 | Home > Off Topic > auto or manual ? |
 
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| LR Nuts Member Since: 10 Aug 2022 Location: UK Posts: 1301  
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One in four driving tests in Great Britain are being taken in automatic cars, according to new data, as drivers opt for more electric vehicles (EVs) and shy away from manual gearboxes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c80gk97xe85o more young drivers are opting for automatic vehicles. I believe this is being forced by manufactures. |
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17th Sep 2025 9:28am |
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| Cragster69 Member Since: 15 Jun 2021 Location: Scotland Posts: 250  
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The Son of a friend has just had to resit his driving test in a manual as part of the condition of a job offer.
His Automatic only licence didn't fit with the vehicles the company own. My Daughter passed her test with a manual licence, (so as not to limit her options come the apocalypse) made the choice to persevere with the coordination of all 4 limbs for a gear change. Craig. “Don't believe everything you read on the internet.” ― Abraham Lincoln www.scotgrc.co.uk |
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17th Sep 2025 11:26am |
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| MarkBrown Member Since: 03 Oct 2022 Location: Mid Wales Posts: 584  
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I love automatics. 1983 110 automatic OM606
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17th Sep 2025 11:49am |
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| ruben Member Since: 04 Feb 2021 Location: ASTURIAS Posts: 377 
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The manufacturers are certainly to blame. The idea of being able to consider a new Defender with a manual transmission is very intriguing. The automatic is very good, I have it now!! but a manual would have been truly delightful! I can say that I was lucky enough to enjoy a manual D3 for 18 years... I tried the automatic many times, and I
think the manual option was the right D3! Defender 110 SE I6 D250 23MY ExDiscovery 3 TDV6 SE |
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17th Sep 2025 12:40pm |
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| Stacey007 Member Since: 25 Sep 2015 Location: Cheshire Posts: 3868 
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I drive various cars and some suit Auto better than a manual... Depends on the car,
I agree, from my work collegues who have children learning and they are not 'realy' into cars, they are learning in auto's more than manuals. One less thing to worry about and on the whole auto's pretty easy. Luckily my daughter wants to learn in a manual, so she can drive our classic landrovers around the rings at the steam shows 
Not sure the young ones will understand dropping a couple of cogs, lowering your window (by winding it down) and giving it some beans through a tunnel  |
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18th Sep 2025 2:44pm |
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| nosnibod Member Since: 15 Aug 2007 Location: West Midlands Posts: 371 
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I certainly agree about some cars suiting auto and some manual. I once converted a Td5 Defender to auto and ultimately disliked it so much I sold it. It completely altered the vehicles character and it felt much less involving to drive and detracted from the experience so much it became somewhat boring.
I bought a 2.2 Defender 110 to replace it, which I never really gelled with, and now I have a 300Tdi 110 with a R380 which I’m utterly delighted with. So much character, and the engine and gearbox are so well matched it’s a delightful thing to drive. Dave Green Goddess - 1998 Defender 110 300tdi |
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18th Sep 2025 3:06pm |
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| markb110 Member Since: 22 May 2010 Location: Guildford Posts: 2690  
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More manuals would (hopefully) reduce the number of people STILL using their mobile phones whilst driving, which if anything is increasing to easily seeing ten per day.
Even some Doris driving through the estate last weekend in a FFRR with her mobile held up in front of her face either Face timing someone or filming herself for Thick Toc…..Never mind the parked cars or parents out with their kids.. As someone said, learning to drive an automatic is just learning how to steer. Best not let the father in law get involved with his stories doing National Services transporting tanks with a Diamond T….. |
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18th Sep 2025 4:36pm |
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| Bowbearer Member Since: 12 Aug 2022 Location: Norfolk Posts: 233 
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I have an Auto 110 with a defender 200tdi engine. works very well.
I love it for weekends and holidays but would rather have a manual for when I work it. |
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19th Sep 2025 2:25pm |
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| paul 123 Member Since: 10 Jul 2022 Location: norwich Posts: 150 
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i have a 300tdi 90 with an automatic gearbox only had it on the road a few weeks. it great wish i had an auto many years ago.
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19th Sep 2025 4:05pm |
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| TexasRover Member Since: 24 Nov 2022 Location: Paris Posts: 1339  
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In the US obviously there is just a license. If you choose to buy a manual you will just have to learn to drive it yourself. In Europe we just make rules for everything
Driving a manual is like a diehard ultimate driving experience. Even in the Fast and Furious cars have a manual (soundtrack mainly) |
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19th Sep 2025 6:06pm |
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| ruben Member Since: 04 Feb 2021 Location: ASTURIAS Posts: 377
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In Spain, obviously there is just a license too!! Defender 110 SE I6 D250 23MY
ExDiscovery 3 TDV6 SE |
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19th Sep 2025 9:41pm |
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| leolito Member Since: 07 Jul 2025 Location: Sofia Posts: 29 
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Each one has its own opinion, but is not just the manufacturers to blame, actually is "too easy" to blame just them.
Newer generations are really lazy, not saying it - only - in a bad term, but they do thrive in the modern automatization of most processes, and therefore an auto transmission is a logical step. When I was a kid, having a moped and smelling like 2-stroke and fumbling with carb settings was the thing, now they get these electric scooters which go like stink they need zero maintenance zero preparation for use, just turn it on and twist the throttle so imagine what a hassle to have to deal with a clutch, synchronizing engine speed and gear changes ... but please! 
In addition to this, we got the awful dreadful dominance of ADAS which is changing the manner cars are being proposed and driven by most today, and with a further drive towards a full automatization, a manual car is a hindrance - an auto you can set it up for autonomous drive, a manual one, not so. And is the time when we head into this approaches, these It is not just a single factor, many things are going and driving forward a change towards this revolution in mobility we are seeing ... EVs are one thing, infrastructure changes are other, small-mobility solutions like these scooter are other, and so on. Futher automatization of engine mechanics are an inevitable consequence ... imagine you can standardize transmission across many a vehicle range - see VAG and the proliferation of their DSG "offering" throughout most of their range. It is a vision of the future I do not really support, but it is coming, nostalgia or whatnot. PS: I am not a detractor per se - I have different cars some manual some auto, and I enjoy both for different reasons. With a game of words ... if I have to stick to one solution, I stick with the stick. But is not always available ... and will be even less as we go forward. |
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20th Sep 2025 10:17pm |
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| J77 Member Since: 04 Nov 2019 Location: Fife Posts: 3511
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Auto all day for me but better to learn in a manual then make your own decision.
I’ve manual car and PCV, the latter I haven’t driven for years, it’s all autos or automated manual I-Shift. 24MY 90 D250 HSE, Tasman Blue |
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27th Sep 2025 10:05pm |
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