The greatest myth about automatic cars is that they are not fun to drive. It is obvious that you cannot compare it with the joy of slamming the clutch, shifting the gear and giving the driver a feel of total control over the car but automatic transmission has its own perks.
What is Manual Transmission?
Manual transmission cars are the cars that allow the driver to change the gears as per driving needs and there is a manual clutch pedal used while changing gears. The clutch uses solid clutch plate and pressure plate mechanism.
What is Automatic Transmission?
Automatic transmission on the other hand works automatically depending on the vehicle speed and engine speed. In automatic transmission cars, there is no clutch pedal, and clutch-plate mechanism is replaced with a hydraulic torque convertor.
Performance
Brushing aside the negative perceptions about automatic transmission cars some carmakers like Honda , Toyota , Ford ,Skoda etc. provides paddle shifters or tiptronic drive which allows you to shift the gear as per our own wish; independent of the clutch .When the brakes are applied the gears shift down automatically as soon as the car reach a certain RPM.
Maintenance
It is also wrong perception of many people that automatics are costly to maintain. This is not really true.In fact, of the biggest long-term maintenance expenses on manual transmission cars are clutch replacements, especially for cars driven in crowded cities, and by people who tend to use the clutch a lot. Also a manual transmission requires oil changes every 20,000 km or so, while an automatic won’t require a transmission fluid change for at least 50,000 km.
The fact that aftermarket services of automatics are not great in India makes people despise it but honestly, it’s not that bad either.
Fuel economy
Fuel Efficiency of an automatic transmission car is lower as compared to the manual transmission because of higher energy losses in hydraulic torque convertors used by it. But if we talk about latest dual clutch automatic technology based cars the mileage is almost same there is barely any difference.
Resale value
There is also a notion that an automatic transmission car won’t fetch as much resale value as compared to a manual transmission variant. While this was true in the earlier years, where cars like the Maruti Zen automatic, Esteem automatic and Wagon R AX failed to fetch good resale value because they were seen as fuel guzzlers and poor performers, modern automatics fetch as much or more than a manual in the resale market.
The demand for Skoda Laura DSG cars is quite good, with used car prices seldom dipping below Rs. 8 lakh for a 5-year old car. Used Honda City cars continue to fetch good resale value irrespective of the transmission in the car.
Availability
Most of people who still prefer an automatic car over manual think that it is unavailable in their choice of car/model. Those were the days of past where you would get only few variants options for automatic to choose from. Now a days you can get a 3-4 lac budgeted car with an automatic option.
Why you should go for an automatic?
Automatic is a good option if your driving cycle occurs in harsh traffic conditions. It gives you a hustle free ride and reduces your efforts actions in slamming clutch and shifting gears, unlike in manual transmission. If you are in search of driving comfort convenience & luxury and the fact that you do not mind shredding some extra money on the cost of car and fuel, go for Automatic Transmission.
Trust me; you would thank me later after you feel the ease of a stress free drive in this high tension world.
Automatic transmission is highly recommended for stop-and-go congested city driving. It requires lesser skills to drive an automatic transmission car compared to manual transmission car as the gears are changed automatically by the transmission system of the car so the driver needs to operate just the accelerator, brake and steering.
The driver need not coordinate the gears and clutch pedal with the changes in the speed. Thus, it takes less time to be habitual to drive an automatic transmission car smoothly as compared to manual transmission car.
Whatever is your pick, manual or automatic just get into the car, start the engine and speed on for a long drive.
-Saubhagya
FanGaadi 