Battle of the Transmissions: M/T vs. A/T

[clinique]

Hello! I am a new member and really thinking about buying a car of my own and i want to ask honest opinions about M/T and AT. Does having a different transmission affect fuel consumption? Which is more fuel effecient? thanks! because I am thinking about buying either of these budget cars-- Getz 1.2 GL A/T or Picanto /T. thanks again!

[Bogeyman]

An A/T-equipped car is relatively heavier than an identical model equipped with M/T, which affects fuel consumption. A properly operated M/T vehicle can deliver anywhere from 5% to 15% fuel economy over an equivalent A/T variant, depending on driving conditions and driving style.

The use of a rigid clutch also makes an M/T more mechanically efficient than A/T, which uses a torque converter.

[clinique]

^ thank you so much! now its comfort againt fuel efficiency for me.. and maintainance/durability..

[Bogeyman]

^ thank you so much! now its comfort againt fuel efficiency for me.. and maintainance/durability..

The only real advantage A/T has over M/T is comfort and the convenience of multi-tasking behind the wheel.

For maintenance, I will have to quote what motor guru niky said in another thread. This is with regards to choosing either an M/T or A/T on a pre-owned car:

It's much easier to break an AT outright, with poor maintenance, than an MT. The clutch of the MT provides an outlet for any transmission destroying foolishness, and costs little to replace.

With the AT, the torque converter fills the role of the clutch, but is dependent on good ATF to work. If the previous owner did not care for the car well, and did not regularly change the ATF, things can break. Expensive things.

I've had good luck with secondhand ATs, but I've seen people with very bad luck. And while fixing a secondhand manual is often the simple work of replacing a clutch or a gear or two (gears can sometimes break if the previous owner drag-raced the car...), fixing an automatic is more expensive, which is why some people just go for full box swaps.

Besides, if we're talking secondhands, the fuel economy bonus of old 5-speed manuals over old 4-speed ATs in traffic is a good reason to just go for the manual.

[clinique]

again, thank you so much! I guess i will just have to work double learning about M/T (first-time driver here)...

do you happen to know where the thread about yaris, jazz, alto, picanto, getz, rio comparision? i'd really appreciate it if i will be enlightened .. thank you!

[meledson]

Comparing the 1.3 M/T Avanza (2007) and a 1.6 A/T Altis (2002), we get basically the same FC of 12 to 13 Km per liter.

Sadyang matipid lang ang makina ng Altis?

[niky]

It's partly because the Altis is lighter than the Avanza, and partly because the Avanza has very short gear ratios, which give it good acceleration, while the Altis, with more torque and less drivetrain losses (the Avanza's rear wheel drive means that more power is lost through the propeller shaft than in the Altis, where the power goes straight to the wheels, right beside the engine), can put the power down more easily, so the Altis's gearbox is longer geared, allowing it to turn at a lower engine speed at the same road speed as the Avanza.

[m777]

for me, its better to use an A/T for a daily driver and M/T for weekend driving

[jrmax]

Good evening guys sa akin lang okey ang AT dahil sa trapik at 4 yrs na rin ang kotse namin at ngayon lang ako nagkaroon ng manual pero nakikita ko na ang kaibahan nila, walang problema sa akin ang arangkada ng matic gaya ng ginagawa ng manual at nagagawa ko rin sa manual ang sa matic.

Ang asawa ko ang nakakadama ng malaking pagkakaiba ng matic at manual dahil sa smooth ng driving yung biglang hinto at arangkada ay hindi nararamdaman sa matic. di tulad sa manual na pag minalas pa pwedeng mamatayan ng makina.

Ako naman malaki ang pagkakaiba nila sa konsumo ng gas(AT) at diesel (manual).

PAg plano ng ruta na lang at iwas sa trapik at wag maging agresibo sa kalsada para di malakas sa konsumo.

[rna800]

ive tried driving both m/t and a/t in different cars and different distances and all i could say that nothing is still compared to m/t. the only time that i like driving a/t is during traffic, otherwise, m/t is still better for me. cheaper maintenance too.

[s_quilicot]

for us AT.

why?

much comfortable ride, less hassle i-drive, kahit mga kapatid kong babae at parents ko hindi sila mahihirapan i-drive.

sa traffic walang problema kahit bumper to bumper and dun sa mga pataas na daan i.e sa basement parking no worry ka na mamatay ang makina or dederetso paatras ang kotse.

so far we had 3 AT vehicles, a starex(binenta na due to overheating) a altis and a trooper so far wala pa naman naging prob sa AT, proper maintenance lang. (change ATF na Royal Purple every PMS).

same naman ang hatak and if may difference sa FC ok lang kasi mas importante sa amin ang comfort kesa sa konting matitipid sa FC. IMHO

[ans_lim168]

For me it's manual transmission...I learned driving using the manual transmission...cheaper to maintain and I think not all matic drivers know how to drive manual transmission cars (no offense meant).

