Top 5 reasons why automatic cars are better than manual ones

I’ve always been biased towards manual cars because I learnt driving in one and over the years I’ve gotten used to it. Most people do not like change because the unknown worries us as we don’t feel secure and this happened to me as well when I decided to get an automatic car. If it was not because I didn’t have any choice, I wouldn’t do it but now that I have, I do not regret it a single bit.

So here’s how my Nissan Tiida automatic car has helped me:

No need to change gears anymore
When driving in busy cities, you get stuck in traffic and you’re constantly changing gears. Shifting into first gear, then onto second and then you have to stop again because you’re only moving inch by inch. Now since this process is repeated so many times, you get really tired with a manual car but with an automatic transmission, this is taken care of and you only have to use the gas pedal to move forward. It seems a bit like toy cars but it really makes a difference to the driving experience. I don’t feel knackered anymore and my arms are not tired from having to move the gear stick.

You also do not need to know when to shift into a different gear. For example if you were travelling on 4th gear and moving uphill, you would have to shift into the 3rd gear if you see you’re losing speed. So you constantly need to track your current gear positions and change accordingly but an automatic car will take that responsibility off your shoulder.

No need to balance the vehicle on slope
The problem for many drivers is to keep their vehicle balanced when they are on a steep slope (hill or where there’s an incline on the road surface). You need to master clutch control to be able to do that and many people find themselves rolling back a bit because they did not get the clutch and gas balance right or you hear a loud engine roaring sound as the accelerator was pressed too hard and that can cause you to bump into the car in front of you if you’re not too careful and late in stepping on the brakes. With an automatic car, your car is balanced for you. So no matter how steep the slope you’re on is, you will never roll back. Nice, isn’t it?

No more stalling
Even experienced drivers sometimes stall their car at traffic lights or when trying to emerge from a side road. This is because of the evil clutch but with an automatic car, you don’t have to worry ever about stalling.

No clutch to depress
Automatic cars do not have a clutch and therefore you do not run the risk of having to replace it. On manual cars, you have to be careful and use the clutch efficiently, otherwise it will wear out very quick.

The parking brake is applied by the foot
Okay, this seemed very weird the first time because I was used to lifting my handbrake up and it was next to me on the left but now the parking brake is in the place where the clutch used to be. This makes it very easy to apply. You press it and your parking brake in ON and you press it once again and it’s OFF.

Surely, there must be some disadvantages, right?

Well there are a few cons to driving an automatic car. The first one is that you don’t have control over gear shifts. For example, sometimes my car takes a little longer than I’d want to change to a lower gear as I try to overtake someone. The second one is your foot needs to be on the brake pedal all the time. As soon as you remove it, your car starts going forward without even touching the gas pedal. This is by design though and even when you’re on a level road surface, you have to be careful not to lift your foot off the brake as the car will definitely start to move. The third one is that your car will use more fuel than a manual car because it’s always trying to move or balance on a hill. The best way to beat this is to apply your parking brake when at traffic signals.

It’s also worth mentioning that repairs and maintenance services to automatic cars are more expensive because their internal systems are more complex. And your brake pads will wear more quickly too because they are used all the time.

Conclusion

Even with the cons listed above, I think the pros far outweigh them and delivers a better driving experience although I’d recommend everyone to pass their driving test on a manual first because then you’re allowed to drive an automatic but not vice versa.