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What is the Difference between Automatic and Manual Cars?
If you are on the verge of buying a car, many unanswered questions can be on your mind. A common confusion can be between choosing a manual or automatic transmission.
In general, if you are driving a manual car, you are responsible for shifting the gears. However, if you choose an automatic transmission car, it automatically senses and shifts gears whenever necessary.
Keep reading further to better understand the difference between automatic and manual cars.
What Is a Manual Gear Car?
In simple words, manual gear enables drivers to select one gear ratio to drive their car. The type of gear ratio they opt for determines the torque and speed of the car. For instance, when you choose a lower gear ratio, you will experience more torque but lesser speed. Likewise, higher gear ratios offer less torque but more speed.
Furthermore, in a manual transmission car, the countershaft constantly gets meshed to the input shaft, comprising multiple gears. The output shaft, countershaft, driveshaft and wheels are interconnected. When you drive your car, the output shaft sends its connection first to the transfer case. And in the case of the reverse gear, it generally connects the fourth shaft for changing direction.
Before jumping into the discussion about automatic vs manual car, having a brief idea about an automatic transmission car is also important.
What is an Automatic Car?
As the name indicates, with an automatic car, you do not need to manually shift gears. They help in directing the rational force and controlling the car's speed. In short, the automatic transmission automatically shifts gear ratios as the vehicle moves. It detects the speed through its sensors and sends signals to automatically shift gears appropriately.
You can easily identify whether a car is automatic or manual. If your car features two pedals, then it's an automatic car. Manual cars feature a third pedal commonly known as the clutch pedal. A clutch pedal is smaller in size in comparison to the brake pedals.
Apart from this, you also know that there is not just one but different types of automatic transmissions. Torque converter automatic is the most common among all, followed by the continuously variable transmission or CVT, which enables an infinite number of gear ratios without interruption. A semi-automatic transmission (SAT) is more or less similar to a manual transmission. The other types include dual-clutch transmission and Tiptronic transmission.
What Are the Difference Between Manual Gear and Automatic Car?
Refer to the table below to understand what is the difference between manual and automatic cars:
| Parameter | Manual Transmission | Automatic Transmission |
| Price | Cars that come with manual transmission cost less. | The price of an automatic transmission is quite high. |
| Cooling | Manual transmission cars do not require active cooling. | Automatic cars often face overheating problems and thus require active cooling. |
| Fuel efficiency | Manual transmission cars are more fuel efficient and depend on drivers driving skills. | In comparison to manual transmission, it is less fuel efficient. Also, less skilled drivers can drive it. |
| Driving | It would be best if you had much more focus and attention when driving a manual transmission car. | When driving an automatic transmission car, thanks to its sensors, you don't require a high level of focus and attention. |
| Number of pedals | There are three pedals in a manual transmission car: acceleration, brakes, and clutch. | There’s no clutch pedal in an automatic transmission car. The shift in gears takes place automatically depending upon the car's speed. |
| Control | You exercise more control over your vehicle when you drive a manual transmission car. | An automatic transmission does not allow you to exercise 100% control on your car. |
| Ease of driving | Manual transmission cars are challenging to drive on high-density roads. | Due to the facility of automatic gear change, an AT car is much easier to drive in high traffic. |
| Design complexity | Manual transmission cars exhibit a simple design, as it features minimal components. | An automatic transmission car exhibits a complex design due to its multiple components. |
| Number of gears | An MT car features different gear sets to perform different gear ratios. | The same gears perform different gear ratios in an AT car. |
| Mileage | The major difference between a manual and automatic car is the mileage offered; for MT, it's pretty high. | The mileage offered by an automatic car is slightly lower. |
| Required skill level | A manual transmission car might not be a great choice for new drivers. | Automatic transmission cars make it easy for new drivers to drive. |
As final words, the difference between the manual and automatic car is quite a handful. Therefore, depending on your budget and what you are looking for in your car, you should choose an automatic or manual transmission car.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which car is better manual gear or automatic?
From the driver's perspective, an automatic car is more comfortable and easier to drive regularly. Contrarily, a manual transmission car provides more control to the driver and is more pocket friendly.
Is manual faster than automatic?
Unlike an automatic transmission car, as a driver, you get to exercise more control on a manual transmission car. Thus, you can drive it at any speed without any technology alerting you not to. However, this practice is pretty risky, so being cautious is recommended.
Why are manual cars cheaper?
A manual transmission car is not technologically advanced and doesn't include multiple complicated components. Hence, it is much cheaper than an automatic transmission car.
Do manual cars give better mileage than automatic?
Multiple drivers remark that manual transmission cars have better fuel efficiency, as the car's motor does not perform multiple activities, unlike an automatic transmission car, thus resulting in lesser fuel consumption.