Quote Originally Posted by mc241q View Post
Good day Sir/Maam!

Planning to buy here Avanza 1.3E but still confused if going with Manual or Automatic transmission. Need your expert advise on this one. things to consider are as follow:

1. will be using this mostly in Cavite area. sometimes city (EDSA area) driving like once or twice a week only.
2. in terms of fuel consumption, which transmission saves better?
3. when planning for a long drive (like 6-8 hours going north), which transmission is better on this one?
4. overall difference between fuel consumption between these two transmissions? just seen some articles that nowadays, there's a lot of improvements with matic transmission and there's no huge difference with a manual with regards to this one. is this true for most cars?

As you can see, my most concern here falls on the fuel consumption. but if you already tested these two types, will you recommend a manual or automatic? will be purchasing my first car so don't have any idea yet so need to gather info on this one.

Aprreciate in advance your help and thanks in advance!

Regards,
Jhay
1. Even Cavite can get really clogged up sometimes. It will really depend on your tolerance for traffic. I don't have a problem driving a manual even in stop and go traffic, but it can get tiring compared to an automatic especially after several hours of crawling.

2. For an Avanza 1.3, the small engine gets heavily taxed with an automatic compared to a manual, so expect that the MT will be 1-2 km/L more efficient than the AT.

3. If you like being in control and maximizing the power of your car, an MT is better. However, the Avanza isn't really what you'd call a fun car. There's not much difference with an AT since most of the time you'll be in 5th gear anyway.

4. The Avanza doesn't have a particularly advanced transmission - it's only a 4-speed AT and has been used for over a decade now. Still, it's pretty responsive and non-car enthusiasts won't notice any difference with newer ATs.

If I were to get an Avanza as a first car, I'd probably get a manual.