Like Dystopia, I'm from Portugal and over here, we mostly get manual. We learn manual, most people have driven manual all their lives.
But automatic is making an appearance. It's more expensive, by some 2 to 5 thousand euros, which makes sense.
I once drove an automatic car and... well... it works. I could see me using it all the time. I can see it making it much easier to learn to drive.
One of the difficulties when learning is to know when to shift gears, not too soon, so the next gear runs smoothly, not too late so you don't waste gas... and the timing changes with the inclination of the road. There's certainly a learning curve there, until you can do it "automatically" and think about the rules of the road. Of course, you can always waste gas and be on the safe side, but your wallet will not like that.
I've heard anecdotal stories of americans who rent a car with manual gears and drive all the way in first gear... until the engine just gives up. The redline is there for a reason.
Also, parking - always leave it in first (or reverse) gear. Neutral can be dangerous...
But automatic is making an appearance. It's more expensive, by some 2 to 5 thousand euros, which makes sense.
I once drove an automatic car and... well... it works. I could see me using it all the time. I can see it making it much easier to learn to drive.
One of the difficulties when learning is to know when to shift gears, not too soon, so the next gear runs smoothly, not too late so you don't waste gas... and the timing changes with the inclination of the road. There's certainly a learning curve there, until you can do it "automatically" and think about the rules of the road. Of course, you can always waste gas and be on the safe side, but your wallet will not like that.
I've heard anecdotal stories of americans who rent a car with manual gears and drive all the way in first gear... until the engine just gives up. The redline is there for a reason.
Also, parking - always leave it in first (or reverse) gear. Neutral can be dangerous...
