One of the differences between the Brits and Americans is their transmissions, so I’m told. Apparently, the standard transmission is most common, yet here in the colonies the automatic transmission has become very popular (I’ve gotten rides from 7 different people, only one had a standard transmission).
Now, I’ve driven both types and don’t need anyone telling me what’s so great about either of them. My question is simply, is there any reason for the difference between the two countries?
Okay, where I said “Apparently, the standard transmission is most common, yet here in the colonies…”
change that to “Apparently, the standard transmission is most common <b>in England</b>, yet here in the colonies…”
From my observation of the world, most of the world defaults to standard (‘manual’) transition. It’s cheaper to produce, and more economical to run (and afficionados such as myself like it because it gives more control). Countries I’ve seen to buck this trend are the US, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.
In the UK (I’m not sure if this is the same in the USA), it’s considered easier to obtain a driving licence for an automatic than for a manual, indeed a person with a manual licence is allowed to drive an automatic but not vice-versa; this might have a bearing on the ‘snob’ factor.
However, automatics are becoming much more popular at the higher end of the range.
In the USA, at least in Texas and Maryland, there is no difference in obtaining a license for manual (“standard”) or automatic transmissions. It’s considered up to you to learn how to drive “stick” if you want.
Also, and I certainly may be misinformed, but to me the rationale for buying automatic is: manual or “standard” may be cheaper in the short run, but will often lead to more maintenance on your car in the long run.
An Aussie mate of mine said automatics are the norm in Australia aswell.
Anyway, I don’t drive an automatic because if I passed my test in an auto, I’m not allowed to drive a manual, but as I passed in a manual, I can drive both. The people (actually person) I know who drive automatics in this country get ridiculed for being stupid aswell, another reason not to drive one. And manuals use less petrol, and it’s easier to control how much power is available, and it’s easy to pause on a hill without using the handbrake (‘holding it on the clutch’)…
Am I alone in thinking this is at best unwise? There’s a huge learning curve to ascend when changing from automatic to manual.
Not really. It’s not like people just jump in a car with a manual transmission and expect to know how to drive it; they understand that they have to learn. I doubt there are many accidents that can be attributed to unfamiliarity with manual transmission. Brake still works the same.
I could be wrong of course.
I’m pretty sure every state is that way.
How do you figure? Driven properly, there’s a lot less to go wrong with a standard, less moving parts and all. However, due to variances in driving habits, I’d be willing to bet that there is no significant difference for average operating costs betewen the two types of transmissions (I’m excluding the rest of the car there).
In CA, there is no difference in the driver’s test for manual or automatic.
When I took Driver’s Education there in 1972, I trained in both types of vehicle. IIRC, the stick car was a VW fastback (grey).
The cost to purchase a car with an automatic is slightly higher when both manual and auto are offered. My '99 Saturn would have cost $995 USD more with an automatic tranny.
The Q about cost of ownership on auto vs. manual came up on a car-talk radio show here recently, and IIRC the costs are about the same if they both are well maintained.
I stand corrected.
Oh, and another thing, I’ve always thought that if anything, manual transmissions cause more accidents because people try to drive with no hands: one on the stick; one holding their coffee or fat burger or what have you.
IRF (I recall fuzzily) that at one time in New York State, the road test required to obtain a Driver’s License had to be taken using a vehicle that had a Standard Transmission. Presumably this was while there was still a large number of such vehicles on the road. I do know that by the time I took my road test (late 60’s) it was not a requirement. My Driver’s Ed class did training with an Automatic. The teacher told students that, if their family vehicle was a Standard, they should borrow a car with Automatic for their License Road Test (as being easier to operate, and thus less likely to lead to a failure.)
I’ve had licenses in Illinois, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. None of those places had a different license classification for manual or automatic or manual transmission.
My first car was automatic, and my next two (including the one I drive now) were manual. Manual transmission will supposedly give you slightly better mileage, IF you use it efficiently.
My friends who drive automatics say it’s for the convenience factor. Apparently, they want to use cell phones, comb their hair, much on a burger or whatever as they cruise on the road, and manual makes it more difficult.
I buy this explanation. We Americans are an amazingly self-indulgent lot.
One difference I’ve noted about this is that in the US, if you get a car from an auto rental place (i.e. hertz, enterprise, etc), it’s really difficult to find a manual transmission car (presumably if you rent from someplace that specializes in sports cars or exotics this is not the case), whereas in Germany, it’s difficult to find an automatic transmission rental car (I went there on a business trip once and there was a humorous scene at the car rental counter where the guy who was sort of the de-facto “leader” of the trip, and who had arranged to rent the car, was stopped cold by the fact that he couldn’t drive a stick, and that was all they had, so he had to let someone else drive. We gave him no end of grief for that, of course 
). I always figured US rental car companies only rent automatics because it ultimately saves them money, since they don’t have to worry about people who don’t know how to drive a stick ruining their clutches (or the people who do know, but just aren’t good at it).
The impression I got from talking to a few people was that the germans thought of an automatic transmission as a silly extravagance for people who couldn’t be bothered to push a clutch and throw a lever.
I can definitely see arguments on both sides, which is one reason I enjoy having one of each. If I have to drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I very much prefer my automatic, because my left knee starts to ache if I have to clutch incessantly, but if I am going to drive like a bat out of hell on some winding road, I’d much rather 1) control exactly when the car shifts, so a sudden change doesn’t destabilize the vehicle while I’m screaming around a turn or something, and 2) use the gas pedal as a way of telling the car what speed to go (push to go faster, lift to go slower), rather than using two pedals for that (push gas to go faster, push brake to go slower).
funkynige said:
This was always my impression of why manuals are more popular in Britain/Europe. Couple that with being able to get better performance out of smaller engines (also found more frequently in the UK/EU, again due to petrol prices), and manual seems to be the way to go there.
I grew up in Ohio and now live in the Washington, D.C., area. Until this thread I had never even heard of differing licensing systems for manual and automatic transmissions. So far as I know, car rental places and driver’s ed places pretty much mostly have automatics. I would say that 90 percent or more of all the personal cars I’ve been in have been automatics. I’ve never even seen a taxi with a manual transmission. The only people I know who have manuals are those who have a bit of the car snob in them. Certainly, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to have a manual in a hilly city such as San Francisco or Seattle.
I’m convinced it’s because Americans are lazy.
Hey now, I grew up in Seattle, and I had no problems with my manual and indeed preferred it (although perhaps I’m just a snob or something). I don’t think your imagination is good enough. 
In Alberta you can take the Class 1 or 3 driver’s test (for big trucks) in an automatic.
None of the US drivers licenses that I’ve had (IA, MO, AR, NE, KS, and TX) made a distinction between auto/manual transmissions. When I moved to the UK I brought my American, left hand drive, manual tranny car with me. The driving examiner made a note that the car had a standard transmission, but didn’t seem to care which side the steering wheel was on.