I know I wouldn’t vote for “manual” but I don’t know what the other 3 are, or what the difference is between them.
Effectively they’re three different kinds of automatics. To an enthusiast there are differences in performance and driving experience between them, but to an average driver who doesn’t know or care about the inner workings of their transmission and only cares that there’s no clutch pedal and you don’t have to shift gears they’re probably all the same to you.
You’re right! :smack: I don’t know how I missed that.
The M2 just got a little higher on my list… 
Are you me?
I was in a very similar situation, I needed a car to replace my Honda Element, contenders were the Golf and Jetta SportWagen TDI, the manuals were out of my price cap, and the only inexpensive models were DSG, so I had no good options, the JSW DSG models had a bit more storage space (could easily sleep inside with the rear seats folded), but did not have driving lights or paddles on the steering wheel
After long consideration, I figured if I was going to have to settle for a DSG, the paddle shifters on the Golf were more valuable to me than the extra 10 cubic feet of storage space of the JSW, the Golf also had driving lights (my first car with them), cloth seats (better than the “leatherette” of the JSW), had slightly lower odometer miles, and was assembled in VW’s Wolfsburg plant
So, I went with the Golf.
The first couple weeks with the DSG, my hardline manual side was screaming “THIS IS WRONG, YOU SOLD
OUT, HOW DARE YOU DRIVE AN AUTOMATIC, YOU KNOW THEY SUCK!!!”
After a few more weeks, that voice got a little fainter, replaced by “meh, it’s not a true manual, but it’s not horrible, it does shift crisply, and it doesn’t hunt for gears, it generally shifts when I would in a manual, and the nearly seamless power delivery is nice” yes the hardline side would occasionally scream with frustration, and he still has me searching for an affordable manual Golf TDI, but he’s starting to fade
As of now, my mindset is “it’s okay, I do like the ability to override the transmission whenever I want, it is amazingly fast shifting, and the shifts are nearly imperceptible, it’s not a bad transmission per se, but it’s not a manual, it’s acceptable for now
Still, hardcore guy still occasionally screams “it’s an automatic, it sucks’” but he’s getting less and less vocal.
I’m starting to accept it, it’s okay, it’ll do for now, but if an affordable Golf TDI comes up with a manual, I’ll probably trade, I don’t feel any real attachment to the DSG, but it’s not utterly horrible
… that said, I will NEVER own another sludgebox or a CVT.
Give the DSG a try, go in with low/zero expectations, expect to hate it, that’s what I did, you might find it’s an acceptable compromise, it’s no true manual, but it blows away the sludgebox/CVT
There’s also a big difference between what people say they want, and what they actually buy.
MGB, MGB, MGB, Porsche 924, Chevy Sprint, Porsche 911SC… Jeep Cherokee. I regretted getting the automatic transmission in the Jeep, and still wish I had gotten a standard transmission. Prius, Prius, MGB. A friend sold me his Prius, and I loved the mileage. I wrecked it, and got another one. That’s the only reason I have a Prius. It’s not a bad car – comfortable, in fact – but it would never be described as a fun car to drive. The '66 MGB is, of course, manual. (I should never have sold the 911! 
)
So what I actually buy have manual transmissions… Except for the error in judgement (the Jeep) and the non-option Priuses.
How long have you had it now?
I could see myself test-driving the Audi TTS. It has less hp than my current car, but I think it and the BMWs are the only real contenders at this point*. The Lexus RC is pretty much just a data point; I don’t really see myself driving one. And six years ago I was in love with the Subaru BRZ, but for some reason these days I’m feeling “meh” about it (I think it’s the low hp).
*Ooooo, except I might have to test-drive the tiny, low-hp Miata…just because what if I *love *it and can save $$$??
2 is the standard automatic popular for decades, there are 3+ gears that it chooses automatically when you put it on D. Some may have further spots on the shifter where you can put it to where it will set the maximum gear lower, for when you need more torque or it keeps switching gears like on hills.
3 works the same as 2, but there is a side section on the gear shift that allows you to optionally shift up and down, no clutch pedal needed. Some owners may never touch it. This has many, many different names depending on manufacturer (DSG is Volkswagen). Also the 3 names used in the OP aren’t the same thing I think, but are similar enough on the driver’s end.
4 is an automatic, but there aren’t traditional gear ratios so you don’t feel it shift. Early ones had issues but now it’s mostly ironed out.
With 2 and 3, you shouldn’t be able to damage your transmission like in 1 with improper gear, it’s more of a suggestion than a limit, and the computer will stop you from doing too much damage.
