Auto vs Manual - Which to Buy?

[RenRed2]

And I'll say again: manual is more fun and the best option

For you...........thats all - Not all others.

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[Natedawg]

I go back and forth. I really wish toyota made a tech package auto car like they do for the manual. I just don't want the leather seats.

Auto makes more sense in my situation and what I want to use it for but I still want the manual. I'm hoping demand comes down a bit and i can score a tech package manual in the spec/ color I want.

 

[RWhiz]

I know this subject has been done to death and we always say the same thing, but I'll reiterate, along with everyone else ?
I bought mine STRICLY as a track toy. As such, I bought AT because it's faster. I already had cars with manual transmissions; didn't need another.
Oddly enough.. I ended up selling one dream car for another, sold my old race car, and now I have ZERO manual cars for the first time since 1994.
It's weird... but what's more weird is that I don't miss having a MT as much as I thought I would. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that modern AT cars are NOTHING like they used to be.
All that said: I think EVERY, SINGLE car enthusiast should do lots and lots and lots of time in MT cars, at some point in their lives.

Right on “Q” I’m 54 and have driven and raced manual cars since my teens, being so I have nothing to prove and the AT is both faster and when in traffic easier to drive. i see lots of younger enthusiasts who probably grew up with auto transmissions going for the MT and they should since they might not have the full MT experience.

 

[Tacoma714]

To anyone wanting to be Fast and the Furious or race the first Mustang, Charger or Challenger deutchbags on the road who rev their engines at you, just do yourself a favor and get the automatic and never look back. Anyone who enjoys being connected to the car and the purity of manual shifting in the canyons or roads, do yourself a favor and get the manual. You won't regret it. I have the ZF8 transmission in my wife's BMW X7 and it's amazing. For anyone wondering, I went with the 6MT because it's my weekend fun vehicle and I could care less about racing someone on the highway with how tough California cops and laws already are. I will still probably get a stage 1 tune full bolt ons just to increase the fun factor, but even stock it's super fun. Automatic if you want to build to 600+HP to be "the fastests" which we all know there will always be someone faster than you. Get the manual for the timeless feeling of being connected to the car. Hope this helps anyone on the fence.

 

[Digitalprty]

Like others have mentioned, the Supra wasn’t on my radar until it came out with a manual.

I bought my first car as a manual before I even knew how to drive it. The last ten years, I’ve been driving autos. Currently, my daily is a RAV4 hybrid limited.

Before that, I leased a 230i. I always wanted a blue BMW (M3) coupe. Couldn’t afford the M3 at the time, but the 230i was great. Thing is, since I lived in a very hilly area at the time, I opted for the AWD, which sadly was not offered with a manual. It was a B48 with a ZF auto (basically the 2.0 Supra). The engine and the transmission were great.

Seeing how manuals are disappearing, I wanted to snag one before my choices disappeared. Getting a Supra AND a BMW? Perfect! I now have a deposit on a manual Supra.

 

[BMWAF]

I don't have this feature, but wish I did. When on the freeway, nobody and I mean NOBODY knows how to drive. I can't use CC because I am constantly coming up on cars that are creeping in the first two lanes, causing me to cancel it until I can find a way around. My freeway drives are usually 2-3hrs, so it gets a bit frustrating ?

Fair enough. Mine won't be driven that way so its a non issue. I just don't think it's reason enough to knock an arguably more fun and engaging transmission.

 

[MA617M]

Having owned both, and all my other Supras being MT - The 6MT in the A90 is not leaps and bounds ahead of the 8AT like I thought it would be. I prefer it, but, the 8AT was still an excellent engaging option and didn't detract from the character of the car.

An engaging AT is not about shift speed or fart noises, it's about control and predictability - thats why people like a manual - Stick it in 2nd, the car is in second.

Which is why I loved the 8AT - in manual mode with TRC/VSC OFF - it did *exactly* as you asked - every time.

Far better than any DCT I'd driven of late (other than Porsche PDK).

One criticism of the manual is that it accentuates the artificial feeling of the clutch, gearshift, throttle DBW and numbness of the inputs, that you don't notice in the auto.

The manual is still sensational though, and for a predominantly street car, I'd still choose it.

If I am ever lucky enough to afford an A90 as a track car - 8AT it will be.

 

[Schang105]

Both are good, depends on what u prioritize. Convenience versus engagement IMO.

 

[kaj]

Fair enough. Mine won't be driven that way so its a non issue. I just don't think it's reason enough to knock an arguably more fun and engaging transmission.

Someone is saying the MT sucks because no adaptive CC?
That makes no sense. I agree?
Interesting criteria.

 

[NocturnalEmber]

Someone is saying the MT sucks because no adaptive CC?
That makes no sense. I agree?
Interesting criteria.

I'm actually annoyed Toyota didn't offer things like adaptive cruise and launch control on the 6MT. I obviously don't need those, and it wasn't a deal breaker seeing as how I bought a 6MT, but its the principle of the thing; The car has it, and other manual cars have it, why not just leave it in for the manual transmission cars?

 

[SupeHamster]

Manual for fun, auto for fast imo.

I find a manual to be a lot more rewarding when driving at street speeds. Maybe it's because all of my performance cars have been manuals, but I don't feel like I'm doing much when I drive an auto. The supra is already fast enough for me to not worry about a few tenths in the performance metrics, but I can see why you'd want the auto if you want to drag/circuit race regularly.

 

[FnkDrSpok]

Well, at the time that I got mine, auto was the only option. If I had to do it all over again, I guess I would go with the manual, but that's without having test drove the manual so take my opinion with a grain of salt.

I still did want a manual car so I went with a Lotus Emira as my MT car that I can throw around in the backroads, the Supra will be for shows and the track.

 

[kaj]

I'm actually annoyed Toyota didn't offer things like adaptive cruise and launch control on the 6MT. I obviously don't need those, and it wasn't a deal breaker seeing as how I bought a 6MT, but its the principle of the thing; The car has it, and other manual cars have it, why not just leave it in for the manual transmission cars?

I'm not sure how that would work. I didn't even know cars like that existed.

I find a manual to be a lot more rewarding when driving at street speeds.

That's how lazy I am ? my street car is AT so I can eat, drink, use my phone, etc. But....I do all my fun stuff at the race track, so CAN be lazy around town. LOL

 

[UCLAKoolman]

Love the convenience and smoothness of the Supra’s AT. If I want more engagement I’ll hop on one of my motorcycles.

 

[John8]

I like not having to replace a clutch. Expensive and a pain. An automatic, rarely any issues. What do I prefer to drive? A manual, without question. If it had been available in 2020, I would have bought a manual in a heartbeat. Age has nothing to do with it as I am 73. You either like being in control or not. In my FJ, I prefer an auto, different wheels, different use, though when 4 wheel creeping, a manual is better, IMO.

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