geronimomoe

I'm wondering if anyone knows what percentage of total 3rd gen TL sales were for cars with the manual transmission.

It's just a pity that most people are too lazy to or don't know how to drive a manual transmission. I think that it is just one of those joys in life....

BG74

I think I read that it was 7-8% of total production, 2004-2006.

ttribe

Are those the only two choices for not buying a manual? Lazy or don't know how? In my case, I have a 30 mile commute to work each day on congested freeways. I made a decision to not return to a stick because it was exhausting to drive like that with a manual trans. Is that "lazy" by your definition?

mn2trance

My commute is 30+ miles in congested traffic as well and I have no problems with driving a manual in that mess. When traffic opens up, that's when it allows me to truly enjoy the car.

geronimomoe

Believe it or not, yes. Please don't take it as an insult. My wife refuses to learn, period. No reason, which drives me crazy.

I just think that being involved with actually interacting with your car's performance (in this case, shifting gears while using a clutch) is so gratifying. I find myself bored when all I have to do is step on the gas, brake, and steer.

I used to commute 66 miles each way and would encounter congestion in Northern NJ every day, for roughly 15 miles which I'm sure is one of the more congested area's in the US, especially during rush hour, so I've been there, done that.

Recently I saw an article which showed that Asia and Europe outsells the US manual transmissions, based on the percentage of total cars sold and the gap is expected to widen. Many cities in Asia are known for severe congestion, ie. Tokyo (Japan), Taipei (Taiwan), Hong Kong, Bangkok (Thailand), Seoul (South Korea), etc. I can't say for sure about European congestion in European cities (Paris, Munich, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, London, etc), but when I was there, I saw manual transmissions abound..

geronimomoe

Amen. In my last stick years ago (Ford Taurus SHO), I'd really open it up once traffic opened up, racing that person in that automatic Maxima or whatever out of the toll booths or doing a 5th to 4th (or even 3rd) downshift on the highway... Those were the good times..

Now I drive an 11 year old automatic Accord ...

subinf

If I had a solid commute stuck in traffic I'd probably reconsider an automatic. I love driving stick, but I hate driving one in traffic.

tidus888

i would've gotten a manual if i go to school in an unpopulated area...

i mean.. traffic jam is the worst enemy for manual drivers!

(i go to school at 9 and usually off at 4-6)

geronimomoe

Unless a person lives in a big city, ie. New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, etc, I really doubt that all driving would be in traffic. Heck, I have a friend who has a stick and lives in downtown Chicago.. Also, I suspect a majority of people who live in big cities do not commute to work via cars.

I refuse to believe a majority of the car buying population in the US live in areas where there is severe (solid) congestion during rush hour to result in only a less than 10% of people buying manual transmissions..

Will Y.

So if you're driving an automatic, does that make you too lazy or don't know how to drive??
FWIW, I'm in the same boat you're in- I prefer to drive a 6MT car, but the wife doesn't drive stick and "preferred" that I get an automatic. To avoid I decided to go with the 5AT, so 3d reason to get an auto is to preserve life/family harmony.

geronimomoe

No. Like you, as I said, my wife does not drive stick. I want to get a manual trans next but am driving an auto. I don't consider myself lazy. My Accord was my wife's former car which I inherited..

Driving an automatic is easy. My friend from Germany said "A monkey can drive an automatic", no joking and it is an exact quote from my friend.

geronimomoe

If that is the case, I'm truly disheartened.

Davan

Well my previous cars were all Maunal (Neon, Integra, RX-8, 325CI...), but I decide to buy 07 TL-S with automatic transmission with manual,

however I always use the manual along auto trans, so can you say im lazy after I bought TL-S?
I know Maunal provide quickness but when can you actually use that "quickness"? often or seldomly?
For me I am getting tired of racing with cars (for the age of 20 you guys will think im weird...), so I just wanna an auto to make my life easier.

All my personal view, please dont put hatred on me.

tidus888

after driving manual for two weeks outta the country...

