Does any other auto tranny Yaris owner regret not getting the MT?

[TEHxFALLEN V1.2]

i don't always drive manual, but when i do, i prefer dos equis

[SilverBack]

Originally Posted by Betrivent

Double clutching also saves the clutch. No riding it, as well. The only time I wish I didn't have a manual is in traffic- but I avoid most traffic so it's all

+1. Also if you can familiarize yourself to the twitchy clutch, it definitely is a lot more fun to drive than an AT.

[yaris0128]

Originally Posted by daf62757

My AT is so smooth in shifting and the ease of using it far outweighs any gas savings you might get from having the MT. The MT gets very old...all that moving your feet and constantly switching gears while in heavy traffic.

I will never have another MT. ATs last so much longer and help your resale value.

Untrue! They might upcharge them a few years after it was new but later down the road people dont want used automatics with over a 100k on them. How many people are hunting down old 90's Honda's with an auto right now? None. Cuz they suck and people know they suck. Autos suck.

[Connoisseur_of_fine_cars]

Never been a fan of slushbox in small econobox. They're dangerous when trying to merge into traffic. You can't control what gear you're in. You stomp on the gas pedal, and you get no response for a second and then the slushbox changes gear and then it goes. Way too slow! Going to get plowed by the 3-ton SUV bearing down on you. Trying to shift in a slushbox is just awkward. If you live in areas with hills and mountains, forget it. If you have to have a slushbox because you have a handicap, get a V6 or V8 for its torque. Don't tell me shifting is too much trouble--my 62-y.o. mother commutes to work 20 miles everyday in a stick shift Honda.

[Chuck G]

Originally Posted by Connoisseur_of_fine_cars

Never been a fan of slushbox in small econobox. They're dangerous when trying to merge into traffic. You can't control what gear you're in. You stomp on the gas pedal, and you get no response for a second and then the slushbox changes gear and then it goes. Way too slow! Going to get plowed by the 3-ton SUV bearing down on you. Trying to shift in a slushbox is just awkward. If you live in areas with hills and mountains, forget it. If you have to have a slushbox because you have a handicap, get a V6 or V8 for its torque. Don't tell me shifting is too much trouble--my 62-y.o. mother commutes to work 20 miles everyday in a stick shift Honda.

You won't have any of those problems with the auto in the Yaris.
This transmission is exceptional!

[NZ-FE Vios]

My friend has an auto sedan and I have a manual. Hers is definitely not as zippy as mine and doesn't seem to enjoy being pushed a little bit extra. Currently it is very responsive but I'll out run her anyday. Just not the same.

[Connoisseur_of_fine_cars]

Originally Posted by MadMax

Enjoy your primitive clutching and manual gear changes, guys; I predict in ten years you're gonna be hard pressed to find cars with them!

I'm going to disagree. I think stick shift will make a come back. The reason is government imposed fuel efficiency of 54.5 MPG. Cars are going to get smaller and smaller. Cars are also going to get weaker and weaker engines, in order to meet gov't standard. A 54 MPG Yaris is going to be pretty dawn slow. For very underpowered cars, the difference in feel and performance can be huge.

Also, the bad economy today is not going to get much better anytime soon. People are going to demand cheaper cars with less accessories. Less power options, smaller rims, no ABS, less airbags, manual transmission, etc.

[cali yaris]

Enjoy your primitive clutching and manual gear changes, guys

Am.

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by Connoisseur_of_fine_cars

I'm going to disagree. I think stick shift will make a come back. The reason is government imposed fuel efficiency of 54.5 MPG. Cars are going to get smaller and smaller. Cars are also going to get weaker and weaker engines, in order to meet gov't standard. A 54 MPG Yaris is going to be pretty dawn slow. For very underpowered cars, the difference in feel and performance can be huge.

Also, the bad economy today is not going to get much better anytime soon. People are going to demand cheaper cars with less accessories. Less power options, smaller rims, no ABS, less airbags, manual transmission, etc.

I would disagree with your assessment that they are going to make a comeback. As the ATs start coming out with 6 or more speeds, the fuel efficiency of having an auto will be about the same if not better. Then, the standardization of the manufactures will make make the manual transmission a museum item. You could make the same comparison to front wheel drive. Back in 1980, very few cars had front wheel drive. Today, you are hard pressed to find a car (not truck) that doesn't have FWD. At some point when technology and economy of size meet in the middle, the manual transmission will be remembered much like the buggie whip.

[krolos]

Owned other cars and pickups with Auto trans and I can tell you Yaris auto
performs very well, responsive when you need to merge in trafic and such and
does very well in hill and mountain country.

