I’m getting old...

[buster]

At the age of 41 and driving manual transmissions for the last 18 years, I now want an automatic. It has to be a good one though. I’d even opt for a CVT.

I currently have a 2018 Mazda 3 loaner car (dealer messed up a simple valve cover gasket replacement) and in sport mode it’s nice to drive. Mazda manuals are nice however, compared to many other manual transmissions but there is still that lack of smoothness you get from shifting. NJ’s population density also doesn’t help.

 

[Mr Nice]

A BMW with auto transmission would be a nice upgrade.

 

[Patman]

I enjoyed having a manual in my 2005 Corvette, it was one of the main reasons I traded my automatic 98 Corvette. But after a few years the novelty wore off a little bit and I'm glad I now have an automatic in my new Vette. With the paddle shifters it allows me to choose the gear I want if I prefer, or I can leave it in drive and let it do it's own thing. With 8 gears, it's never at a loss for the right gear though. At full throttle it shifts lightning quick into the next gear and I actually find that aspect more fun than rowing the gears myself. I find that you feel the sensation of acceleration a bit more with an automatic because you're not concentrating on making the next shift. You just hammer it and it pushes you back in the seat like a rollercoaster ride

I also find that my gas mileage is better with automatic cars because it'll keep the rpm much lower in normal driving than I would with a manual. I think that's also going to help with engine longevity too.

 

[Artem]

My main criteria for a proper auto is... once in manual mode, you're able to rev it to Redline and NOT have the transmission autoshift into the next gear without you asking for it.

Also, it has to be able to rev match and downshift into a lower gear up by Redline as well. I've driven some that you ask it to downshift but it doesn't because it's programmed to do so only under a certain lower RPM. No go for me.

Seems like a newer BMW M is one of the few transmissions designed properly. Hadn't driven much else in automatic, so I can't say for sure. I only drive / own 6spd manuals... until wifey complains of the left pedal, I'm pushing strong.

We recently decided we may need a bigger car and her first words were, "what SUV comes with a manual"? LOL. I love this woman.

A recent Porsche Cayenne 6spd up for auction caught our eye...

 

[Silverado12]

I'm 57 and traded my manual Challenger for a new automatic Mustang GT. Tired of shifting gears too.

 

[CharBaby]

Yes indeed, Mazda(& Honda) manual trannys are wonderful to drive and some of the absolute best I've driven. However, I too live in an area where manual trannys are not for me anymore. Too much traffic congestion, stop & go/slow & go. I've had them(truck, cars, sports cars), I liked them then but give me an auto.

I've gotcha by many yrs and I just don't want to shift for myself. Plus, when I did have to sell off my older manual tranny vehicles, nobody wants'em! But with an automatic, even a person that typically drives/likes a manual may often buy an auto now & again.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Artem
My main criteria for a proper auto is... once in manual mode, you're able to rev it to Redline and NOT have the transmission autoshift into the next gear without you asking for it.

Also, it has to be able to rev match and downshift into a lower gear up by Redline as well. I've driven some that you ask it to downshift but it doesn't because it's programmed to do so only under a certain lower RPM. No go for me.

You would like the 8 speed auto in my Corvette then, as it absolutely won't shift into the next gear in paddle mode if you don't hit the upshift paddle (I've bumped into the rev limiter by accident a couple of times when wheelspin took over and the engine rpm "got away from me"

It also has a very cool feature that if you go full throttle and hold the downshift paddle, it'll immediately go to the absolute lowest gear that it can go to without over revving. So if you're in 8th at 60mph and hammer it and hold the downshift paddle (as opposed to just clicking it once) it'll go from 8th to 3rd gear instantly. So much fun!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I have had my Subaru almost a year., Love the manual transmission in it. But I kind of wish I got the automatic. My knees and right shoulder aren't getting better as time goes on.

 

[Artem]

Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: Artem
My main criteria for a proper auto is... once in manual mode, you're able to rev it to Redline and NOT have the transmission autoshift into the next gear without you asking for it.

Also, it has to be able to rev match and downshift into a lower gear up by Redline as well. I've driven some that you ask it to downshift but it doesn't because it's programmed to do so only under a certain lower RPM. No go for me.

