First drive of an Automatic today, not really impressed

un1eash

Some people just prefer manuals, not sure how or why that is hard to understand.

I've driven quite a few autos and the BMW ZF8 is up there with the best if not the best, Its also a proper auto with a torque converter.

If I can't explain why I like manuals then maybe a picture will help.
                                                                                                                                       

tickedon

I had driven and owned cars with manual gearboxes for the last 11 years or so. When I got my new Audi A4 last year, I went for an auto (DSG) as I'm now driving around 18-20k miles per year. Initially it was the strangest thing in the world, but, five months in and I could never go back to a manual. With the seven gears, the rev/rpms are always kept low and appropriate for whatever speed I am doing, so my fuel economy is just as good / slightly better than my last manual car. I can also throw it into sport mode if I want to have a bit of fun. I know that the quality of auto boxes varies significantly, but, I'm certainly happy with what I've got.

Can never see me going back to a manual car now, which is a bit annoying as the auto box is often a £2k option!

Ned Senior

£2k thats 40/50££ a month onto the finance payments

tickedon

Or £0pm extra if you're fortunate enough to be able to pay off the finance after taking advantage of the manufacturer deposit contribution

I don't want to take the topic off into car finance, but, anyone jumping from PCP to PCP is paying far over the odds - it just doesn't make sense to me. Leasing is a far better option these days if you want to regularly change your car. The only good thing about automatic options is that in a lot of cases there will be a higher residual value as a result (particularly on the premium makes, where an auto is almost expected), so even if it's a £2k option you might only be paying less than £1k (plus interest) over a 3-4 year term.

Ned Senior

Yep will look into lease deals when the time comes there are often some cracking offers

NooBish AbbZ 92

I absolutely adore the auto box in the 340i. If i could, I'd never go back to manual if I could avoid it. Especially seeing as I can put the box into 'manual' anyway with the paddles

Apollo

It really isn’t a ‘manual’ when pulling a paddle though is it?

I had a loan 340i auto to try for 7 days before ordering my new car. Tried to like it, but just found it boring in auto mode and eight gears is 2 too many in manual mode. It does match the turbo B58 a bit better than a manual box by helping keep the engine on boost during shifts though and helps with economy no doubt.

I hated the pause before moving and strangely ‘elastic’ acceleration you get pulling out from roundabouts due to the torque converter and turbo. Makes going for a gap awkward and unnatural. Also didn’t like the stupid ‘look at me’ farts and cracks when shifting up and down a gear in sport mode which sound false as they always sound the same. Seems to be common on anything remotely sporty these days.

Ordered a manual 340i in the end as I really liked everything else apart from the quality of the leather which was easily fixed with an Individual order. The spec raised a few eyebrows at the dealers but I haven’t regretted it for a second. Much more involving and no stupid pops when shifting, just occasional burbles when lifting off sharply.

Living and working in the wilds of Lincs means I don’t have to deal with traffic daily, otherwise I may have given in to taking the ‘soft’ option. On my daily commute to work the wheels never stop turning from driveway to carpark

NooBish AbbZ 92

I tell you what, yours will probably hold it's value much better than everyone else's as a result of the manual My next car was alwasys going to be manual as it's rare that I take the car out just for pleasure, and even when I do, i love the 'manual' options I have Most of the time I'm on the motorway to be honest

Apollo

Thanks, it would be nice if the values firm up since the depreciation is terrible on new metal. I am yet to be convinced though, that the demand for manuals will be there in a few years time. Autos and electric cars with no gears are clearly taking over

Having said that, there does currently seem to be some enthusiast demand for certain older petrol manual performance cars once they drop into the sensible money bracket. Will that wither or increase?

I buy cars to keep for at least 5-6 years, rather than the 2 year PCP or lease ‘got bored with it’ rinse and repeat cycle. Very careful about choosing the right car and speccing it for me, not for resale, so I am not that fussed about what is in fashion or anybody else likes.

The next everyday car I buy will definitely be fully Electric with something older, petrol, manual and at least a 6-pot for weekends and summer fun

NooBish AbbZ 92

I plan on keeping mine until 2030 at which point I have my eye on a personalised numberplate using the '80' prefix, hence new car would be needed to wear it. I can't see any real reason as to why I'd need to change it before then; even with kids it's still got loads of room in the back and a decent boot. That said I would've preferred an estate but they just weren't available