[FiestaRed]

Someone posted a while ago asking if automatic cars made you a better driver. I feel they have changed my driving style and, for the better.

After years in Vauxhalls, mainly Astras, with the help of Motability, I changed my car early. Earlier posts on this forum will show that I was really unsure about driving an automatic but I made the change to a Toyota Corolla Touring Sports. All I can say is that I’m annoyed with myself for not making the change years ago.

Toyota have an app they call MyT and part of this covers your ‘trips’ and gives you a score at the end of each journey. From my early journeys where I was still reaching for the gear lever to more recent ones my score has improved from low 50s to 86. The app send you comments like ‘think about braking earlier’ or ‘you did well coming out of that roundabout’ which, for me makes sense.  A similar driving into town journey in my Astras returned less than 30mpg, today, the same journey with similar heavy traffic returned 79.8mpg. Really impressed with the car and pleased to say I feel it’s improved my driving.

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[DBtruth]

Pleased to hear you’re enjoying your new car. I know a few people personally who have changed to automatic and I can’t think of any who said they didn’t like it. Pretty much all said they’d never go back to manual again.

I can only drive auto but even if I had the choice I’d still drive auto anyway. There’s a few cars from when I was young that came in manual only and I’d like to have a go in them but that’s the only reason I’d want a manual

[ChrisK]

That app sounds a bit like as if you got Mrs Hyacinth Bucket riding shotgun.?

Glad your getting on with the auto and like you in my non disabled days I’d always go for manual, more so as they were cheaper but if I were to become non disabled tomorrow would I go back to manuals, probably not living in a city full of jams.

My eldest grandson passed his test just over a year ago and bought a nearly new VW Polo manual and he was with me the other week and sussing out my DSG box and he said “do you know what, when I next renew my car I’m going for automatic”.

That said he hopes to go electric so will be auto anyway.

 

 

[Author]

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