Automatic Vs Manual Transmissions – What Type Should You Go With?

When talking about automatic transmissions and if they are better than a car with a manual transmission it really comes down to the preference of the driver. Do you want to be able to control the whole driving experience or do you just want to get from point A to point B without thinking about shifting gears?

If you’d like to be in full control of when the transmission shifts between gears then a manual transmission would be better suited for you. However, if you’d prefer to be hands-off and want your transmission to handle shifting for you then an automatic transmission would be better for you.

But what are some of the pros and cons that come along with manual and automatic transmissions? What type of transmission is right for you? Is there a way to get the best of both manual and automatic transmissions?

Automatic Transmission Pros

1. Awesome In Traffic

One of the main benefits of automatic transmissions is that they can come in hand if you are stuck in traffic. If you’ve never driven a manual transmission before you may not know how cumbersome they can be to operate in stop and go traffic.

Automatic transmissions can make stop and go traffic a breeze because you don’t have to keep letting in and out of the clutch and going in between first and neutral every time you want to start moving forward again like in a manual.

2. Paddle Shifters

One of the ways that automatic transmissions have brought more control over the driving experience is by the use of paddle shifters. Paddle shifters are paddles that are typically mounted on both sides of the steering wheel that allow you to manually select gears in an automatic transmission car. One paddle allows you to downshift while the paddle on the opposite side of the steering wheel will upshift.

If you are an automotive enthusiast that has to drive in stop in go traffic a lot I would definitely recommend going with an automatic transmission car with paddle shifters. That’s because paddle shifters can offer the best of both worlds; allowing you to shift when you want and allowing the transmission to shift for you when you don’t care to pick your own gears.

However, one of the main downsides that people like to bring up with paddle shifters is that there can be some lag in between you pulling the lever and the transmission actually switching gears. I have a car that’s equipped with paddle shifters and while the gear shifts are not instantaneous I wouldn’t say that there is a long time between shifts. That time between shifts should also be reduced the newer the model of your car as transmission technology is continuously advancing.

3. Quick Shifts

One way that automatics are better than manuals is the time between shifting gears is reduced. This means that you can stay in the power band of your engine longer and you can get up to speed quicker than shifting gears yourself. This isn’t to say that there is no reason to drive a manual. But automatic transmissions definitely have the edge when it comes to being able to quickly shift between gears.

Automatic Transmission Cons

1. Don’t Allow Full Control

One of the main downsides that automotive enthusiasts have with automatic transmissions is that they don’t allow you to fully control when you shift gears. With most automatic transmissions they control when they switch between gears based on how much throttle is being applied and the speed that you are currently traveling.

When you press the throttle the automatic transmission will then evaluate if it needs to downshift or keep allowing you to accelerate in the same gear based on how much throttle was applied. All of these calculations happen in a split second and automatic transmissions have vastly decreased the amount of time it takes to shift between gears. But for many automotive enthusiasts, automatic transmissions still hamper the driving experience enough to go with a car with a manual transmission.

2. Initial Costs for an Automatic

Another reason why you may want to go with a manual transmission on your new car is that the costs of automatic transmissions will typically be higher than the cost of the same car equipped with an automatic transmission. Automatic transmissions are more complicated to develop and manufacturer and therefore will be more expensive than manual transmissions.

Manual transmissions have been around for a long time and haven’t really changed much over the years. Automatic transmissions have also been around for a while but auto manufacturers are continually improving the design of their automatic transmissions to make them more fuel-efficient, more reliable, and offer better performance.

As automatic transmissions become more advanced the costs to develop them will typically trickle down to the consumer buying the cars.

3. Added Weight

Another reason to go with a manual transmission over an automatic transmission is the added weight that comes along with automatic transmissions. Usually the more gears a transmission has the heavier it will be. With new transmissions that have 10 different gears inside them, you can bet that they will be significantly heavier than a car equipped with a manual transmission.

So if the weight of your car is a factor for you then I’d suggest going with a manual transmission.

How Do Automatic Transmissions Work?

If you are interested to learn more about how automatic transmissions work I’d recommend checking out the youtube video below that explains in detail what the internals of an automatic transmission look like and how they are able to shift gears.

Manual Transmission Pros

1. You’re In Full Control

The best thing about manual transmissions is that you control everything about the driving experience. If you want to rev your engine out to redline then have at it.

If you want to drive like a normal person shift normally. You can’t really substitute the feeling of control that you have when driving a manual transmission car.

With a manual transmission car, you are the captain. You decide when you want to shift to the next gear and when you need to downshift or pop it into neutral depending on the circumstances.

Paddle shifters come close to the feeling of driving a manual but even with paddle shifters you don’t have full control of your shift points like you would in a manual.

2. More Engaging Driver Experience

A manual transmission will offer a more visceral driving experience over an automatic transmission. You can’t just hop in your car and think about what is going on in the news or your life, you have to be engaged with the car to shift correctly.

Every time you drive a manual transmission or stick shift car it’s an experience. You can’t really zone out entirely and let the car drive you, with a manual you have to be engaged with what is going on around you.

Slowing down? You’ll need to downshift to stay in the powerband. Merging onto the interstate? You’ll likely need to downshift to give you enough power to quickly accelerate onto the interstate.

3. Cheaper to Repair and Purchase

Since manual transmissions are designed to have their clutch replaced periodically usually the costs to replace a clutch are not all that high. When I replaced the clutch on my mustang it was a little over $1,000 for the parts and labor.

In comparison, if you need to have work done on an automatic transmission typically that means that it will need to be rebuilt or replaced which can cost anywhere from $2,000-3,000 depending on the sort of work that you need to have done.

