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

[glenngj]

The Automatic transmission vis a vis the Manual transmissions has its own pros and cons. Lets see what they are.

Firstly, as we all know that the AT (Auto Transmission) is much more convenient and enjoyable than the MT (Manual Transmission). Well, lets talk convenience here. We know that the car is run on 4 basic things besides the judgment of the driver. They are the steer wheel, the pedals, the gear shaft and the other control including lights, wipers, horn etc. If we subtract one of those jobs, we reduce our efforts in driving by 25%. All you have to do is relax both your hands evenly on the steer wheel rather than constantly engaging yourself in switching gears as per the changing speeds. Also one of your leg is as good as not required as there is no clutch pedal. When we talk about the driving pleasure, well with the efforts reduced the car definitely seems to be a much better machine than otherwise.

Some Basics - Just like that of a manual transmission, the automatic transmission’s primary job is to allow the engine to operate in its narrow range of speeds while providing a wide range of output speeds.

Without a transmission, cars would be limited to one gear ratio, and that ratio would have to be selected to allow the car to travel at the desired top speed. If you wanted a top speed of 80 mph, then the gear ratio would be similar to third gear in most manual transmission cars.

You’ve probably never tried driving a manual transmission car using only third gear. If you did, you’d quickly find out that you had almost no acceleration when starting out, and at high speeds, the engine would be screaming along near the red-line. A car like this would wear out very quickly and would be nearly undriveable.

So the transmission uses gears to make more effective use of the engine’s torque, and to keep the engine operating at an appropriate speed.

The key difference between a manual and an automatic transmission is that the manual transmission locks and unlocks different sets of gears to the output shaft to achieve the various gear ratios, while in an automatic transmission, the same set of gears produces all of the different gear ratios. The planetary gearset is the device that makes this possible in an automatic transmission.

We clearly can make out, that the AT vehicle is very convinient and a smooth drive compared to the MT, but there are a few drawbacks in the AT. Firstly, the At gives a much lesser mileage than the MT, besides if you ask some of the good drivers, they really prefer the MT to the At. WHAT????? WHY would anyone prefer a MT over an AT? Well, the fact is that the AT is designed to change gears at a specific range of speeds, for example, the gear might shift from the first to the second lets say when the car hits 20 KMPH and then from second to third when it is doing a 50 KMPH and so on. That leaves a driver with little option to choose his drive mode. Some drivers prefer to rev the engine on every gear, which would mean, he probably would like to hit the second gear only when the car hits a 30 KMPH and the third when its about 65 KMPH whereas the others who would like to conserve fuel, might switch to a higher gear a little early.

The difference - AT being very easy to use and smooth, MT gives you more options and is easy on the budget month after month. Having driven both, seems like, the AT is really good when you out on a vacation or generally if wanna enjoy a drive, but the MT is good when you going to work, braving the traffic.

[fauxhawk]

i go for comfort and convenience, so it's AT for me =)

[tidus1203]

Automatic for me in general. I wanna drive manual once in awhile but for the most part mas gusto ko automatic. Especially so on stop and go traffic, I would definitely put a Mastercard "priceless" tag on the face of a very tired guy (problems at work or probably meeting a deadline tomorrow) driving along EDSA around 6pm going home on a manual transmission :lol:

[Jun aka Pekto]

Just wondering if the M/T having better gas mileage still holds true. Yahoo Autos have the 1.8L Civic with the following gas mileages:

5-spd M/T
City: 26 mpg
Hwy: 34 mpg

5-spd A/T
City: 25 mpg
Hwy: 36 mpg

The 2009 Corolla has identical gas mileages for both A/T and M/T:
City: 27 mpg
Hwy: 35 mpg

2008 2.3L Mazda 6 5-door
M/T
City: 21 mpg
Hwy: 29 mpg

A/T
City: 21 mpg
Hwy: 28 mpg

I think it's lightness (or not) on the gas pedal which affects gas mileage more.

I too like A/T more. The convenience far outweighs any advantage M/T may have in gas mileage at least based on above. Now if a car is grossly underpowered, then a M/T is probably the best option.

