4 ms·
In Europe, manual transmissions are generally preferred because they're cheaper, not because they're more fun to drive.
by toomanybeersies 6y ago
In Europe, manual transmissions are generally preferred because they're cheaper, not because they're more fun to drive.
- arethuza 6y agoAlso European cars tended to have smaller engines, which weren't a great combination with the relative inefficiencies of torque converter style automatic transmissions. However, newer dual clutch style transmissions work pretty well with small engines - I have a car with a 1l engine and DCT and it is a delight to drive.
- throwaway0a5e 6y agoManual transmissions are preferred because on a continent where 1L engines drag around 4000lb cars (because displacement taxes) being able to shift when you want (as opposed to just having to live with whatever gear the OEM engineers who have emissions to consider think you should be in) translates into a much improved driving experience. They're marginally cheaper but the real key is that they let the consumer side step engineering decisions that were made against the consumers interests.
- taneq 6y agoI thought the cars did that for you by detecting emissions tests and switching to 'emissions mode' just for the test?