Manual transmissions are also cheaper from the outset than automatic transmission equipped cars. Having an automatic transmission installed is typically an option that will cost you a few thousand more than the same car that’s equipped with a manual.

So you can also save yourself some money by just going with the manual option.

Manual Transmission Cons

1. They Can Be Tough To Learn

While driving a manual transmission car can definitely be a fun experience, learning to drive a manual transmission can be daunting. If you’ve never driven a manual before it can take some time to get a feel for letting out the clutch at the right time and knowing when to shift gears.

The good news though is that over time the process will be easier and eventually you will be able to shift gears without really thinking about it.

The learning curve to learn how to drive a manual depends on the type of car you try to learn on. Some cars are easier to operate the clutch and won’t stall out as easily. However, other cars like the one I learned on will be unforgiving and will have a steep learning curve to get the car moving without having it stall out.

When I first learned how to drive a manual transmission it was difficult to find the balance between giving it enough gas and letting out of the clutch in a way that would not stall out my car.

I can remember like it was yesterday pulling up to a light and killing my car twice before I was able to finally get going and get through the light.

2. Manuals Suck In Stop and Go Traffic

Another downside of a manual transmission car is that they can be a bear to drive in stop and go traffic. Manual transmissions are a blast on backroads with no traffic in front of you. But in reality, you will likely encounter traffic as you traverse around.

Constantly applying the clutch and shifting between first and neutral can be cumbersome to most. Not to mention constantly pressing in the clutch and letting it out can cause additional wear and tear on your drive train components.

If you live in a place like LA where you are constantly driving in stop and go traffic I’d advise taking a manual transmission car for a test drive in traffic situations like that before buying one.

Maybe you have a friend that has a manual transmission car that would let you borrow his car for the day to try it out.

3. Time Between Shifts

Another downside to manual transmissions is the time it takes to shift gears. The fact is that automatic transmissions are much faster at changing gears than even the quickest driver with a manual transmission. Therefore it will take you longer to change gears than if you were in an automatic transmission car.

While this may not be the biggest deal to you it can mean the difference between winning and losing a race. That split second between shifts can add up quickly when it comes down to quarter-mile drag times. That’s why most pro drag race teams use a sequential or automatic transmission on their drag cars.

The quickest race driver in a manual transmission equipped car wouldn’t be able to beat an automatic transmission at shifting gears.

How Do Manual Transmissions Work?

If you are interested in learning more about what makes up a manual transmission and how they work I’d recommending checking out the youtube video below that explains how the clutch on a manual transmission works and how the gear shifter linkage is able to shift gears.

Automatic Vs Manual Transmission – Reliability

While manual transmissions have typically been more reliable than automatics it all really depends on the type of transmission installed in your specific vehicle and how you drive. If you are constantly launching your car you can expect more wear and tear on your transmission components which may shorten the life of them.

When it comes to reliability you’d want to first figure out which model of car you would want to buy, from there research if an automatic or manual transmission is available. Then you can research the reliability of both to determine which will be more reliable in the long run.

In regards to certain auto makes Honda while making superior engines have had reliability issues with their automatic transmissions in the early 2000s. While some manual transmissions have been the weak link in certain models like the newer Ford Mustang.

BMW’s have notoriously had issues with their SMG transmissions failing prematurely while their manual-equipped cars have not had nearly as many issues.

BMW has since outsourced their automatic transmission development to ZF and their new automatics are some of the best automatics that money can buy. So it really depends on the specific model year of car that you are looking at and what specific transmission was used at that time.

Automatic Vs Manual Transmission – Fuel Efficiency

While manual transmissions have traditionally been the king of fuel efficiency automatic transmissions have started to reclaim the crown with the use of more gears. While most manual transmissions with have at max 5 or 6 gears to row through newer automatic transmissions like on the Mustang and Camaro can have 10 gears.

With 10 gears to choose from automatic transmissions can provide better fuel economy because they can have gears that are closer ratio (gears 1-4) that allow the car to launch quickly but also have gears (gears 7-10) that are designed to provide increased fuel efficiency.

If you’d like to learn more about how 10-speed automatic transmissions work and how different gear ratios affect acceleration on the new 2020 Mustang GT check out the video below.

With all of that said with older cars that have older transmissions the manual transmission may be the better option for fuel economy depending on how you drive, how many gears the transmission has, and the ratio of the gears inside of the transmission.

One advantage of that manual transmissions have over automatic transmissions is drivetrain loss. The internals of manual transmissions have far fewer parts and moving pieces than automatic transmissions. Because of the simpler construction of manual transmissions they can put more power down to the ground than automatic transmissions

On older automatic transmission cars they may only have 4 or 5 gears to pick from which means the last gear may be the only one designed to provide increased fuel efficiency. Another factor in fuel economy is how you drive. If you are fully revving out your engine between gear changes it won’t matter if you have an automatic or manual transmission your fuel economy will suffer.

Automatic Vs Manual Transmission – Cost To Repair

With automatic transmissions when they start to slip typically the transmission will need to be completely rebuilt or replaced which can cost $3,000-4,000 depending on parts and labor. While the cost to replace a clutch on a manual transmission will usually be around $1,000 in parts and labor. If there is an issue with the manual transmission and it’s not as easy as just replacing the clutch (which is designed to be replaced) you can expect the costs to replace a manual transmission to be close to the costs to replace an automatic transmission so in the $3,000-4,000 range.

Automatic Vs Manual Transmissions – Which Are Better?