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Manual Versus Automatic = Apple Versus PearApr 25 '00 Write an essay on this topic.What I mean by the title is that choosing between am automatic and manual transmission is all about preference. Now, choosing between the two has been and will continue to be an age old debate until we get flying cars that don't need shifting, or developers come up with a transmission that is able to shift automatically, or let the driver do so. Actually, there are transmissions like that but they aren't effective... yet. But anyway, automatic or manual? Automatic To sum up automatic transmissions in one word, that word would be convenience. The driver is able to just mash on the gas pedal and sit back and enjoy the ride. You don't have to encounter the following situation: Release the gas and put in the clutch and brake; pay attention to oncoming traffic, put the car into gear, and then release the clutch while balancing it with the gas pedal. You just stop and go with an automatic. Automatics are simple to drive, plain and simple. However, there some things that I don't like about automatics. Once is the fact that you don't get as good gas mileage as a manual. This is because you need the car to shift for you, which uses up a certain amount of gas. Another thing is that you don't have complete control of the car. You lack the ability to shift to whatever gear you really need(to be safer) to be in rather than the gear that the car chooses for you, based on speed, and not the road conditions. Manual My personal opinion of manual transmissions is that they are great. With manuals, you have total control of your car. For example, if you are driving through some icy conditions, you can throw your car into a lower gear for better control and handling. The gas mileage is better than automatics because you shift the car manually; no need for the car to use up gas to shift because you are doing it! Manuals are fun machines. A car's maximum horsepower comes when the car is running at a high RPM. So, if, for example, you *ever* raced cars, you would want a manual. This is so because you get to control when the car shifts; you would let the RPMs run high to get the most speed out of a gear; unlike automatics which will shift at certain speeds to the next gear. It is a great feeling knowing all the power you have over the car and knowing that it will do what you want it to do when you want it. No matter what you have heard, learning how to drive a manual takes no time at all. Personally, I was out driving the main streets of my town pretty comfortably on the third day of ownership of my manual. There are some downsides however. Driving a five speed in heavy traffic is often hell. Period. Gas out, clutch and brake in. Release the clutch and break, put the gas in. Shifting over and over and over again gets very tedious. Driving a clutch requires 110% attention. Now, I am not saying that driving an automatic doesn't require that as well, but with a manual, you don't have a free foot or hand. As we all know, far too many people do extra activities in their car while driving; such as changing clothes, applying make-up, eat, and shaving, just to name a few. Automatics allow you do this easier. In manuals, you can't. Clutch replacement is bound to happen if you keep the car for a while. This operation will end up costing you about 400 to 600 dollars. Conclusion Even with the downsides, I still prefer manual transmissions. These cars are fun to drive, in some cases safer than automatics, and you have complete control of your car. For you people you enjoy driving and love the control you have, then manuals are for you. For you people who just like to get in the car and have it do the work, then automatic transmissions are best for you. Now, like I said, choosing between these two options is just a matter of preference.  |
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