Eh, it really depends how heavy your clutch is. Exonoboxes (Saturn SL2, Sonic) or sporty cars with lower torque numbers (Miata, Celica, Fiero, Prelude, S2000) = no biggie. Higher torque (V8 Camaros and Trans Ams, Corvettes) usually have an assist spring to help you hold the petal to the floor, but engaging/disengaging take more leg effort.
/late 30s guy who only owned one auto that was converted prior to buying an RV
On a side note, modern manuals kind of suck. They hold revs when you pop the clutch for emissions reasons, which makes the 1-2 shift especially kind of suck. A lot of them also barely engine brake and dual mass flywheels on higher output engines can clunk if you unload them hard. Although regen braking isn’t super thrilling, it’s way more engaging that engine braking in basically any model year 2010+ vehicle.
…i play a game gauging the aggregate flow of traffic and modulating my speed to avoid braking as much as possible; usually resolves to steady motion and as a consequence i don’t mind the traffic so much…
Nah, I don’t drive a car at all on my regular commute - a 45 minute long bus ride really isn’t a big deal to me.
Let’s me drive a car I know I’m gonna enjoy while avoiding the worst parts of driving a manual. And as a bonus, I save money on fuel, because bus rides are still cheaper where I live
A lot of autos you can use the gear selector to determine what rpm you want it to shift at, or use it to downshift. Most people just throw it in D and wonder what the other selector positions are for.
Also a lot of small manual cars suck for highway driving cause they cruise at a higher rpm. Cruising along at 120kmph at 2k rpm is pretty great.
If that is what it takes for people to demand and use more public transportation, then I am loving it.
(I live near a city and don’t need to own a car. I only ever drove manual in the past, and also got stuck in a traffic jam occasionally. IMO it wasn’t that difficult to stop and go, but it depends on your car. I had more issues with a rented big transporter, that required to release the clutch while steping on the gas. But that is just practice.
I remember driving a automatic transmission car once for 10 minutes or so, and it was very stressful, because it behaved so different.)
Try sitting in traffic for 2 hours with a stick, moving 10 feet at a time, and we can talk about how much you love manual
When people say they prefer driving a manual, the key word there is driving. Sitting in traffic sucks no matter what kind of vehicle you’re in.
seriously if this is an issue for you, youre probably just bad at driving stick
Eh, it really depends how heavy your clutch is. Exonoboxes (Saturn SL2, Sonic) or sporty cars with lower torque numbers (Miata, Celica, Fiero, Prelude, S2000) = no biggie. Higher torque (V8 Camaros and Trans Ams, Corvettes) usually have an assist spring to help you hold the petal to the floor, but engaging/disengaging take more leg effort.
/late 30s guy who only owned one auto that was converted prior to buying an RV
On a side note, modern manuals kind of suck. They hold revs when you pop the clutch for emissions reasons, which makes the 1-2 shift especially kind of suck. A lot of them also barely engine brake and dual mass flywheels on higher output engines can clunk if you unload them hard. Although regen braking isn’t super thrilling, it’s way more engaging that engine braking in basically any model year 2010+ vehicle.
I have a Camaro. Really heavy clutch. I’ve sat in stop and go traffic for hours before and it’s fine.
Like the other guy said, if it’s an issue, you’re just bad.
…i play a game gauging the aggregate flow of traffic and modulating my speed to avoid braking as much as possible; usually resolves to steady motion and as a consequence i don’t mind the traffic so much…
People love to say this but it literally doesn’t bother me at all. It’s no worse than driving an auto in traffic.
Nah, I don’t drive a car at all on my regular commute - a 45 minute long bus ride really isn’t a big deal to me.
Let’s me drive a car I know I’m gonna enjoy while avoiding the worst parts of driving a manual. And as a bonus, I save money on fuel, because bus rides are still cheaper where I live
Exactly why I drive an automatic now. Sure, standard transmissions are fun, if you have a fun car, but my little sedan isn’t exactly a fun sports car.
Driving in traffic was annoying with a stick. Never again.
A lot of autos you can use the gear selector to determine what rpm you want it to shift at, or use it to downshift. Most people just throw it in D and wonder what the other selector positions are for.
Also a lot of small manual cars suck for highway driving cause they cruise at a higher rpm. Cruising along at 120kmph at 2k rpm is pretty great.
If that is what it takes for people to demand and use more public transportation, then I am loving it.
(I live near a city and don’t need to own a car. I only ever drove manual in the past, and also got stuck in a traffic jam occasionally. IMO it wasn’t that difficult to stop and go, but it depends on your car. I had more issues with a rented big transporter, that required to release the clutch while steping on the gas. But that is just practice.
I remember driving a automatic transmission car once for 10 minutes or so, and it was very stressful, because it behaved so different.)