Answering Commonly Asked Questions About Manual and Automatic Cars

If you are planning on buying a car and are torn between a manual or automatic vehicle, the following questions and answers might help you make a correct and informed decision:

Which Is Better: An Automatic or Manual Car?

The answer to this question depends on how comfortable you feel driving either vehicle.  Some people may inform you that it is easier driving an automatic vehicle than a manual one. This is true, but others may prefer driving a manual car because it makes them feel more in control or engaged in the process of driving.

How do you know which one is right for you? Before purchasing your car, find a driving school, and try out both a manual and an automatic car. It is recommended to start with a manual transmission because it is more complex. It is also used as a referencing point when you are being taught to drive an automatic car. Feel the difference between the two vehicles, and give yourself like a month on each so that you get used to them and are in a position to make a genuine comparison.

What Saves You More Fuel: An Automatic or Manual Car?

How much money you spend on a car's fuel depends mostly on the engine capacity and how you drive it. The bigger the engine capacity, the more fuel you use, and the smaller it is, the less fuel it consumes. Most automatic vehicles are usually fitted with an eco-driving mode (a green icon that turns on as you drive, especially when you stop pressing down on the gas pedal). If you learn how to drive within the speeds favourable for eco mode, you might find that you save quite a lot on fuel.

For manual cars, you can also control your speed through the gear. With time and experience, you can learn how to control your speed and fuel consumption and even consume less than an automatic car would.

What Is a Semi-Automatic Car?

Since a clutch usually makes it hard for several people to drive a manual car, in a semi-automatic car, it is removed to allow the driver to change gears in a manner somehow similar to how he or she would in an automatic vehicle. You might hear such cars being referred to as clutchless manual transmission vehicles or automated manual cars.

Without getting into technical details, the functions of the clutch are carried out by a computerised gear paddle shifter that is located mostly behind the steering wheel (to help you shift gears up and down) and an electronically controlled clutch.

Share