Should I choose an automatic or manual transmission car?

In the Netherlands, everyone learns to drive a car with a manual transmission. That is the norm in Europe. But if you go to America or Japan, there is a big chance that you will get an automatic transmission. In those countries, they have already embraced the automatic transmission en masse years ago.

Why do they all drive automatic cars in America?

That started decades ago. As soon as the Automatic/PDK was introduced, the Americans were immediately crazy about it. Not so strange of course if you look at the road network they have. It is very common there to drive long distances on straight highways every day. Without too many bends and other obstacles along the way. Then an automatic is ideal.

For years it has been the consumption one of the disadvantages of an automatic. The engine simply consumed more than a manual gearbox. That was also a good reason for many Europeans to opt for an automatic manual transmission car to choose. In America the petrol prices were (and still are) a lot lower than here, so that was no problem for them. Nowadays the consumption of an automatic has improved enormously. Thanks to modern technology.

The benefits of driving an automatic

No matter how you look at it, driving a Automatic/PDK still has a bit silly imageThis is mainly due to the Dafs with a Variomatic, a stick that you pushed forward if you wanted to drive forward and backward if you wanted to drive backward. The rest the car did itself. And because of that the car got a 'old women' stamp. Nowadays you often still have to justify yourself when you choose an automatic gearbox.

However, slowly but surely more and more Europeans are also seeing the advantages of driving an automatic. First of all, you can much more relaxed while driving. This is also the biggest advantage. You only use one foot, you don't have to operate a gear lever and you can keep both hands on the steering wheel. In other words, you have to do far fewer actions to achieve the same goal. So you can also focus your attention completely on the traffic, which means an automatic is also safer.

When you lots of traffic jams (and who doesn't do that in the Netherlands?), an automatic is ideal. You only have to accelerate and brake, shifting is done automatically. This makes driving in traffic jams a lot more pleasant, because you are not constantly busy with your gearbox. And the car can't stall, which is nice.

The advantages of a manual transmission car

For the sporty drivers among us who like control about the car, there's nothing better than a manual gearbox. You can just pull a little longer at the traffic lights or if you need a little more power to overtake a truck on the highway. In the past, a manual transmission car had a more powerful engine. Nowadays, technology has improved so much that this is no longer entirely true. The power is almost the same.

We Europeans still think that switching gears ourselves is so charm has. That only then do you have the feeling that you are 'really' driving.

Automatic or manual?

It now seems that driving an automatic has many more advantages than driving a manual transmission. Objectively, that may be true. But in the end, you always decide for yourself what you like best. 20, 30 years ago, the choice would have been easier. An automatic was uneconomical and frumpy at that time. Nowadays, an automatic transmission is even more economical than a manual transmission, because an automatic has more gears and therefore always drives at the optimum speed. And as soon as younger people also start driving an automatic, the frumpy image disappears by itself.

You can always opt for the golden mean choose. Many brands have a double clutch or offer a semi-automatic, like the Fiat 500. This allows you to drive with an automatic transmission, but if you drive a lot in the mountains or on winding roads, you can also shift gears yourself. Or if you are just feeling sporty. The best of both worlds!

Automatic driving at Adrem

Most of the cars that we rent are still manual. But our fleet is also changing. The hybrid cars (cars that run on both Euro 95 and electric) all shift automatically. And that also makes these cars more economical. So if you choose an automatic at Adrem, you are not only choosing relaxed driving but also economical driving.

What kind of car do you prefer to drive? Manual or automatic? Let us know in the comments below! Automatic or manual rent a car in the Sittard region? That's possible at Adrem!