this post was submitted on 28 Aug 2023
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It's funny manual is the standard here so there's no ego boost to driving one, people always tell me it's because we have more corners which has never made any sense (I e. You need to go into second or third at roundabout which I think older autos would have a little lag with or something, certainly not a problem in cars from this century)
I would love an automatic, i think it would make my driving safer in several ways, for a start not having to focus on gears at key moments like navigating road changes and corners or pulling away in a busy carpark. When I drove in the US it was so nice not having to constantly be doing stuff in traffic that I wasn't anywhere near as tired which again is a big safety issue
I grew up in the UK, learning on stick, moved to us drive an automatic.
i live in a city, I work in an office, I don't have any hobbies that require something I can't lift with two hands (except my piano, but I hardly take that around with me).
I can't for the life of me think of a reason why I would need a stick. its so pleasant to be able to drink coffee or water while driving, have an arm out the window, or even just being at rest driving.
I dont get the appeal.
Its appealing for people that want driving to be more engaging in contrast to people that want it to be less engaging and more layed back (like you do).
For me, driving a manual feels more rewarding/tactile, like typing on a mechanical keyboard instead of a touchscreen.
(And manual cars are usually cheaper to buy and, more importantly, maintain here in Europe)
Out of curiosity, how far do you drive on an average day, and what's considered a long drive for you?
I'm wondering if the popularity of automatics in the US is affected by longer commutes on average, which makes manual driving more exhausting. My personal feeling is, on a 5 hour drive to my parent's house, I really want to be able to relax and listen to some podcasts without getting too weary to drive, but I'm not sure if it really makes a difference.
I live in a large European city where the subway and bike are usually quicker than driving. My commute is 0.8 miles so it wouldnt be worth driving there.
I dont drive often, so when I do, I want to enjoy the ride as much as possible. I've also never found it to be exausting (though the longest I've driven was 2h and when I'm on the highway I dont have to switch gears anyway so there's that)...
I think you're onto something. U.S citizen here and I actually love driving stick but where I live it's a few hour drive to anywhere which makes driving a manual seem like more of a hassle, whereas those long trips in an automatic feel leisurely and I'm more well rested when I arrive.
Couple that with manuals more commonly found in larger trucks around here. I work on vehicles, see many and can't remember the last small car or truck that was manual. It's all semi's, dump trucks, dualies, you know? Big trucks which adds another barrier to people.
I feel like if there were smaller manuals in my area then perception would change. As it is they're reserved for work, big work at that.
It's sad to lose manuals in society but I'm seeing them less and less, everything seems to be going electric now, even companies known for diesel manuals.