(in hong kong)

came back to Canada... i actually wanted to CLUTCH!

lol..

itz different feeling.. but to me.. i would think.. everyone should know how to drive a manual... the most basic thing of a car!

=)

fastlarry

It is ridiculous for you to state that drivers choose an automatic over a stick strictly because they are lazy or don't know how to drive a stick. I recently bought an automatic TL Type S and it is only the 7th automatic I've had out of 23 cars. I got tired of sitting at a standstill on the interstate for hours at a time working a clutch back and forth. With the power of the TL, I don't need the "edge" that a stick once gave to a driver in acceleration. Today's automatics are so well made and shift so quickly that the manufacturing of manuals will continue to decline. Additionally, manuals are more difficult to resell and take a real beating as a trade-in to a dealer. Yes, driving a manual is more involving and fun, but most of us need to be more practical and are more mature than putting down drivers because of their choice of tranmissions.

ttribe

The notion that I am "lazy" because of my desire to not fight with a clutch in traffic is absurd. I bought a LUXURY, sports sedan...the auto is part of the "luxury" as far as I am concerned. When I want the "sport" part, there's plenty available in the TL.

darksom1

I have a 10-15 min. ride to work everyday in my MT, with no rush hour traffic, and I love it! That gives me time to stick it to a couple of those loud ass Civics!

Don't hate...congratulate!!

Adobeman

MT or Auto comes down to personal preference. Period. Both have there pros and cons. I had been told by a local dealer that about 10 to 15 percent of production was MTs in 05. I do think it is a shame that MTs are fading. Not sure if the trend is the same elsewhere in the world.

I prefer MT. I pretty much always driven them and never really liked the feel of how automatics coast and select gears on their own. If I was in stop and go traffic all day I would probably not feel the same way. But to me there is nothing quite like decelerating into a turn while braking, clutching and matching revs as I downshift, and then applying the power on the exit of the turn. Perhaps some new cars with "paddles" would be just as fun but to me they lack the "romance" of it all. Perhaps that's all it is... romance.

As far as the spouse argument goes it is a valid one. My wife doesn't know how to drive an MT. I considered an automatic for the TL to bow to the "family" thing. She looked at me and said "Get the stick, I'm not going to drive it anyway" She freely admitted that she isn't that fond of driving so why ruin my fun. She knows that home theater and cars are my thing. She enjoys the ride and likes the sound. She is a keeper.

subinf

You've obviously never driven in bay area traffic then. Its horrible. I'm glad I don't have to drive in it every day. And yes, pretty much your entire commute is in traffic.

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

when i was first dating my now wife, i found out she had a manual tranny in her civic. don't want to sound like a weirdo or anything but it was a little bit of a turn on.
i feel good knowing that if i come home with a brand new car w/ a manual tranny, neither one of us will have problems rowing the boat.

calgary2800

I drive the opposite flow of traffic every weekday. If I didnt, I would buy an AT. Traffic and MT=PITA.

jupitersolo

This thread was started by someone who is dogging people for not driving a stick, but drives an automatic. With that, you forgot about another portion of the population, the ones that cannot drive a manual transmission because of physically disabilities. That would include me.

Driving a stick is a lot of fun. I drove one for 20 years. From 1990-2000 I drove one about 45k every year. Sometimes is just gets old.

The Asian and European cities you mention do not have a large part of their population that actually own cars. The cities mass transportation are the best in the world. Maybe you could compare the US to a like country. One that has 300 million people and 4 million square miles.

Most people have cars to get from A to B. Just look at what the highest selling cars are, nothing fancy about them.

Davan

You got my points

mn2trance

I feel the same way when I see women who know how to drive a manual.

Most of my previous cars had been manuals until my last car. I had gotten it because I was tired of changing out the clutch. I didn't realize I had been driving a manual incorrectly until I had stumbled upon SouthernBoy's post. Also, it had gotten really boring putting it into drive for the past 3 years. I had missed the fun I had in a manual and I'm glad Acura decided to offer one in the TL because I was drooling over it since its introduction in '04.

