I enjoyed driving an automatic

[FarmerPug]

Yesterday my Pug was used, my dads primera had to get some belt and pulley changed, so i took it to the mechanics, dropped it off, and walked a few miles back to the farm. Then because i had stuff to do, i had to use my uncles car, a mixture of things not liked on this site; an mpv, and an automatic:

with on of those column mounted shifters:
But the thing was it wasnt too bad, yes it felt like a van which its actually used for, the handling is wafty not really sharp. But the automatic issue, i think i could live with an auto box very easilly it would take time to get used to when it changes gear, and kickdown just makes noise. But it seems really handy for when you dont want to change gear. However i still was glad to get back to the manual peugeot, i just cant understand why some people cant stand autos.

[Gary406]

automatics are slower and arnt as good on the fuel econamy side ..

saying that they are good to drive , drove my mates subaru legacy 2.5v6 auto and that was fun

[CountryPug]

My 106 is automatic, so is my dads 405. For pure driving pleasure i'll admit an auto isn't great, but for day to day driving I have no issue driving one. I'd say modern auto's are a heck of a lot better too.

[FarmerPug]

this toyota 2.4 4 pot is not really a fast car, not compared to the voyager before it, which died. Though still in this thing you need to be light on the throttle or it spins the wheels. As for fuel economy this things doing about 60mpg.
The best thing about an auto is coming into a junction is always smooth, sometimes in a manual its hard to judge what gear to drop down into, you go down and its either too low in which case the car stops, or too high in which case you stall or splutter. Wheras in the auto you can just steer it into a corner.

[Welly]

If you look at the new BMW diesels with a lot of torque they are all auto's as they haven't found a manual clutch man enough to take the power.

I think they will become increasingly common especially for city use where an auto is a real bonus.

You show an American a 'stick shift' and they'll run a mile, in the UK we just prefer manuals for some reason.

[Doggy]

Try cornering hard in neutral, if you need convincing.

[Welly]

Yes, the lack of engine braking is a problem, or was, I think a good auto now offers a good degree of engine braking.

[FarmerPug]

the brake pedal does the braking.

[Welly]

But a connected-to-engine drive shaft does a huge amount of braking for you. An old skool auto will keep sailing on without you when you lift off the throttle and shove you into corners too fast if you're not used to it.

[FarmerPug]

this toyota has an old school auto, only 3 speeds which isnt enough for the motorway, it could be so much more economical on the motorway if it had another cog.
But engine braking isnt that big a miss, a more obvious problem i would see with an auto is you cant start them on the push.