MT vs AT tranny... better MPG, 0-60?

[subatoy]

ok so I've been a purist when it comes to buying cars, I always go manual but seeing that the AT tranny offers better fuel economy by 3 MPG on this car I might be tempted to get an AT tranny.
does anyone else expect the AT tranny to achieve faster 0-60 times?
by the looks of it this tranny has been programed to be sporty unlike
normal crappy trannies.

Also...
This might have been covered before but is the auto tranny using a torque converter?

[ahausheer]

Uses a locking torque converter that locks in all gears except 1st. It's basically a ''single clutch automated manual''. Where are you getting your mpg numbers I have not seen anything official for the US. Also, the auto has longer gears which probably play a role in the mpg, however, it's unlikely to be faster to 60.

[serialk11r]

Yes it has torque converter but locks up most of the time (I think whenever it's not in 1st). And by the sound of it, it's the "better" transmission in some sense as it shifts very fast and apparently has good response, although the gear ratios aren't very close.

But if you're just thinking about mpgs, then it depends on the type of driving. A lot of time on the highway, the AT has longer gears for better mpg. In the city MT can't be any worse.

[tranzformer]

Originally Posted by subatoy

ok so I've been a purist when it comes to buying cars, I always go manual but seeing that the AT tranny offers better fuel economy by 3 MPG on this car I might be tempted to get an AT tranny.
does anyone else expect the AT tranny to achieve faster 0-60 times?
by the looks of it this tranny has been programed to be sporty unlike
normal crappy trannies.

Also...
This might have been covered before but is the auto tranny using a torque converter?

Are you willing to pay $1000 up front to get ~20 miles more per tank?

[ahausheer]

Going from 25 mpg to 28 mpg will save maybe 1-2 hundred bucks a year at most. Do the math, 3 mpg is not worth worrying about.

[devinclfalcons]

Originally Posted by ahausheer

Going from 25 mpg to 28 mpg will save maybe 1-2 hundred bucks a year at most. Do the math, 3 mpg is not worth worrying about.

What about if you drive 20k miles a year and a majority are on the highway?

[Allch Chcar]

Originally Posted by devinclfalcons

What about if you drive 20k miles a year and a majority are on the highway?

Then get the manual and learn to drive it more efficiently. Manuals have the largest range of Driver adjustment for FE. Even with the shorter OD, they tend to get better real world MPG especially when driven carefully.

If the Automatic gets better EPA rated highway MPG and faster 0-62MPH(100KPH), it's probably from simple gearing tweaks.

Oh and join a fuel economy site while you're at it.

[SLeRoux92]

3mpg is enough to make you want an automatic?

manny for me lol

[tachi1247]

there is nothing that could make me want an auto in this car. Based on the target demographic I bet this car will have one of the highest manual take rates of anything out there.

[EJ20]

20 years from now I'm sure everyone will swap to manuals if they got auto trans :P

Manual for me

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by Allch Chcar

Then get the manual and learn to drive it more efficiently. Manuals have the largest range of Driver adjustment for FE. Even with the shorter OD, they tend to get better real world MPG especially when driven carefully.

If the Automatic gets better EPA rated highway MPG and faster 0-62MPH(100KPH), it's probably from simple gearing tweaks.

Oh and join a fuel economy site while you're at it.

Disclaimer, coaxing more fuel economy past a certain number on the highway takes...more than speed adjustment.

[Enemies]

Originally Posted by devinclfalcons

What about if you drive 20k miles a year and a majority are on the highway?

Maybe consider a Prius? :P

[SUB-FT86]

I notice every time a thread like this comes up I see a lot of defensiveness for no reason. It seems to be a touchy topic.

[neutron256]

Originally Posted by tranzformer

Are you willing to pay $1000 up front to get ~20 miles more per tank?

Remember for a lot of people it's not just about the money saved there is a factor of being good to the planet as well.

Also it's not like that $1000 dollars just disappears from the value of the car. If you're looking to get something new in a couple of years the AT is still going to fetch you $800 or so more then the MT and for most cars it makes for a much larger pool of buyers.