[s_quilicot]

For me it's manual transmission...I learned driving using the manual transmission...cheaper to maintain and I think not all matic drivers know how to drive manual transmission cars (no offense meant).

\

i agree with this ..

[drivefast]

M/T has its positives and it's negatives and so is A/T. Considering the area where you are driving, you must weigh both of them and look w/c is more applicable to you.

If you are here in Metro Manila, I suggest that you also look at the distance where you will usually use your car and if it is flooded during rainy times or not.

If you are driving on a short distance trips and sometimes it gets flooded, it is better for you to get a M/T car. The strain on the knees is not that bad and if the area gets flooded, at least you can push your car against the water, you can control the car from shifting to gears.

If you are driving on long distances, the M/T and the A/T is equally appreciated. But, then again, you must consider what kind of driver are you. Are you the type that seeks to have a feeling of rush every now and then? If you are, then M/T is better for you. If you are that easy driving type of owner, watching beautiful sights during the trip, it is better for you to have a A/T. (Well, sometimes it also depends on what engine your car has, if its that powerful then I guess it doesn't show much difference)

Traffic Jams? A/T is better for you if you are considering the pain in the knees. But as far as I know, fuel efficiency is more likely to be seen in M/T cars because you can control your cruise and shift the gears even without reaching any specific RPMs.

I'm a driver who prefers M/T. Not that I'm biased to what I've stated above but more advantages are seen when having a M/T compared to A/T.

Besides from the fact that Chicks in the US prefer stick shift than A/T. The sound of the car sounds better and that it runs faster.

[CVT]

I still keep an M/T vehicle even if it is a van, so that I can still get to experience driving one every weekend. Our other vehicles are A/T as wifey prefers driving this. However, when my eldest son reaches driving age in a few years,- I plan to buy an M/T car for him and myself....

6707:choir:

[stormgray]

I learned to drive using an old Chevy MT flatbed. Refined my skills with my very first car, a Macho Machine MT and its alternate, our family's old Holden 4-speed MT. Then came the 1st gen Honda Civic box type MT. When I decided to buy a car in 03, I chose a Mit Lancer MX 6-speed AT simply because Manila traffic was an absolute nightmare. Color-coding day ng Lancer ko ay Wednesday, and I used to borrow my bro's Corolla MT. Pansin ko lang na sobrang pagod ako pag Wednesdays.

Generally speaking, it is more advantageous to have a MT car: more fuel efficient, cheaper to buy and maintain, pwedeng itulak pag namatayan sa baha, mas matipid sa battery, etc., but the real big advantage of an AT vehicle is COMFORT, especially if your everyday commute is stop-go-stop-go. Hindi ka gulpi masyado behind the wheel. I have thought about this real hard and for me, comfort definitely outweighs all the other disadvantages of an AT.

Think about it: a lot of us spend 20-30% of our productive day on the road because of the miserable traffic. That's why my vote goes to an AT.

[s_quilicot]

^^^ i agree

comfort talaga IMO ang importante. lalo na kung family van. much better talaga pag AT if comfort lang pinaguusapan.

IMO .

[ronric2000]

for us AT.

why?

much comfortable ride, less hassle i-drive, kahit mga kapatid kong babae at parents ko hindi sila mahihirapan i-drive.

sa traffic walang problema kahit bumper to bumper and dun sa mga pataas na daan i.e sa basement parking no worry ka na mamatay ang makina or dederetso paatras ang kotse.

so far we had 3 AT vehicles, a starex(binenta na due to overheating) a altis and a trooper so far wala pa naman naging prob sa AT, proper maintenance lang. (change ATF na Royal Purple every PMS).

same naman ang hatak and if may difference sa FC ok lang kasi mas importante sa amin ang comfort kesa sa konting matitipid sa FC. IMHO

no offense pero i think d ka lang marunong magdrive sa manual. bat ka matatakot mamatayan ng makina or umatras kung marunong ka sa manual? ako dati pag paakyat namamatayan ako pero nung masanay d na. and sa manual mas feel ang pagdrive.

[ronric2000]

IMO manual talaga for me. it gives me far greater control on my vehicle. you can feel the connection between man and machine. so mas maraming diskarte pag magdrive with mt. and sa maintenance mas madali parin mt. and what if naiwanan na nakaon ang ilaw and nadrain ang battery, kaya ba ipush start ang at? in terms of comfort i think mas comfortable talaga ang at. all others mt wins. (pero i really like it pag may sportronics kase you can select the gear kahit at)

on more thing, mas maporma magdrive pag mt.

[jrmax]

Sa aking pananaw nagkakaiba lang sila sa city driving, syiempre pa mas okey ang AT dahil sa comfort, sa long drive mas matipid ang AT ko kaysa MT sa maintenance medyo wala pa akong masabi sa MT going to one year pa lang sya, ang AT ko naman 5years na sya wala naman akong naging problema.

Kaya ang masasabi ko okey sila parehas panghalili sa coding.