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Ctrl-F "traffic" shows up nothing in the article - there's not much discussion of "why" other than the technology is better. Truth is that when you are stuck i

Ctrl-F "traffic" shows up nothing in the article - there's not much discussion of "why" other than the technology is better. Truth is that when you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, stopping and starting, manuals are tedious and not a good experience.

kenhwang 8y ago
Yup, this is more or less the reason. I have what's regarded as the best manual transmission in production on my Porsche, but in traffic, the automatic transmission on my econobox Mazda3 still does a better job moving the car from a stop smoothly with minimal impact on fuel economy with almost zero effort. On the Porsche, I'm either slipping the clutch causing more wear or having very jerky/abrupt starts, revving a bit more than necessary or risking stalling/bogging by short shifting. Sure, the manual is a lot more fun and engaging to drive, but most people are simply content with commuting with an appliance.
kps 8y ago
Stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, stopping and starting, is tedious and not a good experience. In my experience, transmission makes no difference.
pmontra 8y ago
I'd like an automatic transmission in cities and on highways and a manual one up and down hills and off-road, when I want to be sure about what the car will do. So what about a sequential transmission? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequential_manual_transmission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequential_manual_transmission It's the one we use in videogames when we select "manual". In real cars they usually have an automatic mode. Car2Go Smarts used to have that transmission, activated by a stick.
- singingboyo 8y ago
  Having that mode is pretty common these days, isn't it? I have it in my Rogue, my dad's Grand Caravan has it, Car2Gos (smart fortwo and the mercedes sedans), a friend's... something? (some hatchback, idk) had it. I haven't actually seen a car without a sequential/manual mode for a long time, come to think of it. Used to drive a 2003 Grand Caravan that didn't have it, but it had a few different automatic modes that helped fill that void for hills.
csours 8y ago
I'd love to have an electric drive for first gear, and manual for the other gears.
Scott_Sanderson 8y ago
Doesn't explain why Germany, UK, France, etc. are 90%+ manual transmissions. They have traffic too.

kenhwang 8y ago

Yup, this is more or less the reason. I have what's regarded as the best manual transmission in production on my Porsche, but in traffic, the automatic transmission on my econobox Mazda3 still does a better job moving the car from a stop smoothly with minimal impact on fuel economy with almost zero effort. On the Porsche, I'm either slipping the clutch causing more wear or having very jerky/abrupt starts, revving a bit more than necessary or risking stalling/bogging by short shifting. Sure, the manual is a lot more fun and engaging to drive, but most people are simply content with commuting with an appliance.

kps 8y ago

Stuck in bumper to bumper traffic, stopping and starting, is tedious and not a good experience. In my experience, transmission makes no difference.

pmontra 8y ago

I'd like an automatic transmission in cities and on highways and a manual one up and down hills and off-road, when I want to be sure about what the car will do. So what about a sequential transmission? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequential_manual_transmission https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequential_manual_transmission It's the one we use in videogames when we select "manual". In real cars they usually have an automatic mode. Car2Go Smarts used to have that transmission, activated by a stick.

singingboyo 8y ago
Having that mode is pretty common these days, isn't it? I have it in my Rogue, my dad's Grand Caravan has it, Car2Gos (smart fortwo and the mercedes sedans), a friend's... something? (some hatchback, idk) had it. I haven't actually seen a car without a sequential/manual mode for a long time, come to think of it. Used to drive a 2003 Grand Caravan that didn't have it, but it had a few different automatic modes that helped fill that void for hills.

csours 8y ago

I'd love to have an electric drive for first gear, and manual for the other gears.

Scott_Sanderson 8y ago

Doesn't explain why Germany, UK, France, etc. are 90%+ manual transmissions. They have traffic too.