Driving Question: Manual or Automatic?

I always wonder why most people, if given the choice between a manual or an automatic version of a certain car, would choose the automatic.

I guess people naturally like convenience. And a car with an automatic transmission is certainly easier to drive, hence more convenient.

Unfortunately, I still think that 'convenience' is a very shallow reason to buy an automatic over a manual transmission car.

It's like the saying: "if you want something done, you gotta do it yourself". Sometimes, it is much more convenient to tell your 10 year old kid to get you a glass of water. But kids, being kids, can sometimes be clumsy. And behold, your kid just dropped your glass because he/she tripped or slipped or whatever excuse they dish out.

What happens next? You get the broom and the dust pan, sweep the broken glass on the floor, throw away the shattered pieces into the trash can and then get yourself the glass of water.

It would have been better if you got the glass of water yourself right at the very beginning.

And that's precisely it. An automatic is basically a car that does the driving for you. For as long as it's in drive, the car will move and shift through its gears on its own as soon as you step on the gas. Yes, it is very convenient because it is very easy.

However, it is also clumsy.

That is because the car will shift gears only when it wants to. You are at the mercy of the decisions of your engine. And that is a shame, really.

In a manual transmission car, a driver has more control over the vehicle. And that is a good thing because you have more room to adjust your driving.

For instance, you could upshift slightly earlier than normal to help minimize your engine's revs. By doing so, you allow the car to run on higher gears sooner thereby improving your mileage slightly.

Although manual transmission cars already have the benefit of better fuel economy than their automatic counterparts because of more forward gears (5-speed MT compared to 4-speed AT as is usually the case), manual transmission allows the driver to improve on the fuel economy even more.

It also works the other way around. Manual transmission cars allow the driver maximize the full range of power of the car. But then again, unless you're racing, I doubt if you'll need ever find a need to maximize your engine's capability. So I will simply stick to the fuel economy advantage.

With rising gas prices, trying to minimize fuel consumption on a daily basis becomes very practical and wise. You could do that better with a manual transmission car.

Consider this: Manual transmission cars usually have a lower initial cost which is good. In addition, you have more leverage in improving your gas mileage. So throughout the duration of the car's life, you could potentially save more because you are spending less for gas. All that for a cheaper version of a car. How is that not a good deal???

All you need really is just to have more effort in pressing and depressing the clutch pedal as you drive. Inconvenient? Considering the fact that you could potentially save money on gas, hell no!