You would like the 8 speed auto in my Corvette then, as it absolutely won't shift into the next gear in paddle mode if you don't hit the upshift paddle (I've bumped into the rev limiter by accident a couple of times when wheelspin took over and the engine rpm "got away from me"

It also has a very cool feature that if you go full throttle and hold the downshift paddle, it'll immediately go to the absolute lowest gear that it can go to without over revving. So if you're in 8th at 60mph and hammer it and hold the downshift paddle (as opposed to just clicking it once) it'll go from 8th to 3rd gear instantly. So much fun!

Sounds like fun... definitely something I would enjoy.

I'm sure buster isn't looking for an all out sports car though. He probably needs your average daily beater and those are hard to find with a nicely tuned automatic. Unless a slushbox is what you want in the first place.

 

[WylieCoyote]

No shame in that, Buster. After driving mostly manuals all my life, at 47, my career changed and my daily commute got much worse from the aspect of stop & go. I bit my bottom lip and traded the Focus ST for a Mazda CX-3 with an auto. Didn't care for the power deficit, (160 hp in a fairly heavy vehicle) so traded up to a Mustang, again with an auto. Their new 10-speed puts down the power well, but can get confused during quick on-off-on throttle situations. That's my biggest hang-ups with autos, but it's sure made my commute bearable.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Nooooooo!
Maybe a quick PDK but no manual shift autos!

I have an auto in the Rogue, but its time to go back to the MT.

Near 5 MPG penalty for a slush Converter AT!

Wifes CV in the impreza is decent (as a passenger) but I would break it guaranteed.

It has a simulated 6 step shift CVT with paddles. IDK about nannies in pure M mode, I haven't driven it. I don't fit in that tiny car to well. The new global platform impreza is MUCH more commodious.

Im gonna look at one. dont like 150 HP though - -I think ….

 

[E150GT]

I traded a 5 speed mania 2010 Mazda 3 for a 2015 automatic CX5. It upshifts quick in auto ad revmatches downshifts. My main complaint was it didn’t upshift quick. There was always a lag. And since it wouldn’t shift for you in manual mode it always bounced off the rev limiter. After 8 months I traded it in on a new 6 with 6 speed manual. I’m going to have to keenthat car for a while. My next car will most likely be auto since there’s very few choices for manual now and they are all almost always very basic cars.

 

[billt460]

Both of my new cars have automatics with paddle shifters. They're nice, but I rarely play with them. The whole novelty of shifting gears has worn off with age. I've had 2, 4-Speed stick shift transmissions in my driving lifetime. And I was glad to get rid of both of them.

It used to be a guy with a 4-Speed stick who knew how to drive it, would have an advantage over the same vehicle with a 3-Speed automatic. That is no longer the case. Today's modern automatics have more speeds, (some up to 10), than the manuals do. And they shift in milliseconds. Today you are at a disadvantage with a manual from both a performance, as well as a mileage standpoint. You're just making work for yourself by driving them.

 

[123Saab]

You should try a VW or Audi with a DSG.

I grew up on manual only cars and enjoy a fast ride, and the one in my GTI is the best gear box of any kind I have ever had in a car.

I'll never buy a manual trans car again. I'm 50+ of age.

 

[redhat]

I just got out of daily driving a Honda Manual for 7 years and I do not miss shifting.

It is definitely nice to be back in an automatic.

 

[Malo83]

I'm 65 and really enjoy driving Mommas 2017 Buick Regal GS

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted By: Malo83
I'm 65 and really enjoy driving Mommas 2017 Buick Regal GS

I know grown adults who got mad when they could not convince “mom” to NOT get that car ~ and get a Korean In America car that they drove … they lightened up when she said the Buick was “more sporty” (stereo typed her wrong, LOL) …

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

The CVT in my Accord Sport is the one thing I don't like about my car and regret buying it, especially knowing how good Honda's manuals are.

After driving manuals for 20+ years and a mix of manuals and autos for the 10 years before that, and moving to an area (Northern Virginia, DC suburbs) notorious for traffic, I went with the CVT. It sucks out a little more of my soul every time I drive it, traffic or not.

 

[HemiHawk]

My commuters are both autos now. As some one else mentioned, Audi/VW has the DSG which seems to be fairly reliable (extra cost with fluid changes at 40k intervals). The issue I have with the DSG in manual mode is coming to complete stops, it doesn't want to go into 1st. but when its moving the manual shifting seems to listen well enough. Then in higher traffic situations, throw it in drive and go.

I still like rowing gears in the toy car, but during the week its autos for me.

 

[Bud]

Always had a manual in my cars when younger. Now at 70, no way, especially since my driving is mostly stop and go locally.