[Just1MoreDave]

I hope you got a discount for the steering wheel being on the wrong side. I like having the folding metal roof in the SLK - it's quiet and secure.

[timb64]

Interesting to look at your vehicles prevously experienced, Tim. How does the Mazda compare to the Audi, similar or different? They seem to fall into a very similar category so not really comparing apples and oranges i would think...

Of the cars I’ve driven they are the two most similar.Up until this week I would have said the TT was the best car I’d ever driven but the Mazda exceeds it,it just feels “right”, the balance,roadholding,gearbox and obviously the “wind through your hair” factor of an open-top all just put a big smile on my face whenever I get in it.

By comparison the Audi felt a bit heavier,probably largely down to it being 4wd.

I hope you got a discount for the steering wheel being on the wrong side.

Ha,ha!The steering wheel is on the “right” side

[bogwalker]

Of the cars I’ve driven they are the two most similar.Up until this week I would have said the TT was the best car I’d ever driven but the Mazda exceeds it,it just feels “right”, the balance,roadholding,gearbox and obviously the “wind through your hair” factor of an open-top all just put a big smile on my face whenever I get in it.

And a stick shift too, nice
My Mazda 3 is a stick shift, I really enjoy it. I figure it's probably my last hurrah with a manual.

[timb64]

And a stick shift too, nice
My Mazda 3 is a stick shift, I really enjoy it. I figure it's probably my last hurrah with a manual.

Manual is much more common in the UK,in fact I’ve never owned an automatic.

[slartibartfast01]

Manual is much more common in the UK,in fact I’ve never owned an automatic.

I only drove an automatic once. It was a company Ford Orion in the early eighties. I hated it so much I started changing gears manually as much as you could with an old auto box with PRND12.

[Racer X 69]

Automatic transmissions have enabled those who have no business driving motor vehicles to do so.

Now we have cars that will see an obstacle and stop the car, even when the driver is taking no action to avoid a collision.

And we also have cars that notice a driver is drifting out of the lane of travel and alerts them.

Then there are the cars that parallel park for the incompetent snoods who can’t manage on their own.

The dumbing down of the masses is being facilitated by all this technology.

[Canada_Rockies]

Automatic transmissions have enabled those who have no business driving motor vehicles to do so.

Now we have cars that will see an obstacle and stop the car, even when the driver is taking no action to avoid a collision.

And we also have cars that notice a driver is drifting out of the lane of travel and alerts them.

Then there are the cars that parallel park for the incompetent snoods who can’t manage on their own.

The dumbing down of the masses is being facilitated by all this technology.

And then, up here, you are relying on your lane warning and it snows.

[ChrisPlatt]

If you have ever driven in bumper to bumper traffic on your daily commute - or all day as I once did - you would appreciate the automatic transmission.

Today's automatics are so good I'll probably never own a manual again. My wife can't drive one anyway...

Chris

[Just1MoreDave]

I got stuck in traffic driving crosscountry in June, on I80/294 near the IL/IN border. I was too stubborn to detour and just waited it out. About 90 minutes into it, I was just starting to get tired of pressing pedals when they finished scraping up the debris. But I'm not sure an auto would have been a lot better. (The Mercedes has a nice system for traffic where you can be in neutral, hold the brakes for a few seconds and they lock on, including brake lights. Sadly we were in the Frontier.)

[Racer X 69]

If you have ever driven in bumper to bumper traffic on your daily commute - or all day as I once did - you would appreciate the automatic transmission.

A lot of people tell me this.

Still, I make a daily trek of 60 miles, shifting all the way. I guess that my driving style is different than all the speed demons intent on the first driver to the next traffic light, or the first to get a parking space at work. I take my time, know what lane I want to be in and when, know the route I will be traveling, and avoid the routes that are the most congested.

Seriously, a majority of the people on the road seem intent on winning the race. Speeding, cutting other drivers off, closing the gap when another tries to change lanes, frequentl lane changes to try and get ahead. Its crazy anymore.

I don't feel safe on the roads today.

I feel safer on the racetrack, probably because everyone is focused and experienced, and all going for the same goal.

Today's automatics are so good I'll probably never own a manual again.

