Manual vs Automatic Transmission

[Big Blue]

I know this topic has been discussed in off-topic posts in many threads. Just thought it might be fun to have a dedicated thread for it. it seems to be a bit of a generational thing as well as if you are coming from a performance car background or interest. I personally am a Boomer (born in 1953). Yes I grew up with BW TV, AM radio, party-line dial phones and vinyl records. I have two kids both boarder-line Gen X,Y. I grew up driving manual transmissions. The 5G Ranger is MY first automatic, The wife has had various automatics while we've been married and I have driven them. She can drive a stick and has had a couple as her personal vehicle. Both my kids have and prefer driving sticks. I actual had and '83 Reliant wagon with bucket seats and a 5 speed. Could not stand how the 3 speed auto shifted, that 1 to 2 shift was a killer.

That being out of the way, I actually prefer a manual and if I could have gotten one I would have. My left leg has gotten lazy without anything to do. When we bought the wife's Mazda 3 Hatch we looked at it but it was only available in the top line trim level with things we did not want, so we went with extra cost "Red" paint she wanted. Why is red always the most expensive color? I do like the automatic for towing though. In normal driving, if your used to a stick, you don't even think about it, you just do it. the two things I don't like about the Ranger shifter though are the fact there is an interlock between D and Neutral and the shift buttons in S mode. In slippery conditions it is nice to be able to just slap the shifter into neutral to stop power to the wheels. As far as the shift buttons, find them awkward to use would rather have a separate gate and ratchet shift like our Mazda. Seems more intuitive for someone who is used to rowing gears.

OK, you've heard my thoughts, lets hear yours. Open discussion, so lets be kind.

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[lazynorse]

I am 'son of boomer,' a Gen X. Learned on a stick shift, thought I'd never switch until 2010 when I bought a brand new Subaru Outback. By this point, manual shifting had long lost its appeal. Thick traffic, stop and go.. that's the norm in any major metropolitan area and a stick has zero benefit in that scenario. Such a relief to go to automatic. Add eating while driving, etc, auto makes life easier. No way I'd chose a stick shift Ranger 4x4, auto has way more pros over cons. Those scenarios where its 'fun' to manually shift are very few and far between.

 

[Marpater]

In slippery conditions it is nice to be able to just slap the shifter into neutral to stop power to the wheels.

Last thing that I would want to do..... besides these trucks handle slippery conditions better than an advanced driver.

 

[BassRanger]

Love manuals, zero desire to have one in this truck. May be fun, but it would be an overall downgrade. Less towing, less fuel economy, slower, and likely less reliable.

 

[AdamHarris]

EF a manual transmission. Todays autos are better for driving And better for Off-roading And better for towing. Yea I said it.

 

[Azriq]

Even if they had offered a manual trans, I still would have gone with the auto just for the towing ability/convenience. That being said, I prefer stick shift as for as a rule of thumb. My 66 Mustang was an auto when I bought it. Now it's a 5-speed. Much more enjoyable to run it through the gears and bark the tires on upshifts.

 

[JasonTremor]

Would rather have a manual any day of the week and have contemplated getting a manual bronco to replace the ranger. Now that I think of it, I've never had a manual transmission not shift exactly when i expected it to. ?

 

[Elmosaurus]

Manual any day of the week.

I know my fuel economy would be worse, as I'd be into the turbo constantly, but to me, that would be a better experience I'd be willing to pay for...

 

[dtech]

Can't recall ever seeing a car chase or racing event in movies that didn't involve multiple scenes of a manual downshifting to achieve the objective , but in todays world of eating, drinking, texting, applying makeup, taking selfies etc behind the wheel a manual is somewhat of an anachronism . I drove sticks for decades and so did the wife - it was no small tasks to teach her and eventually a friend of hers had the patience to do so. Even F1 cars use semi autos now.

 

[KNI]

After few million miles the "joy" of manual gearbox wears out and automatic gearbox wins. It has it's places, but not on a daily driver.

 

[mailbox4449]

MANUAL!!!!!!
Manual trans, manual radio, manual window, manual locks, manual all the way!!

LESS TECH=LESS PROBLEMS.

Not a boomer..but close

EDIT: Paddle shifters ARE NOT MANUAL

 

[AzScorpion]

Not even interested in one anymore. I had two chances to order one, first with my Jeep and second with my Bronco and I opted for the auto. Unless it's a sports car I don't want a manual. ?

 

[Michel Jeanneau]

I would LOVE to have a 6-speed manual on my Ranger, and like Elmosaurus, will take a manual any day of the week. This is my first automatic, all vehicles I've owned before have been manuals, including two 3.0 V6 4x4 Rangers. On every vehicle I've owned, I have been able to beat the EPA mpg ratings by several miles per gallon. The best was/is my 88 BMW 528e (2.7 straight 6 with 3.27 gears and 5-speed Getrag 265 box) at 29 MPG combined. Second best was my Subaru Forester with a six speed at 28.5 combined. What a lot of automakers are doing recently is offering manuals but with lower final drive ratios (example: my subaru had 4.44 gears versus 4.10 on the CVT models, my hyundai Tucson had 4.53 gears vs. 4.10's on the automatic ones)...go back 20 years and the opposite was true. Right now you can't spec out a manual bronco with anything but 4.53 gears. Despite all that, I could get 44 mpg on my wife's old manual Corolla, 52 mpg on her 6-speed TDI wagon (EPA 42 MPG hwy).

Driving with a stick is a totally different and more intimate experience, IMHO

 

[Zvedza]

Id totally love to have this truck in a manual depending on how its geared. I just love how im in full control, for better or worse lol.

Although the 10spd is prob one of my favorite autos, hard choice.

Def manual is the way to go for performance cars and its depressing to see certain cars to not even offer it, Gt500 was kinda weird they just went from manual only to auto only, same with the C8.

I think too much bean counting and milliseconds saved at the track are killing them. CTS Blackwing has shown manual enthusiasm is still there.

 

[RedlandRanger]

Manuals are great until you get stuck in stop and go traffic - or your knees start showing their age. I drove manuals for years - my 73 Capri still has one so I don't have to forget how to drive one. I love the auto in this truck. My last Ranger had a 5 speed but my knees couldn't handle it in traffic for a daily driver.

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