And I agree with Adobeman about it being a personal preference. If a luxury car company doesn't offer a manual transmission, I'll have to cross them off my list.

tidus888

itz a good car MT or AT =)

but the biggest problem with the Drive-by-wire.. is the response in blipping the gas..

problem i found with the TSX initially..

i drove preludes... 240sx (s14)

things seems fine...

muranojo

I'm F, and have always, always driven MT--maybe I'm a rarity. Love it and was surprised by the number of new drivers and older (M or F) who don't know how to handle one. There's something about the interaction with the car that I like w/the MT--I feel like I'M drivng.

However, with my new TL-S, I got AT, only because they didn't have a MT for me to test drive, and it felt right and hubby (yes) prefers AT. And they have the M-AT, which I haven't really used much yet, as I'm getting used to all the other bells & whistles (navi, Bluetooth, etc.). Too much to learn at once.

But I have to say, every time I get into this car after owning it for a month, I just love it more!

Know a gal who enrolled her son in a driver's ed program that taught MT, as she feels if they know MT they can drive anything.

DMZ

And whenever Honda/Acura catches up to Nissan and starts producing a CVT, Continuously Variable Transmission, that'll be all but the end of the manual tranny. If I could have gotten a CVT in the TL, I would have not gotten the manual.
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.
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geekybiker

I commute into the Chicago every day for work. There's tons of traffic, and I drive stick no problems. Sorry guys, traffic does not mitigate the "lazy" comment. You may not like it, and that's fine. But accept the fact you're not doing it because its "too hard" which kinda defines lazy. I'll accept "wife" or "physical disability" as valid answers though.

That is truth. I also think that driving a manual puts you more in tune with the whole driving experience and therefore less likely to distracted by non-driving activities.

geekybiker

CVT wont end the manual. Maybe a good SMT or something like vw/audi's DSG system. CVT's are technically very good for alot of reasons, but lack the involvement that manaual drivers are looking for.

calgary2800

I rented a 07 Maxima with the CVT. That CVT is not for me, you stomp on the gas and its goes goes to a high rpm and holds it. There is none of the up and down of the tach and the great sounds of a V6 as it goes about it business revving up and down. Its like a one hit wonder to me, hit and gas and the tach needle just goes to a set rpm range. Dull is what it is, the Maxima is fast but missing a lot still.

FriscoNick

What a perv!!!

Tone-NBP

I would get the MT in a heartbeat, but my wife also refuses to learn.

Desert_TL

I've got the auto. It's my first automatic car (all prior cars were manuals).

Just because I chose an automatic doesn't mean I don't know how to drive a stick.

As far as the comment about cars in europe and asia all being manuals. This is true. I just got back from a vacation in Ireland and didn't see a SINGLE automatic car the entire time I was there. But, if you've ever actually been to Europe and seen how their roads are, you would understand why cars need to be manuals there. You don't see the same road conditions in America that you see in Europe that would necessitate a manual.

I got the automatic for 2 reasons. The first reason is that I moved to a city with really bad stop-and-go traffic. And I don't care who you are, in REAL stop-and-go traffic, you get SICK of shifting in a hurry. The second reason is that I just don't really understand the allure of going for the "racy" manual in a FWD car. If you were really that interested in performance, you would have bought a RWD car that would have been a LOT more fun to drive and would have really made the manual worth it. I've said this before and I'll say it again: the TL is NOT a race car. People who think the TL is "fast" and "racy" need to get out more.

WiLLrOx

I'd say it's "racy", or sexy...

mlody

Your analogy of “racy” FWD manual car makes as much sense as RWD Corvette with automatic. It is called diversity and I for one praise Acura for making a nice sedan that it FWD and have 6MT as an option. I am not interested in the performance at all, but also I am not interested in a stupid box to do the shifting for me. I can think of perhaps no more than 3-5 nice V6 sedans with FWD and manual available currently on the market. Call about being unique. I am just glad that there is something for everybody.

mike03a3

They do build them. Honda introduced the CVT in 1995 in the Civic. They were also available in the Insight. CVT is the only automatic offered with the Civic Hybrid since its introduction, and the only transmission at all for the past couple of years.

