Deciding whether to go for manual or automatic transmissions has been an issue that has raised debate among users of this cars. The four types of transmission have their own benefits and have been designed to fit the driving styles and requirements of different drivers.
Driving Experience: It has been a preference for driving enthusiasts as they want to manually control the gear changes in their own strength. The manual transmission and the ability to control more of the power of the vehicle can help enhance awareness and passion for driving if time and attention are devoted to the driving experience.
Fuel Efficiency: This is because a manual car was efficient in fuel consumption compared to an automatic car. But the efficiency gap has narrowed as automatics are now getting more efficient engines, as compared to the manual counterparts; Some of the recent developments include the CVT automatics and the popularly known DCT automatics.
Convenience: People who want vehicles with easy driving experience opt to use vehicles fitted with automatic transmissions to avoid many hassles especially in traffic jams. Thus automatic gear boxes relieve the manual burden of pedaling and shifting gears and ensure that drivers are less distracted by the operation of the vehicle.
Learning Curve: The learning pattern of the manual car is somehow quite higher and many find it difficult to drive. This factor also coerces new drivers or simplicity seeking buyers to opt for automatic transmiss ion.
Market Trends: It is an interesting fact that nowadays in most countries people prefer automatic cars. It can be said that the automotive companies are taking a turn towards increasing the number of models that offer automatic modes because of the high preference of the clients for the ease of the modern car control and modern technologies.
Resale Value: This depends on the region or country and the type of vehicle being sold but it seems that manual cars are depreciating in value because there are limited buyers since not everybody knows how to drive stick. On the other hand some performance vehicles and sports cars with manual transmissions can go for higher price on the basis of its popularity with consumers.
To sum up, there is no doubt that automatic transmissions have more advantages than manual ones, however it seems that it is up to a personal preference whether to buy a car with automatic or manual gearbox. Sporty drivers will take to the manual transmission because it avails them the control and involvement while ordinary drivers are more likely to appreciate the convenience of a smoother automatic transmission. Therefore, there is no better automatic or manual transmission out there since both of them are good depending on the personal preferences and driving conditions.