In message , Elmo P. Shagnasty writes
It started when Honda announced that their auto trans Civic got higher
>gas mileage than their manual trans Civic.
If it's a dual clutch, dual gearbox, setup then it will be more economic than a conventional, or automatic box. If it's purely an automatic, can you point me to the year and type please?
AFAIK it's purely an standard hydraulic automatic.
When did the current gen Civic come out? 08? I may be remembering Honda's advertising from before the EPA tweaked the formula for estimating gas mileage.
Anyway, Honda currently specifies the highway mileage on the auto as
2mpg more than the stick, leading to an overall average auto mpg that's identical to the stick.
electronic throttle makes this possible - doesn't need to rely on wastage via the torque converter to smooth out shifting. operation is electronically controlled hydraulic.
In message , Elmo P. Shagnasty writes
You're right, it does give better mileage than the manual, but a Google reveals that it is a conventional box and clutch setup which is hydraulically operated.
In message , N8N writes
In the UK, most of the higher M-Bs are offered with auto boxes as a no cost option, but you can still have manual if you prefer it.
In message , hls writes
I hear it could be making a comeback, most likely in the eastern block countries first.
It may be different in the UK than the US.
In message , Elmo P. Shagnasty writes
Yes. I know that makers use the same name both sides of the pond for very different vehicles.
Ford is bringing back the Mustang Boss 302 for 2012.
On the web, Buicks sold in China
The Chinese are buying most of the Buicks.They even have a Buick factory over there. cuhulin
In the U.S., many automakers' automatic transmissions have been getting equal to or better EPA fuel economy than manual transmissions for a while, even before implementation of dual clutch transmissions and electronic throttles. Even a "conventional" automatic transmission shifts more quickly than most people do with manual transmissions; the torque converter allows an automatic to stay in a higher gear longer than a manual without laboring the engine; torque multiplication from the TC helps acceleration while the lockup feature eliminates the inefficiency while cruising; and different gear and differential ratios all combine to level the fuel economy playing field between automatics and manual transmissions.
There are several reasons that automatics are now more common than manuals in the U.S. It is easier to control emissions and fuel economy with an automatic, which makes the vehicle easier to certify with the EPA; dismal traffic conditions in large cities have made use of a manual transmission more work; and it seems as if driver education programs no longer teach use of a manual transmission.
I would add that there are other types of transmission out there, especially the CVT and semiautomatic, like those in some Ferraris (like I am going to ever see one other than at the auto show), where the computer actuates the clutch and matches the engine speed to road speed and gear for seemless shifts. The CVT is present in a few cars without hybrid drives (like the Ford Five Hundred) and in almost all cars with a hybrid drive, like Toyota Prius (the only exception that I know of is early models of the Honda Civic Hybrid; some trucks and buses also have hybrid drives and I presume that some of these are manual transmissions).
Jeff
Save the manuals !
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