I have driven many vehicles with automatic transmissions. Early versions from the 1950s, and the latest from most of the cars and trucks on the road today. Even drove big trucks with true automatic transmissions (Allison) that are like car transmissions (a hydraulic pump), and autoshift transmissions (a 10 speed manual gearbox shifted with electric servos and a centrifical clutch).

They are all (except the autoshift) nothing more than a fluid coupling, a slushbox. The only useful application I have ever found for one is to drag racing. They can be made to shift gears faster than a manual gearbox, but only a little bit, as a Lenco transmission is a manual with a shift lever for each gear. When the tree goes green, sidestep the clutch, and pull each lever in sequence as the car runs down the strip.

But I prefer road racing, and automatics don't do well there. An auto would be shifting when it isn't desired, while cornering, and it might possibly shift up and down unexpectedly when a driver is trying to modulate the throttle in traffic.

I will keep my manual transmissions, thank you. I enjoy having full control of the vehicle I am driving.

My wife can't drive one anyway...

When I was in high school, we had driver's ed. The school had a fleet of Plymouth Scamps and Dodge Darts. Sweet little 2 door hardtop cars, with the 318 V8 and an automatic transmission. When we went out driving with the teacher, he rode shotgun and 3 of us took turns driving. When we would stop to trade off, we never shut the car off.

At the end of the class, the schools let us use the car to go take the driving test at the DMV.

Going home for the day the teacher found one of the girls sitting in one of the cars, crying.

Seems she went the whole semester and never had to start the car, and was devastated that she couldn't figure it out.

[bogwalker]

I grew up on stick shifts and believe they keep you more engaged in the driving experience. But I have to admit, automatics have really gotten a lot better in the last 20 years. You can no longer accelerate faster in a stick shift (except maybe a trained racer like the guy above). The average person gets better gas mileage in an automatic, in part because the days of 2 or 3 gears in an automatic transmission are long gone, now they have commonly have 6 or more gears, and shifts are almost unnoticeable. Typically they also provide PRND321 instead of PRNDL.

Also, at least in the U.S. stick shifts are thought to be for people who want to drive more aggressively, so they're geared lower for better acceleration, not for MPG (or liters/100km). My Mazda 3 is designed for shifting into top gear (6th) at 40-45 mph. For max mpg, the gear ratios should be adjusted so top gear is used only at >50 mph.

---------- Post added 09-15-21 at 06:09 PM ----------

Today's automatics are so good I'll probably never own a manual again. My wife can't drive one anyway...

I consider that an advantage, LOL. Plus, it's a theft-deterrent device.

[cdd29]

I do some pretty remote photo shoots (abandoned bridges and structures). Good thing I decided to take the truck this time. Had a little fun too.

Back on the current trend, I too grew up on a manual. Had a 6 speed 370z several years ago that while fun was but tedious running through the gears while in traffic. Plus it was very finicky getting into 6th.Recently picked up another 370z but this one is an auto. Must admit I prefer this for the most part over the 6 speed. It does have the option of manually shifting (paddle shifters and also on the gearshift itself).

[ThorSanchez]

I grew up on stick shifts and believe they keep you more engaged in the driving experience. But I have to admit, automatics have really gotten a lot better in the last 20 years. You can no longer accelerate faster in a stick shift (except maybe a trained racer like the guy above).

I don't think it's up to the skill of the driver any more. Even auto sites/magazines that test cars with very skilled drivers almost always quote faster 0-60 times for the automatics today. For example, my 2014 Audi S4 is listed at about 4.5 seconds to 60 with the dual-clutch automatic and something like 4.9 with the manual. No one can shift as fast as the robots.

But I still drive the manual because it's more fun.

[Racer X 69]

No one can shift as fast as the robots.

No robots in my cars.

[Just1MoreDave]

I don't think it's up to the skill of the driver any more. Even auto sites/magazines that test cars with very skilled drivers almost always quote faster 0-60 times for the automatics today. For example, my 2014 Audi S4 is listed at about 4.5 seconds to 60 with the dual-clutch automatic and something like 4.9 with the manual. No one can shift as fast as the robots.

But I still drive the manual because it's more fun.

The shifting speed is sort of like lens sharpness. It's easy to measure, show on a chart, discuss on forums. It's just not relevant to driving, and electric cars would make it a quaint blip in history anyway. In real driving and ownership, you'd probably reconsider those launches after the first transmission (or battery) replacement.