If you don't follow the group REM, then you won't get the title so lets just move on ...
I've ONLY owned automatics in my life and am currently on my 5th one:
https://mouthshut.com/readreview/40579-1.html
The other four were driven in the US and are mentioned in my profile to the left of this column.
The world's largest car market is currently about 80-90% auto for a reason - not because the car buyers don't care about price (most equivalent cars there are less than half the price in India), but because they want driving to be a hassel-free, relaxing experience.
Criticisms, Allegations, and Rumors (CARs!)
There are a HUGE amount of misconceptions about autos specially in India and I will try to address them individually.
Myth #1: Fuel Efficiency
This is only partially true - my 1.5L 100bhp City AT gives me 10 km/L on AVERAGE in Mumbai driving with the AC on most of the time!
That's not bad at all for a car that size.
Most people end up quoting either highway driving or mileage numbers with the AC off.
The only way to know for sure (I've said this before and I'll just repeat) is to fill up your tank, reset your trip odometer and come back about a week later to refill at the SAME pump.
Then just divide the total km driven by the amount of petrol filled to get your actuals.
Since I do this 2-3 times/month, I have a good idea of how this number changes/varies.
Only if people in manuals shift early without over-revving their engines ALL the time will they be about 1-2 km/L better than auto figures.
I'm excluding very old or poorly functioning autos since we are comparing well maintained transmissions only.
I experience how people drive in Mumbai specially during the monsoons, and I'm virtually certain that at least 50-75% of them are NOT shifting optimally!
This is at a particular point in time.
Then they would have to sustain this everyday forever!
So its simply not practical/possible here.
I would love to hear from City 1.5 owners about their actual mileage numbers in mumbai with the AC on as a baseline.
Myth #2: Control
Most of the people who think autos have less control than manuals have never even driven an auto for any extended period of time.
Yes, autos require a DIFFERENT style of driving but have every bit of control as any comparable manual (same cars - just different trannys).
Steering, braking, handling, grip would be identical.
Only acceleration would be slightly different which I'll address next.
Myth #3: Performance / Acceleration
Again, only professional/rally drivers outperform in manuals.
When on Mumbai roads do you really need to floor it that often (the official speed limit is 50 km/h everywhere in the city!)?
Everytime I'm lined up with a manual at a red light, I usually zoom past at green about 80-90% of the time.
They usually overtake me much later when I specifically don't go more than 10 km/h over the posted speed limit.
The manuals shoot forward by 1-2 m at the start (usually because they go before the light changes to green!), I catch up when they switch from 1st gear and then its me all the way (pedal to the metal) smiling to myself ...
I like tell people that my 200bhp 3.0L v6 RWD Catera did the 0-100km/h sprint in 9 seconds flat!
That just nudges out the DC 320 S-Class - the most expensive car sold in the country by 0.5 secs!!
Mine was an auto of course and the S-Class gives the manual performance figures officially.
The Catera was also 1/4th the cost but over half the cost of the 320-S would be due to taxes here.
I even (briefly) driven an auto Corvette with 300 bhp (peak) so lets not even go any further on the performance angle.
In fact I'm so comfortable with my car's performance, I would like to throw down a challenge to ANY car with less than 100 peak bhp to a daytime only drag race on some deserted stretch of good road near Mumbai (say the M-Pune expressway) on ANY GIVEN SUNDAY! (I have to work 6 days a week)
Bring it on ... it'll be lots of fun (this is my compromise car - remember or else I would have come in my Catera)!
Myth #4: Not suited for 'Indian' conditions
These are usually the same people who don't want to wear helmets on two-wheelers, seatbelts, don't think they need airbags or ABS since its supposedly meant for western-style traffic and big empty highways.
Everyone repeat after me:
'The Laws of Physics do not change for India!'
You can get seriously hurt or even killed hitting a wall at 40-50 km/h which I've seen many people go over in Mumbai on questionable road/traffic conditions.
My argument is that autos are actually BETTER suited for stop and go traffic specially in hilly areas as you don't have to worry about rolling backwards from a stop.
On wide open highways, manuals (or stick as some call them even though autos have a 'stick' too!) are comparable since very little shifting is required if at all.
The less you have to spend time & effort shifting, the more you can enjoy the drive.
The monsoon is an excellent test for my auto vs most other manuals - I just go slowly and smoothly by with my foot over the brake pedal ready to press it while the rest look like drunk kangaroos lurching forward and braking hard over the big humps!
Myth #5: Down-shifting / Braking
Another good one is that autos wear out the brakes faster than manuals which is true in a very limited way.
Its a driving style issue, I have to always 'retrain' my drivers to drive my City.
You just need to get your lead foot off the gas and coast when you approach turns, intersections, speed breakers etc.
This will reduce the wear on your brake pads.
Remember Newton's laws?
To slow down anything, you need to apply a force which uses energy.
When you down shift, you might be using the brakes less but you are certainly straining the engine more.
Take a wild guess which of the two is easier & cheaper to replace if worn out?
Myth #6: Servicing
This is no longer the case in India since about 2000-01.
A small but increasing number of autos have been introduced by Maruti (3-speed only and lowest quality so avoid it),
Hyundai, Honda, Toyota, Opel, DC (Daimler-Chrysler not the car designer!).
Most authorised service centers are fully equipped to handle most kinds of problems (and I have had none in the first 18 months).
The cost of servicing is not different from manuals and in fact there is one less thing to break down/wear out - the CLUTCH!
Fact #1: Cost / Price
This is the only downside that holds water.
Yes, there is no getting around that you have to pay more for comfort & convenience.
In the US, the difference is usually under $1 K for most cars.
In India its about Rs. 50 - 75 K mostly due to duties/taxes.
Fact #2: Downhill acceleration
This issue of picking up speed in an auto when going down is easily addressed by switching to the D3 or D2 setting on the 'shifter'. This is available on virtually all autos and prevents them from going in higher gears by default.
Why have I not listed this as a Myth since a solution is already available?
Because some 'manual' intervention is still required by the driver.
The real solution is available in more expensive cars.
BMW has had HDC (Hill Descent Control) which automatically (love that word and concept!) switches to a lower gear when it detects that your foot is off the gas AND its gaining speed.
There are a number of additional developments in the next generation of autos (CVT - Continuously Variable Transmission which has the same or BETTER fuel efficiency than manuals!) that will only make them far superior in the future. These are already available abroad but not yet in India.
