LogFAQs > #970455931

adjl posted...

I didn't suggest that it gives less control. What benefit does that additional control provide?

It really only provides a benefit in certain scenarios (on steep grades, in inclement weather, etc) And even then modern automatics have made immense strides in offering the user options to adjust the gears. Day-to-day driving there's almost zero benefit to driving a manual over automatic. Even some of the newer semis that come with automatics have switches so you can downshift going up or down grades.

So yeah, manual elitism is kinda silly. I've always preferred manual in a semi but my personal cars are usually automatics.

Unless you're doing something specific (racing, frequent mountain driving, off-roading, heavy-hauling, etc) there is little reason to seek a manual over an automatic outside of personal preference.