars will be just "another" bmw , and the alpina will replace the M cars as the halo cars in the bmw portfolio.
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Nope. Alpine is geared more towards luxury and comfort while still being powerful, M cars more towards “hooliganism” . Two different markets.

E.g Alpina has 3 or 4 different driving modes, normal, comfort, comfort plus and sport mode.

Whereas M cars have normal, comfort, sport and sport plus.

Hope it makes sense now.
 
epah said:
Nope. Alpine is geared more towards luxury and comfort while still being powerful, M cars more towards “hooliganism” . Two different markets.

E.g Alpina has 3 or 4 different driving modes, normal, comfort, comfort plus and sport mode.

Whereas M cars have normal, comfort, sport and sport plus.

Hope it makes sense now.
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I wanted to type this while making sense. Too drunk unfortunately.
 
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