“If folks learned to operate the entire car, not just the steering wheel and occasionally the brakes, I’d bet they’d like driving better. If they knew the sense of control imparted by that third pedal, I’d bet they would strive for its mastery. If they knew the excitement that accompanied a perfectly timed heel-toe downshift, I can guarantee they’d be hooked.
You know what we need? We need a crusade. We need to save the manuals! Not only are manual transmissions often more fuel-efficient than their two-pedal counterparts, you also can’t text while operating one. So let’s lobby carmakers to produce more of these things because they’re safer and more frugal, and let’s not tell them that they’re way more fun. Let’s train our offspring in the ancient ways of the stick shift. Let all of us knights of the clutch pedal drive our manual-equipped cars to Washington and pop ’em in front of Barry O’s house.”
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I sympathize, but I have gout and it frequently reduces me to one working foot. So I’m stuck with an automatic.
I like the idea.
FWIW, I’ve owned three vehicles for personal use that had an Automatic Transmission in my life. I’m currently driving the third one of those, but I couldn’t bring myself to get rid of it. Back in 1997, my dear Wife needed a new ride, and wanted a “small” car. We bought her a new Plymouth Neon.
In 2008, she decided that she wanted a different ride, and I bought her a lightly used Jeep Liberty. They offered me $500 in trade on the Neon, and I told them I’d keep it. (It only had 63K miles on it. My wife doesn’t drive much….)
I hate the flipping thing. It’s uncomfortable to ride in, hard to get into, and the steering wheel does not have a good position where it doesn’t make my arms hurt after about 50 miles. But for all that, it gets 32 MPG, and my Ranger gets about 24.
Besides that, it was a free car. I got it for nothing i didn’t already owe, and I can slump down and crawl into the pig to go back and forth to work and run around locally, and spend about $15/week on gas.
The pains it inflicts on me I will get over. The money I save will be with me for a fair while, I suspect.
I still hate automatic transmissions, but some days you gotta do what you gotta do.
Heh.
True, an automatic does have somewhat of an advantage in the typical bumper to bumper stop and go morning rush hour type traffic. However, in that case one is tempted to fiddle with the radio, check the phone, scroll through the I Device… and the next thing you know, you’re looking less for a car and more for a roadable office chair.
So, whenever I find myself using the traffic excuse, I think that being able to truely Drive is worth the sacrifice.
I remember reading that in the magazine sitting in the local Panera Bread. I damn near cheered out loud.
I tried to find one, I really did. But a diesel pickup with a manual tranny is a rare bird. I learned to drive in a 76 Ford, a 71 Dodge, and a whole slew of other farm vehicles, all manuals. Heck, I’m one of the few people that I know that even knows what a 5+2 IS, much less the proper shift sequence (including split shifting). I swear, manuals, trucks, and trailers should be taught in driver’s ed. At the least, I will find some way to make sure my offspring learn their uses…
Here’s a link to an essay on the joy of driving cars equipped with real transmissions:
“Three Pedal Fugue in A Major“
I’ve long maintained that manuals are the solution to unintended acceleration. If a driver (of any age) can’t tell the gas from the brake then the third pedal should keep them from going anywhere.
I’m doing my part to Save the Manuals. The wife and I both drive them, and my daughter WILL learn to shift. I suspect she’ll wan to, because manuals are just cooler.