Here are what we know and the truths about automatic transmission cars!

Our car has a manual transmission and I can attest to the fact that it can be quite difficult to drive. In the morning, when we leave for work, he’s still in a good mood, but as the day progresses, especially when we are on our way home during rush hour and the traffic is horrible, I can barely talk to him.

I would always say “If only I know how to drive, I would’ve replaced you” – knowing that he’s tired. Imagine handling the gear, timing the clutch, the gas and the brakes all at the same time.

Driving a car with manual transmission is complicated and needs a lot of effort and right timing

Driving a manual transmission is a lot of work. I even think you have to have a totally coordinated body parts to successfully drive a car with manual transmission. If you’re going to ask me, younger people who are looking into buying vehicles might even get discouraged if the only available option is a manual transmission.

Thank God that automatic transmission is now available. You don’t have to exert too much effort with shifting the gear while minding the clutch and gas timing.

It makes drivers’ lives way easier as they just have to shift the gear easily between P (Park – used when your vehicle comes to a complete stop), R (Reverse – meaning you’ll drive in reverse either you need to move backward for space or you’ll be parking with the back of your car facing the wall), D (Drive – used when your car is in constant motion or while you’re moving) and N (Neutral – is used when the car is not in motion but not in complete stop).

Driving automatic transmission is like a breath of fresh air - a chance for anyone especially a first-time driver to drive with ease

An automatic transmission is now the staple in modern cars. It gives the new drivers ease and convenience while driving. But do you know that there are myths about automatic transmission vehicles that make some of the seasoned drivers hesitate to switch?

Curious as to what these myths are? Philcarnews.com is going to enumerate them one by one and see if there are any truths about these myths.

1. Truth: Automatic transmission vehicles don’t cost too much to maintain

It could again be attributed to an automatic transmission having modern parts, hence, expensive maintenance cost. Truth is, not really. Having more complicated car parts doesn’t automatically mean that the cost of maintaining these parts would be expensive.

It will also boil down to how attentive the A/T’s owner is when it comes to taking care of his vehicle. The only time that an A/T will shed lots of money is when the gearbox or other vital parts of the car would be damaged, which can totally be avoided.

 

Not because they have more complex system means it costs more to maintain

In fact, manual transmission needs more frequent preventive maintenance check-ups, which is every 20,000 km compared to an automatic transmission which is done every 50,000 km. So that already saves you more money.

2. Truth: Automatic transmission cars are easier to drive

Yes, this one is very true. As mentioned earlier, manual transmission involves a lot of effort to drive – gear, clutch, gas, brake and steering wheel. Automatic transmission involves lesser parts to use to get the vehicle running.

An automatic transmission is easier and less complicated to drive therefore making every driver happy and comfortable on the road

For example, when going uphill, you won’t have to worry about your car rolling backward and the drive will be smoother and hassle-free.

 

3. Myth: Automatic transmission vehicles are significantly expensive

Being budget conscious that we are – the price of a vehicle has a huge impact on our purchasing decision factor. We may have grown up with an impression that manual vehicles are cheaper because they are less high-tech and involves actual effort versus automatic transmission, which is more technically advanced therefore has a higher price value.

Not all automatic transmission are too expensive - their prices are now at par even with manual vehicles

Truth is, automatic transmission vehicles nowadays are already being offered at very competitive prices. Especially in the Philippines where car brand competition is pretty tight, each car dealership comes up with unique promotions and offers that can be very tempting to those who are looking to buy a new car.

Besides the low down payment and flexible payment terms, they even include lots of freebies that will just wow you. With these promotions, automatic transmission vehicles are now made much more affordable so car buyers can experience comfort, convenience and price all in one.

4. Myth: Manual transmission vehicles are more fuel efficient

Before, this could be true, but with the advanced technologies nowadays, applied in modern automatic transmission cars which provides them with new capacity like more forward gears that help them move forward with more ease, we can say that automatic transmission cars are now at par with a manual transmission when it comes to fuel efficiency.

Some of the automatic transmission vehicles today are as fuel efficient as their manual counterparts

In fact, there are automatic transmission cars that are more fuel efficient than manual transmissions – like the Ford Fiesta dual-clutch automatic. Bottom line, it’s not all for manual transmission now for better fuel efficiency.

5. Myth: Automatic transmission cars are boring

They say that automatic transmission cars can be quite boring as you will not have the chance to be like Speed Racer due to an absence of clutch and the feel of shifting gears. Yes, it may be true at some parts but there are actually automatic transmission vehicles that despite the convenience, still allows you to drive like a pro.

Sometimes you don't always  need rough driving, sometimes good old relaxing drives are the best just like in A/Ts

These automatic transmission vehicles include Honda Civic, Honda City, Skoda Superb and Toyota Camry among others. They have paddle shifts or Tiptronic-shift mode which allows you to drive like an F1 racer. There are also other automatic transmission vehicles that include S mode which stands for Sport that can hold each gear to its maximum rpm.

So even if you drive like Paul Walker before, but decided to switch to automatic, worry no more as you will still have options to choose from.

6. Myth: You will have a hard time finding someone to fix your automatic transmission

Not true at all. With lots of auto repair shop nowadays in the Philippines, that have skilled mechanics, it’s going to be very easy for any automatic transmission car owners to get the vehicle repairs done.

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