Black_05_TL_6SP

I don't think its "lazy" in the sense everyone is taking it. You choose not to hassle with the clutch. Personally, I love driving a stick and yes, the manual still gives a edge over the auto. Same car, same motor, equal drivers the manual will win.

To use the excuse that you bought a "luxury sport sedan" so you wanted a auto, is crazy. The key being SPORT!! Would you buy a sports car without a stick? Well guess what, most people do!! The corvette is a prime example of this. All though Chevy did do something quite odd with the Vette, the auto is standard and you have to option for the manual!!!!!!!!

My wife can not drive stick, so did I buy an auto? No, its my car, I have to drive it. Our spare vehicle is a auto, its a truck, I would rather have a manual in it, but I agreed to getting a auto in it. For those that purchased a auto TL because a spouse can not drive stick, how often does that spouse drive the TL? If it is a shared car, then it is completely fare that you would purchase a auto. That is not lazy, but that does fall under the "can't drive stick". Although its not you that can not drive it.

But its all good, its a fun car either way. I just prefer to drive a manual car, and I enjoy the extra fuel mileage I receive.


Jason

mike03a3

My TL-S is a 6MT. I love manual trannys and have seldom owned a vehicle that didn't have one, two notable exceptions being two Suburbans (which didn't offer a choice.)

I like shifting so much that I converted my '88 Jag XJ-S convertible from an automatic (the only choice) to a 5MT. But, I can understand and sympathize with those who prefer an automatic. My wife just bought an automatic Accord after driving nothing but sticks all her life. After 40+ years of traffic in the Washington metro area getting worse each year she decided she was tired of shifting 100 miles a day round trip in heavy traffic. I don't blame her (but don't tell her I said so, my daughter and I tell her she's a wuss for switching to a slushbox.) My commute isn't so bad - 50 miles round trip, mostly moderate traffic on the beltway. But if my commute was reversed I'd probably buy an auto myself (or just shoot myself). Those poor people going the other way are stop and very little go, mile after mile.

brettallica

I took my drivers test in a stick shift on my 16th birthday. Passed with flying colors.

I've spent the last ten+ years of my life working and building my own life, wealth, and hopefully some sort of legacy and lifestyle for my kids to enjoy when it's all said and done. This required (and continues to require) a lot of hard work to maintain and improve upon.

I now own an entry-level luxury sedan that does not have a manual transmission. I guess, since I know how to drive a stick, that I'm lazy. Shoot! Well dang, now my day is like totally ruined and stuff.

It's been said a number of different ways already (Adobeman, Desert_TL, to name a couple), but there are many reasons that people decide at some point in time to not purchase a stick. Harder to sell/lower resale value when it comes time to get a new car is huge; having a spouse who cannot drive a stick is another one; being disabled, another. The reasons go on and on.

There is no "right" answer, nor is one person more or less lazy than the other because of which transmission they choose. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE driving sticks, and I miss it just about every day, but the bigger picture is where I'm trying to stay focused. The TL, for me and my situation, just was not the car for me to get in a stick.

As far as not physically understanding how to drive a stickshift, I think that is a potentially bad situation to be in. Just in a sense of life-or-death, you could be forced to take someone to the hospital who's in dire need of medical attention, but the only transportation available is a stick. You sure as heck better know how to drive one in that scenario. It's almost like knowing how to swim or something: you should just know how, even if you're not intending to be a pro.

Legend2TL

Honda already has a CVT used in the Civic Hybrid. CVT's although very novel have not found much acceptance anywhere in the world. They have actually been around for decades in small vehicles, it seems like ever so often a few automakers find some new interest in them (currently Nissan, Ford, ...).