OT Missing my hire car :-(

Got my first auto in the early '70s. A Rover 3500 which was only available in auto at that time. And the later manual S had a dreadful clunky box.

Since then, I've usually had autos. Although I still enjoy driving a decent manual. Just not in London rush hour.

I've often thought a conventional auto - complete with clutch pedal etc - which you could change to an auto on the flick of a switch - could sell well. And it's likely possible these days.

Yeah it's nice. Getting stuck in a queue, you no longer get cramped left leg from operating the clutch. And you can get away quickly, not having to look for appropriate low gear. My Saab 2.3 Turbo has 'only' four gears and 4'th is quite tall 2,5000 rpm at 70mph. Problem then is that it can get stuck in high gear at town speeds 30-40 mph, even the manual recommends putting the lever to 3 for town driving. Modern autos now have up to 8 gears. Whether there will be more problems than a manual remains to be seen? The automatic oil needs changed more often I suspect, every 1-2 years.

Large engine autos are definitely relaxing to drive, and you do drive more smoothly and the reduced stress makes you more forgiving. Small autos do not give quite the same effect though, I find. Try out an LS430 for a lovely smooth transmission, yet it can also rocket you along with the most gorgeous engine noises.

My neighbours have a Lexus luxobarge of some variety with a 3.5L 6 and a slushbox, it's very, very smooth and quiet, but goes like stink if floored. Economy is best not mentioned if you do that though.

I'm sure that's true but suddenly it seems worth it. A bit like flying business class. Once you've done it, you never want to go back. ;-)

Tim

I have found that I arrive places and actually just want to stay in the car. Unless you do large mileages per year the mpg is not really a worry, and I find is repaid with comfort and reduced feelings of stress, especially if you get stuck in heavy traffic.

The ZF 8-speeder is an amazing thing. Much better than the DSG type boxes out there.

The tall 4'th surprised me, but it is very relaxed on motorways. This was a big difference to a 3-speed Ford Sierra auto which I once hired long time back; that engine was always busy, giving me a poor impression of automatic gear at that time. Thing is that you are stuck with the particular manufacuror's gear changing pattern, e.g. hunting etc. Some are better than others.

My early 90s BMW E34 had a five speed auto. I reckon that's the minimum needed - same as with a manual box.

Since the introduction of electronic control in the late 80's, most auto's (at least Japanese ones) have an O/D button to stop it going in to 4th. This stops hunting and allows a lower gear to be selected for engine braking going down hills.

Or you can just wiggle the stick.

The electronic autobox in my mid '90s Shogun was 3spd + OD, not a proper

The non-electronic ZF box in my mid '90s Cit XM was "proper" 4spd.

Both had torque converter lock-up, in addition.

I don't see any need for an auto to have as many gears as a manual box, not least because the TC provides a lot more flexibility in the lower gears. As many as eight plus a couple of reverses? It's no more than brochurebation.

The Range Rover I rode in recently with an 8-speed auto was very smooth however.

Modern diesels with many-speed autos are generally considered to be A Good Thing, presumably because of the narrow power band.

Chris

I'd imagine so, that and presumably less loss if you have the TC churning less? You could probably lock the TC once moving.

Or just to give better performance. If you select the sports mode on my car it disables the overdrive. Although in normal mode it will drop out of overdrive anyway if you want to accelerate faster by using more throttle.

Think having more gears so relying less on the TC improves MPG. The difference in average MPG between a conventional slush pump auto and a true manual has dramatically narrowed in recent times.

Although my old BMW E34 auto quoted better cruise MPG than the manual due to having a much higher top gear.

Pretty certain all the ZF 4HP had a direct third gear and overdrive 4th.

I'm not referring to the ratios...

There speaks a man who hasn't experienced the masterpiece of engineering that is the latest ZF 8-speeder.

It's absolutely astounding - and significantly better than any of the incarnations of DSG type boxes.