[ryanamontos]

Choosing a transmission is not as simple as "which transmission is better?". You should take into account the make of the car and your situation. For example, if you're buying an Audi mainly for performance reasons, you'll probably want to stick to a manual and use that power. But if you're a city commuter who doesn't want to shift those gears on the drive home, go with an automatic. If you'll be going to the mountains a lot, dealing with mud and rain, then a manual transmission is likely to hold up wonderfully. You get the idea..."Postscript Three: The only case I know of where a manual transmission beats a good automatic transmission is when you're driving on the highway, and you know that sometime soon you're going to have to pass somebody, so you downshift to third gear to get ready to accelerate. An automatic transmission can't read your mind, so it stays in 4th or 5th, and has to downshift when you floor the accelerator, thus creating a temporary hesitation between the time you press the gas and the time the acceleration starts which wouldn't exist if you were already in 3rd gear."

[JG_Padre]

Neither is better than the other. It has the same answer to most questions, "It Depends". They both have the pros and cons.

I both drive an M/T and an A/T, but I feel a coonection with the car when I'm driving my M/T car. It behaves according to my moods.

[mqavila]

In my entire life, I've only had the opportunity of owning and driving an A/T. Ever since I was a kid, my parents had always gotten a M/T. My first and second cars were second-hand M/T cars. It was only when I got my third second-hand car that I was able to experience and drive an A/T (specifically, a 1998 Nissan Sentra EX Saloon).

I still like driving a M/T because of the great and precise control that you have over the vehicle but I have to say that driving an A/T is a lot more relaxing. I live in QC and now that my work is in Muntinlupa, getting an A/T car is a huge priority for me in order to lessen the stresses that I will experience in my daily commute from the house to the office and back. But then, that's just me. I have a very specific reason why I prefer an A/T now over a M/T.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Here's a more detailed look at my take of MT vs A/T. It's strictly mine and in no way reflects on others' own unless of course it's coincidence.

I've driven two cars with similar (factory stock) straight-line performance. One is a 1991 turbocharged DSM which has a 5-spd M/T and my current 2006 Hyundai Sonata which has a 5-spd A/T manumatic. Both have mid-upper 6-sec 0-60 mph, both have low 15-sec quarter miles, both have upper teens 0-100 mph, both have +140 mph top speeds.

Heck, both even have similar hp to weight ratios:
1991 Plymouth Laser RS Turbo: 190hp/2800lbs = 1:14.74
2006 Hyundai Sonata V6: 235hp/3458lbs = 1:14.72

Although "feel" is very subjective, I felt no disadvantage accelerating with the Sonata while moving on a highway despite the A/T being less efficient than a M/T. The Hyundai was every bit as quick as the older car because its gear ratios were well done. I have yet to experience "gear-hunting" which I've seen many times with our 1995 Ford Contour (also A/T). Overtaking on a 2-lane road hasn't been a problem. Once I commit, there's no problem getting the power to the wheels. I also haven't seen problems with the gears shifting too low, resulting in engine abuse.

I think the gear ratios of the 2006 V6 Sonata's done well-enough that there's been rumors it can handle 160 mph which also happens to be the max speed labeled on the speedometer.

I think M/T holds an edge better against older 4-speed A/T. It's much less so with 5-spd and 6-spd A/T.

[DON2003]

driving A/T is more convenient but for me its not as easy as M/T

I can do everything with M/T without the worries of hurting the tranny, engine brake to stop, accelerate to full then shift, rev & swift at high speed and rpm, engine brake to cut corners, down shift to overtake, etc etc

even the new A/T can do most of these, but I don't anyone who has a A/T will drive the car as a M/T,

I try to find a tutorial in driving a A/T or faq on how to properly drive a A/T but still can't find one, may be someone can guide me where I can be educated,

[tidus1203]

Unfortunately most driving schools have their cars in MT since the popular belief is if you know how to drive MT you would also know how to drive an AT and not the other way around (which is obvious)