Date:         Fri, 11 Sep 2015 11:46:50 -0500
Reply-To:     mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Automatic vs Manual trans. ( Friday )
Comments: To: Raymond Markett <raym02@YAHOO.COM>
In-Reply-To:  <Fs091r02F08X5Fr01s0CCY>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

The only two automatic transmissions I've had extensive experience with are:

1.  The 1965 Ford Falcon my wife had when we married.  I hated it, having been used to manual transmissions.  It jerked and lurched when it changed gears, and would not downshift on a hill without stomping on the accelerator, then I would have to back off, resulting in the vehicle lurching forwarding then seeming to bog down again as it inappropriately  upshifted.  I never learned to get it to shift smoothly and maintain speed in that circumstance.

2.  My current Toyota Prius, with continuously variable transmission and dual electric/internal combustion power.  It is extremely smooth, but of course is no "performance" vehicle.  The only problem with the transmission I have experienced is that the constant speed device caused it to downshift on hills to a very low gear ratio.  That also caused over consumption of fuel.  Once I learned to drive without that, I found I could maintain speed on hills without it, and without the transmission downshifting so far.  I started getting much better highway gas mileage then.  Of course, sometimes I "hypermile" with the Prius, if I am alone and there is little traffic.  I don't do it with my wife in the car because it annoys her.  I can get 65 mpg highway if I can hypermile for most of a 250 mile trip.  That is measured by miles driven and fuel used, not the digital readout on the dash.

David McNeely