[nishantbhatia84]

Voted 'All the time'.

The car I drive: Seltos GTX AT Petrol (7DCT)

Where and why I use manual mode with paddles:
1. City: Primary driving is on WEH - slow-stop-go traffic all the time. The DCT keeps shifting up to 2nd every instance. So to keep the car in 1st I use manual mode with paddles to shift.
2. Highway: Can't say it is 100% manual mode, but I do use the paddles for a quick down shift when overtaking, because sometimes the DCT gets confused and is slow to respond.

[deadguy25]

I had used it while driving my brother's car - Skoda Rapid.
I felt more comfortable using the manual mode to pick the pace while going up the hill towards Sabarimala.
Did that because i felt the response to be slightly sluggish going uphill.

[CARDEEP]

Used it few times (countable I would say). Must say it is good to have the manual mode when you want to have some fun, but not when there are other vehicles (especially taxis & 2 wheelers) around & the vehicle is 3 row full size crossover as the traffic spoils the fun.

[CapKoura]

I use the manual mode in my Rapid only in the hills, or when carrying a load of five occupants and a full boot. The TC is a bit conservative with its shifts and isn't lightning quick like the DSG, and with it being the NA 1.6, it's much easier to keep it in the powerband when you have manual control rather than letting Sport mode do its thing.

[ghost-was-here]

as a Compass-Petrol owner, only use it on highway or when going downhill. It only has a manual mode through the shifter and no paddles shifts. If it had paddle shift, i would probably use it more.

3GT is in auto 99% of the time and i feel the gearbox's shift logic is amazing and almost telepathic. The remaining 1% is cause i feel the paddles shifter are getting lonely so i should use them.

Civic sees 100% manual mode engagement. V-tech kick yo!

[NoLurkerForLong]

Voted for "Others"

The only time I used the manual mode was for DPF regeneration to drive at high RPM. It didn't help though even after a 30 min drive.

[amitnair]

When I used to drive Breeza AMT, I always drove it in manual mode for better drivability as automatic gear shift aren't very smooth (unless driven sedately).

Currently I have Seltos DCT. The transmission is smooth and with ample power to help in quick overtakes, I am mostly in Normal/Sport auto mode. Only when coming downhill is where I have used the paddles to get more engine braking and better control.

[sameerg]

Two use cases for manual mode for me (cars: vento & Kodiaq):

1) Bumper to Bumper traffic in the city - I use manual mode to prevent the gear from slipping into 2nd too frequently

2) Quick overtakes on the highway

[ashutoshb]

Nano AMT: This is the only Nano with five gears. But the gearing is configured in such a manner that it will only shift to fifth, when it crosses 60 kph. But, at 50 kph plus, in fourth gear, the engine sounds strained. So, I shift to manual, the gearbox then automatically shifts to 5th, revs come down and then I switch to Automatic again.

Tigor AMT: Earlier, I never used to bother. But, since the past couple of months, I have been using the Tigor as an IMT. In Manual mode, the car switches to Sport mode, which means better performance. But, because I shift at low revs, do not over rev, the fuel efficiency has, in fact, improved. So, a best of both worlds. When I come across a bumper to bumper traffic scenario, I just switch to Auto and relax.

Kushaq Torque Converter: The TC is so good, that I never really bothered to shift to manual. Put the accelerator pedal down, it will downshift and say bye bye to the road bully. 99% of the time, Sports mode is not required. I do use the pedal shifter to upshift to higher gears, all the time.

[bijims]

We had almost all our cars with some or the other form of automatic

1. Renault Kwid AMT : Didn't even have the option of a Manual Mode!

2. Kia Sonet Diesel AT : Sometimes I use paddles for fun.

Others: Didn't even bother.

[alpha1]

My two use case scenarios:
1) going downhill
2) overtaking on highways

In fact, I am curious to know how people manage to go downhill on automatic vehicles that don't offer manual mode (or is it that there are no such vehicles?)

[NomadSK]

Originally Posted by alpha1

In fact, I am curious to know how people manage to go downhill on automatic vehicles that don't offer manual mode (or is it that there are no such vehicles?)

I guess in such AT cars without manual mode, there's a L (low gear) which shall be positioned for steep downhill driving.

This made me wonder, when we downshift in an AT/MT for reducing the speed or going downhill, is it the transmission/gears which slows down the vehicle or the engine's vacuum. Asking since I use it extensively to slow down, so am I stressing my transmission in anyway

[tjsi]

Voted Other because it's a mix of both inside and outside the city.

1. Three words: Italian Tune up.
Once a week, all 3 cars. Hyryder Hybrid doesn't have a Manual mode but putting it in power mode and flooring it seems to get the job done.
Plus the 0-100 in 3-5 business days figure helps my Japanese workhorses keeps things safe and under speed limits.

2. Mountain driving.
CVT on the Fortuner suffers from rubber banding and being a petrol powertrain worsen things. The sequential shifting comes into play here. Keeping the RPMs between 3k-4k helps me keep momentum and perform uphill overtakes when needed. Even during highway drives it really helps take away the power deficit of the 2.7L petrol engine when kept in the peak power band.

3. Increased stopping power.
There have been few instances where I've avoided crashing into the car in front because I was able to stop in time thanks to my quick reflexes and shifting down to get the automatic car to engine break for more stopping power. It's especially helpful in wet situations.

4. Keeping Revs high during heavy rains + flooded situations.
I drove my Honda City CVT in Gurgaon, Haryana and it's outskirts for 4 years and we're both still alive. That's all I'm gonna say about that.

I never wanna drive a Manual again, but I appreciate a sequential shifter on the gear selector in the Fortuner
its really fun to use.

[VinDrive]

I own a verna CVT. I have tried manual mode only a couple of times in the last 8 months of ownership. My previous car was a figo 1.5 TDCI. I do enjoy driving manuals but bought an automatic this time as I wanted some rest for the left foot. This post has inspired me to try manual mode a bit more with my car although not sure if you can have fun with cvt gearbox in manual mode as they take their own sweet time to respond.

[troika]

I use it mostly for engine braking and sometimes on a highway run when driving solo to keep myself engaged.