Manual vs Automatic Transmission

[rang19ca]

Remember, it's all about MPG with this 10 speed auto. I have driven pretty much every type of manual and automatic trans there is. Double clutching a 15 speed in a class 8 isn't much fun anymore for me. My first 2 Mustangs were manual and the last 2 were autos. I guess those will be my last manuals although my Motorcycle is a manual. Ha Ha.

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[Frenchy]

When it comes to Automatic vs Manual Transmission for OffRoad the Automatic will be at the top for what is truly best. As for preference the Manual will usually win.

From my own personal experience with the Ranger, my 93 Pathfinder(Sport package with manual) and the 92 Pathfinder(automatic) it really is a jard one to say. I think I still prefer Automatic Transmissions for ease of use but the Manual is still fun for "being more in control".

For those who might be curious here is a video explaining it a bit more

 

[CB750F]

As usual, always late to the show, but to come back to TC/ABS & nannies...
I do autocross & HPDE(High Performance Drivers Education) or, I track my car.
First off, on the road I always have everything turned on, why? It can save me & my car.
On the track, it's all off. When I first started doing autocross/HPDE I had everything on
till I was pushing so hard the nannies were on & it really slowed me down. So, the
better I got, the less I needed them & the faster I was.
I have seen people have unfortunate things happen. TC would have helped, they pushed too hard. I read the article on pg4 & as someone commented,
huge difference with nannies on commercial vehicles & what can be done for a race car.
Always drive with nannies on when driving on public roads, otherwise your an idiot.

 

[RANGER_MARC]

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.

Hey, Lee, thanks for asking. Like you, I was born in 1953 and started listening to music recorded on vinyl and driving a stick. I moved with the times from vinyl to eight-track to cassettes to CDs to digital but kept driving sticks because I liked the control and the fact that it keeps your mind on the road. Then in the mid-2010s, my knees started bothering me, and operating the clutch was definitely not helping. So in 2014, I got my first automatic vehicle, a Ford Explorer Limited. I missed driving a stick, and I still do, but not enough to wreck my knees over it. It would be nice if Ford would offer a stick shift as an option on the upcoming Rangers and Ranger Raptors so that folks would have choices, but count me out. Still, I love driving my 2019 Ranger Lariat, and I am planning to get the Ranger Raptor (or if the wife gets her way, a Bronco) a few years down the line.

 

[FasterGT350]

This settles it.

 

[FunInTheSun]

wait what???

theres an interlock from D to N?

Yep. But there's a reset block between N and R, so you have to release and press again to get in R. Gotta be coordinated to rock this baby.

 

[FunInTheSun]

thats about as relevant as us discussing general aviation piloting in a cessna 182 VS a fighter jet.
<snip>
With that reasoning is the Red Baron is a better pilot than an air force pilot??

old planes vs new planes is not the same as good pilots vs bad pilots.

1) The Red Baron was a genuine badass. I heard that once a guy managed to get behind him and he got out of it alive by flipping the plane around in a flat spin and shot him down while flying BACKWARDS.

2) Navy pilots land on moving targets, at an angle. None of them trusted the ACLS (Automatic Carrier Landing System). We never qualified the system at sea because nobody would let the machine fly itself into the deck... Machines are CONVENIENT, not better, at least not in ALL circumstances.

3) The Ranger's Collision avoidance system works. Saved my bacon once when I was late noticing a guy pull out in front of me. That was the day I found put what that row of LEDs in the dash was for... Sometimes automation is aight...

 

[FunInTheSun]

Well, the point is that it would be nice if Ford, which offers manuals on Rangers worldwide, would offer them in the U.S.&A..so, it's not that "people don't want them" because some do; I among them. In fact, there is no need to "design it in"or invest in R&D to find the right gearbox", because outside US and Canada (as close as Mexico), the manual option exists..
I want it
Manuals are cheaper to build and maintain and they do not require chips or software to operate
Manuals are way more fun to drive

Sometimes people "don't want them" because they are only offered on the lowest trim level. (and lately not at all) Like the old F-150 with no radio, steelies and a vinyl bench seat. Product bundling affects availability. Presumes that only reason one would want a manual transmission is to lower sticker price.

 

[Montana Ranger]

OK, you've heard my thoughts, lets hear yours.

I'm largely with you, and would certainly agree if this was a performance car. But as a truck with 10 speeds, I have to appreciate the automatic, especially when towing, which is what I largely use my Ranger for.

 

[y2krtaf]

I love the simplicity and reliability of a manual!!
Never minded rowing gears.

 

[Apollø]

Manual is great for open roads and nothing on the hitch.
I’ll keep my automatic for traffic and hauling. I can control the shifting if need be.

 

[TJC]

I prefer 5 speed manuals, and 6 or 7 speed automatics. IMO, 10 is just too much. In the Ranger, 1-3-5, then 6-8, and 10 would do me just fine. With shift points at or above 2K RPMs. None of this lagging at 1,400 RPMs at 30 mph, and no downshifting when I am coasting off throttle. Disengage!

I don't mind cruising at highway speeds at low RPMs, but that is the extent of it.

 

[Tom_C]

Don't recall if I've posted here, but here is my opinion. I used to only have manual. I never bought a lot of cars, I drove em till they dropped, but I always had manual. My last manual was a 4x4, and I began to wish I had an auto while drying on the beach, for example. My next car was an auto, and I will stick with auto. Maybe it's an age thing, too. It's just easier, and I guess they've gotten better, notwithstanding the trans issues some have. I don't have problems with the Ranger, and hope I never do.

 

[ControlNode]

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.

I disagree with one listed item, reliability. The 10R80 in the Ranger has proven to not be for many of us. If AI research can be trusted, it's estimating that in Mustangs the 10R80 has about a 5% fault rate, and Ford has stated the MT82-D4 manual has a fault rate of about 3%, mostly related to the shift forks. Manuals needing lots of clutches is normally a driver problem, rarely a manufacturer fault.

That said, as my tow vehicle I like having an auto, but would not have been against a manual if it included a hill hold feature and super low gear option to reduce clutch wear from a stop to have a more reliable less expensive to repair option.

 

[JBacon2020]

I would kill to have the bronco manual transmission in my ranger

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