[Aditya]

Manual Mode in AT | How often do you use it?

With every passing day, automatic transmissions are gaining popularity in India. These reduce the effort required to drive the car, particularly on our overcrowded city roads where the traffic barely flows smoothly. In stop-go conditions, they are a boon. All one needs to do is use the brake pedal to drive the car.

However, the city is not the only place we drive. The highways and hills are where we enthusiasts enjoy driving the most. This is where manual mode of the AT plays a part.



On the open road, particularly for an enthusiast, driving an automatic might turn out to be boring. The involvement in using a manual transmission with a clutch might be missed. Using the manual mode, a driver can play around with the gears and get a little more involved in the driving process.

In some cars, where the AT is not very well calibrated or if the car's power and torque are not very high, keeping the car in the right gear is vital, particularly while overtaking or tackling inclines to get the most out of the engine.



On descents, one can put the car into a lower gear and make use of the engine braking, which, in turn, helps preserve the car's brakes. In short, "M" mode gives you more control over the car, and the more control you have, the better.

Whenever I have a car with an automatic transmission to drive, except for city driving and cruising on the expressway, I make use of the manual mode. Most drivers, however, leave the transmission in “D” all the time. In fact, whenever I have travelled with someone else driving, I have never seen the "M" mode used.



So BHPians with AT cars, how often do you use the manual mode?

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line.

[SmartCat]

Once in a year, immediately after getting the servicing done. That is to check if the dealership technicians somehow messed it up.

Other than that, while going downhill (for engine braking) on very steep hilly road that extends for many kms. That is once in 5 years perhaps. The usual ghat sections we see in coastal areas or small steep downhill stretches don't need manual mode. Brakes work just fine.

[sreerknair]

Voted Others. I drive a CVT and use manual mode only when going downhill for engine breaking. I don't see any reason to use the manual mode at least in Kerala roads.

[NomadSK]

Voted Others.

I use it most of the times, but only for downshifting of the gears, to kill the momentum in addition to mild braking. If there is good enough space, I go from 120 to 30 only with manual downshifting.

In addition to that, I have may be used it few times on steep downward slopes.

[Lux_Noob]

Manual is used just for fun. It is very difficult to find an empty stretch of road in aamchi Mumbai but whenever I do get it, a flick of the finger on the paddle and full foot press on the A pedal (on the Q3) does provide a short burst of joy before I hit traffic or speed limit!

[Cyborg]

Honda Civic AT 2010 (paddles).

In the city normal D mode; nothing else required.

Highways - always in S mode with the paddles. Perfect manual mode with gear checking and redlining through the gears if required.

Happy with her Jekyll and Hyde personality.

Cheers

[sharmanova]

Well we've a S-Presso AMT, and from the time we've the car, my dad hasn't used the M mode even once. He did try once but ended up over revving the car.

BTW can anyone share how to drive Maruti cars in M mode and if there's a thread please drop a link.

[zionite]

Newbie here. Cant vote but would have voted Others.

I hate AT. I drive Seltos MT primarily and sometimes City MT. My father drives WagonR AMT and wife drives i20 CVT. Whenever I have to drive the WagonR, I drive it on Manual mode only. For wife's car, I enjoy the CVT inside the city but hate the lag on highway so sometimes switch to Manual.

Most of my driving is on a busy highway. As most of my driving is on a busy highway, hate the lack of immediate power when required to overtake.

[bblost]

My office has a MLCP. (Multi level car parking)

I use the second gear with the manual mode when climbing up in my Verna DCT.

I find it more mentally peaceful to do so.

[GTO]

In the BMW 530d, I use the paddle shifters a LOT. Wouldn't say manual mode per se, but I frequently use the paddle shifters to get a downshift when I want....or sometimes an upshift. The engine & gearbox are so darn good that it's fun to play with the gears. See a gap, downshift and floor the throttle!

In the Thar, I have almost never engaged manual mode.

[NPV]

In 1+ year and 11,000 km of driving the Harrier, I have never used the M mode (other than to test it when the car was new) but then I haven’t driven in any unique hills or ghat sections during this period.

I think the typical uses could be on tricky ghat sections for engine braking during downhill driving or for additional power in lower gears when going uphill (sports mode has worked well for this). It could also come handy during panic/emergency braking, though I haven’t had to use it yet.

[Axe77]

Same as GTO for me, right since the days of my Honda Civic A/T, and then to my 3GT and GLC, I use the paddle shifters quite regularly.

Whether I’m in Sports mode or normal D mode, I use paddle shifters quite often if I feel the need to shift gears myself. It’s not necessarily for sporty driving only - I also use it for engine braking when I feel it can assist.

I was so used to using paddle shifters in this manner that I changed my original 3GT steering (which had only tiptronic on the gearbox and no paddle on the steering) to an M Sports steering so I could have paddle shifters.

[dhanushs]

I dont have a AT car for myself, but I elaborately drive the XUV700 & Scorpio N AT at work. During spirited driving, I'm constantly in M mode only! . Even regular driving, I use the Manual mode very frequently, not because the shift caliberation is bad, but mainly for downshifts.

[xenon0025]

I do not specifically move the shifter to manual mode per se but use the paddle shifters a lot in situations like going downhill or a quick overtake. I wish car manufacturers make paddle shifters standard on all TC, CVT and DCT/DSG automatic vehicles if it is not already.