Some manufacturers love CVT (Subaru) others don’t (Mazda).
Misnomer, I’ve had it for about a month now, it’s a decent car, but it’s no manual Golf, I don’t think i’ll EVER completely like the DSG, as my hardcore manual side is quite the extremist, the ONLY thing HMG will accept is a clutched manual. no negotiations, if it’s not a manual, it’s wrong.
my practical side however, is perfectly fine with the DSG, i’m sure if all i’d ever driven were sludgeboxen, i’d be absolutely ecstatic with the DSG, viewed against the sludgebox/CVT, the DSG utterly decimates them, performance and engagement-wise,
viewed against a clutched manual, it can NEVER compete with the immersion and engagement of the manual and will always be found lacking, judging a DSG against a clutched manual by the standards of fun/engagement/immersion, the DSG will always fail, it’ll be close, damn close, but the manual is simply more engaging, that’s just the facts
comparing shift speed, the DSG will utterly destroy the manual, the DSG is just plain faster, period, that’s a technical fact, when you have two nested transmissions and two nested clutch paks where the next gear is pre-selected on the idling transmission cluster and the only thing you need to do is swap the active and idling clutch paks, , the shift speed is lightning fast.
The DSG needs to be considered on it’s own, it’s not a manual, and it’s not a sludgebox, it’s its own unique critter.
Yeah; I was going to post that this thread is a poster child for why self-selected polls like this aren’t remotely scientific.
(I voted “CVT” because that’s what kind of transmission my car has–which I had to Google to find out. Or I guess I could have gone out and looked through the manual in the glove box.)
Manual - my preference for car control and because it requires you to pay attention to your driving. We need more of that.
Automatic - what I currently because the doggone car companies insist on only offering manual for the low end SUVs. In my case, to get the engine I wanted, I had to get an automatic.
Automated manual/Sport mode - what I call a fake manual, because every time I’ve tried it, the computer has overridden my choice. Now you know how I drive. 
DSG - not quite the same as sport mode, but I haven’t driven it enough to really make a decision. The expense of a possible repair does make me shy away.
CVT - Just no. I hate the admittedly short overlap of when the engine is still increasing power even though I just applied the brake. I simply don’t trust it.
The CVT in a gen 2+ Prius does NOT use the rubber band system but rather a set of planetary gears which shift between the 2 motor/generators and the gas engine constantly.
Brian
I voted CVT because my Prius works well and gets awesome mileage (54 mpg). I have never experienced “fun” while driving any car, so that doesn’t enter into it for me.
This, but manual would be my second choice.
Due to MPG and emission requirements, and dam near everything else that a car does, engines and transmissions are now very closely synchronized and really almost operate as one unit. Manual transmissions are going to go away.
Hopefully after I’m gone, not before.
Nah. My wife drove an manual for years and decided that it sucked for her city commute and went with an automatic. She definitely had an opinion and a preferred choice and it wasn’t for the manual.
I doubt it, there will always be a niche for manuals, it may be a tiny niche, but it’ll be there.
it’d be more accurate to say that manuals may no longer be available in mainstream vehicles, but there will most likely be some form of tiny enthusiast groups refusing to let go of that third pedal.
I will NEVER abandon the clutched manual, my current daily is a DSG equipped Golf, yes, but I also have a manual '07 Rabbit as backup car, when that car eventually dies, i’ll probably replace it with a first or second generation Mazda Miata with manual transmission, a small, brilliant handling roadster with rear wheel drive and a manual, what’s not to love?
the Miata is only considered a “chick car” by knuckle dragging morons, anyone with any knowledge of small, sporty roadsters know that the Miata is in fact a true DRIVER’S car!
I’ve driven both for years and for me, a manual is not something I want to drive, it’s something that particular circumstances force me to drive. I am not a Formula I driver, I don’t change lanes like a madman while I’m on the highway, and I’m not trying to drive up and down 35 degree slopes using my transmission as a driver’s assist.
Not to mention, starting with my 1994 Mercury Villager minivan, every automatic transmission has done a better job of shifting than I can.
The only advantage to driving a manual is when I’m stuck driving in the 30-40 mph range in traffic and an automatic is trying to decide what gear to shift into. But newer transmissions are so smooth I hardly notice it.
My daughter’s tiny car has a CVT. It’s certainly acceptable for her putting around the city, but it feels like a 60s or 70s era automatic to me.
Based upon my understanding of this post, I’m going to assume all three automatics listed are the exact same 