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by yaris0128

Untrue! They might upcharge them a few years after it was new but later down the road people dont want used automatics with over a 100k on them. How many people are hunting down old 90's Honda's with an auto right now? None. Cuz they suck and people know they suck. Autos suck.

Untrue huh?

People who are looking for used cars will take an auto over a manual. You don't need to know how to drive an auto.....few people know how to drive a manual.

Of course I will offer this as my opinion and not as a fact as you seem to defer.

[MadMax]

It wasn't that long ago that it was near impossible to find an automatic transmission on most cars in Europe. When we took our new US-specs VW Passat over to Germany in 1995 the Germans were surprised that we'd want an automatic transmission on it. That is no longer the case, automatic transmissions have advanced so far that more and more supercars are using them.

Fight or deny it all you want, but the manual transmission is doomed like the 8-track tape. Technology is replacing it and I suspect it won't be too long before the vast majority of vehicles come equipped with automatic transmissions, even subcompacts such as our beloved Yaris. I hope to see paddle-shifters on it one day!

Cheers! M2

[Chuck G]

Originally Posted by MadMax

It wasn't that long ago that it was near impossible to find an automatic transmission on most cars in Europe. When we took our new US-specs VW Passat over to Germany in 1995 the Germans were surprised that we'd want an automatic transmission on it. That is no longer the case, automatic transmissions have advanced so far that more and more supercars are using them.

Fight or deny it all you want, but the manual transmission is doomed like the 8-track tape. Technology is replacing it and I suspect it won't be too long before the vast majority of vehicles come equipped with automatic transmissions, even subcompacts such as our beloved Yaris. I hope to see paddle-shifters on it one day!

Cheers! M2

Agreed!

[NZ-FE Vios]

Sure a new sequentially geared transmission can possibly shift faster and may be more efficient in burning fuel. The problems that will and do arise with new automatics is that they are too complicated, too many moving parts.

They are incredibly expensive to work and replace. I have a friend who spent near $7g replacing a sequential gearbox on a maxima with 78,000miles.

Sure, they could eventually work out the reliability issues, but then people would be less inclined to just move up to a bigger and better vehicle instead of repairing.

Personally, I'd rather have the tried and true "buggy" gearbox that I know I can pull and rebuild if I needed to. I also know that other than clutch and gear oil, my transmission will most likely still function properly when it has near 300kmiles like my truck does.

I would not be too happy with a slushbox at over 100k, not shifting up or down properly, bucking when being put in drive, just letting off the brake and having the car try to take off and then the bottom line of it feeling like a video game. An older lady I knew referred to driving an automatic as an aiming game, just kinda point and shoot.

[Chuck G]

Originally Posted by NZ-FE Vios

Sure a new sequentially geared transmission can possibly shift faster and may be more efficient in burning fuel. The problems that will and do arise with new automatics is that they are too complicated, too many moving parts.

They are incredibly expensive to work and replace. I have a friend who spent near $7g replacing a sequential gearbox on a maxima with 78,000miles.

Sure, they could eventually work out the reliability issues, but then people would be less inclined to just move up to a bigger and better vehicle instead of repairing.

Personally, I'd rather have the tried and true "buggy" gearbox that I know I can pull and rebuild if I needed to. I also know that other than clutch and gear oil, my transmission will most likely still function properly when it has near 300kmiles like my truck does.

I would not be too happy with a slushbox at over 100k, not shifting up or down properly, bucking when being put in drive, just letting off the brake and having the car try to take off and then the bottom line of it feeling like a video game. An older lady I knew referred to driving an automatic as an aiming game, just kinda point and shoot.

Reliability hasn't been a problem with the Yaris (we're talking about the Yaris right?)

[NZ-FE Vios]

Originally Posted by Chuck G

Reliability hasn't been a problem with the Yaris (we're talking about the Yaris right?)

I think the Yaris one is fine.

More of a general response.

[daf62757]

I think the main point is that what does the car makers consider most cost effective. You can't argue about the efficiencies of a manual transmission. You can argue that when the dealers are selling the shinny and new cars, more people want an automatic. When the manufacturer starts to compare the costs of making manuals vs automatics, if one gives you equal mileage, has more buyer appeal, and saves you production costs....that is the transmission you will produce more of.

As for automatics costing more to repair, yes, they do but I would also argue that they are more reliable than manuals. Most autos go over 100k miles without any problems. Most manuals have to have their clutch worked on because most people....no matter how the person says they know how to drive a clutch....don't know how to operate one.

If automatics were such a horror, why have the vast majorities of all cars and trucks sold today have an automatic for their transmission....cost effectiveness, and reliability. The bottom line will eventually dictate the answer.

[mazilla]

Manual transmissions are not going anywhere, certainly not in the next 10 years anyways.