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[steve_earwig]

Although that was nothing to do with you revving the nuts out of it and dumping it in drive

[Doggy]

Autos are the future.

I think we may been a bit hasty condemning Ned Ludd after all........

[FarmerPug]

Although that was nothing to do with you revving the nuts out of it and dumping it in drive

no not at all, the broken auto box is the reason i got it so cheap. It worked most of the time but sometimes skipped 3rd gear, important also to note that this auto box was from the 2.3 petrol engine the car was originally fitted with, mercedes probably never inteneded for it to be mated to a 2.5 diesel.

[sirwiggum]

Drove an Automatic XM on Friday.

Fantastic comfortable cruising machine.

Would love an autobox now.

[Busman]

Autos are the future.

I think we may been a bit hasty condemning Ned Ludd after all........

As in the luddites?

[Busman]

When the first autos came in on the 44 ton artics, things like volvos i shift, we were all very anti them to. Then we drove them, and wow what an improvement over the old range change twin splits we all struggled with before. An i shift has 12 gears and we where all used to 16 or more, but the thing is they didn't need any more. Then the operators found that they used less diesel to.
At the end of a long shift you feel so much less tired with an auto rather than a manual. Which is why London Transport has had them since the 1930s. Fluid flywheel anyone?
But like all new technoligy, its a good idea to let someone else have the first ones to sort the teathing problems. Then buy the mark 2.

[FarmerPug]

the xm had a sophisticated autobox, apparently it learnt your driving style, then did something with that information to make it better. The xm was a very advanced bit of kit.

[sirwiggum]

the xm had a sophisticated autobox, apparently it learnt your driving style, then did something with that information to make it better. The xm was a very advanced bit of kit.

It was the same one from the "another bargain" thread. Gearing always seemed right, took it a spin round town and up the motorway. The kickdown was also great, spooled the turbo (petrol) and I can see it being useful in overtaking Hyundai drivers doing 40mph.

Sadly sat down and couldn't justify the purchase But definitely piqued my interest in an autobox, especially with a half hour commute up the Ravenhill Road every day.

[FarmerPug]

i know a man drove an xm 2.0 turbo he said it was the best car he has ever owned and drove, said it was very fast, but did say insurance was expensive. It got wrote off 2 days after he sold it to someone else we also know, he got some slagging off for that.

[Doggy]

When the first autos came in on the 44 ton artics, things like volvos i shift, we were all very anti them to. Then we drove them, and wow what an improvement over the old range change twin splits we all struggled with before. An i shift has 12 gears and we where all used to 16 or more, but the thing is they didn't need any more. Then the operators found that they used less diesel to.
At the end of a long shift you feel so much less tired with an auto rather than a manual. Which is why London Transport has had them since the 1930s. Fluid flywheel anyone?
But like all new technoligy, its a good idea to let someone else have the first ones to sort the teathing problems. Then buy the mark 2.

I can see the advantages for buses & trucks, manuals would require a lot of physical effort and I can imagine it took a deal of skill & experience to consistently choose the ideal ratio out of 16. Cars are different, if I drove in traffic a lot I might reconsider, but I much prefer a straightforward manual. For me it feels like I have much more control. Modern computer controlled / adaptive systems are a big improvement, but they're still a bit short on anticipation, IMHO.

(I used to occasionally drive a 1970's Ford 5-tonner, but it only had 4 gears & if I'd been down to the canteen for a bag of chips, I just used 4th all the time ).