Automatic or manual

[MikeC]

Morning everyone, newbie here.

I think we have decided to buy a second hand 2022 Tucson, probably the MHEV Premium. I am sure I read somewhere that the automatic is the best option but that narrows down the search quite a lot.

What would you all recommend? We've never had an automatic car before but quite fancy one.

Thanks everyone!

[alan sh]

I would never go back to manual now.

[daibill]

Manual here. It's no hardship.. Light and precise.

[Big S]

Same here would not go back to a Manual car. As you have stated you are considering a mild Hybrid there has been a lot of conversations on here regarding Petrol Particle filter blockage issues. I believe this may have been fixed by a software upgrade from Hyundai now. Just beware as this is the last thing you need after you have bought it especially if you won't be doing much mileage. Someone else on here may be able to enlighten you more on this subject. Other than that the car is good value for the price ( just my opinion though )

[Southern Lad]

Auto boxes are so good nowadays that for me personally it makes driving so much more relaxed etc. That's not to say I don't mind using a manual as I don't. But having said that mines auto and I will definitely stay that way now for the foreseeable. Not sure on the MHEV choice personally. If you study all the reviews etc the HEV comes out with the best results all round. It's all subjective though and down to personal choice.

[joolstdi]

mine is auto and will not be going back to manual, my wife's polo is a manual and its like riding a bike you don't forget.
her car is up in the next year and she will also be going to auto.

Its much more smoother and more relaxing to drive.

[Mar10]

I’m a diehard manual driver, I’ve always loved feeling more in control and having a more engaging driving experience. But I wanted a hybrid this time and that meant going auto.
I have to say that I agree with the others, once you try it I’m not sure that you’d ever go back.

[Indalo]

Through my 60+ years of driving, I have driven vehicles with just about every type of transmission ever fitted to road vehicles.

I have always had a tendency to enjoy the slightly left-field choices that have cropped up through the years and today’s gearboxes have certainly come on a long way from the old crash boxes in HGVs and some other commercial vehicles I used to work on. Early UK examples of the Borg-Warner slush boxes were fairly primitive but their modern offerings are highly sophisticated and provide economy almost on a par with a sensibly driven manual transmission car.

Technology moves on constantly though and I love the Hyundai/KIA interpretation of the DCT system, especially when provided with the paddles as an option. I was a little reluctant to move away from DCT when I was test-driving various potential replacements for my Optima but I’m bound to say that the 6-speed auto in my Tucson is a big improvement over my last fully-auto box in a Citroen CX Safari with the GTI engine , from the late 80s. That, nonetheless, was an amazing car with incredible steering and a great kickdown burst of acceleration at motorway speeds.

I think I read somewhere that the 6-speeder in our latest Sportages and Tucsons is not a fluid-flywheel, torque convertor box but is controlled by clever electronics. Whatever makes it work seems to do so very smoothly and with Autohold, I can squeeze the car into some really tight parallel parking spots, as with my Optima, with no risk of bumping other cars fore and aft.

In conclusion, given the choice, I’d pick the auto version every time over manual. The age thing could be part of the reason and with nice, easy progress and no stress on the knees and hips, driving has never been easier. It’s just a shame that there is a premium to pay for Auto over manual transmission. Although we have had cars with auto gearboxes for many years, the Americans were half a century ahead of us in a mass movement away from stick-shift and transitioning into automatic gearing.

[Berty]

My PHEV is by default automatic and I'm quite happy with it because of slow moving stop/start traffic. Every so often I also drive a manual but harder again because they're generally left hand drive whereas I daily drive a right hand drive. I speak for myself and one of my friends but I have whalloped my left arm off the door twice going for a gear change forgetting the gearknob is on the right, not on the left when driving LHDs.

Would I go back to manual, wouldn't bother me however with advanced features that cars have now like smart cruise control it doesn't make too much sense IF I had features that aid an auto gearbox. I once had a Golf 6 speed manual with adaptive cruise and it was truly a waste of technology in a manual. The car slowed down on a motorway in 6th(I allowed it to as a test, was a garage loaner) and the car naturally tried to stall out as it of course couldn't change gears itself.

On the opposite end of the scale the very first time I ever drove an automatic was nearly 20 years ago in the USA. First time driving in the USA, first time in an Auto and I was handed a 3.5Ltr V8 and I had difficulty getting out of the polished conrete floor multistorey car park, screeching tyres, improper use of my feet. I am quite sure I used my left brake twice to brake and over compensated using the accelerator. I also nearly caused a "fender bender" wondering what the mysterious third pedal was in the car next to the brake, turns out it was the handbrake you apply with your foot and then release on the dash with your hand(yes,I pressed it at low speed).

[jarvis]

Conversely, I had a 6-speed manual Passat before with adaptive cruise and I found it very useful when coming from a car with only standard cruise. Of course the car couldn't change gears for me but did allow me to change them myself, automatically backing off the throttle during the change. You did need an auto box if you wanted the adaptive cruise to handle stop/start traffic though.