by Pontoneer » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:31 pm
I've been driving automatic Mercedes all my adult life ( since the 1970s ) and , despite learning in a manual car , I would never go back to driving manual on a daily basis - not when an automatic is fully competent and actually safer since it leaves you free to concentrate on other aspects of driving besides the mechanics of propelling the car along the road , and will inhibit silly mistakes like selecting a gear out of its speed range which can be done in a manual .
For those who crave the need to shift manually and slip clutches ( or better still and more satisfying learn to change manually without the clutch ) why not take it to the extreme and get a car with manual mixture control and ignition timing ? My old car has these features but I manage without messing constantly with them .
Having driven all sorts of Mercedes from 1950's to present day models , they have come a long way from the "jerk-o-Matic' boxes of the early 1960's , but the automatics of the 80's and 90's were probably the best : by this time they had become very smooth changing and well engineered , but had not fallen foul of the electronic nanny governing what you can and cannot do .
I'll take a simple two-mode automatic , with staggered gate selector as pioneered by Mercedes as far back as 1963 in the 230SL , which allows fully automatic or free selection of the gears on demand , but does not cut engine power the moment you touch the brake pedal . Modern autos must be so fragile that the computers step in and cut power the moment any contact with the brake pedal is touched - even when manoeuvring at low speeds ; inconvenient if trying to reverse up a steep incline or move on snow or ice ; worse when trying to bring in a part throttle downshift before finishing with the brakes on the approach to a bend - on the older boxes you can smoothly bring in power whilst braking to obtain a smooth downshift , then bring back the selector to lock in the lower gear before powering through and out of the bend - try doing that in one of the newer cars ( or with a perfectly good foot tucked uselessly away under the seat - inviting DVT ) .
As for those who advocate leaving a perfectly good foot unused - why ? Would an able bodied person hop down the street ? Two pedals are made for humans who have two feet . If you have been driving manuals then get out in an automatic and practice , practice , practice : that's what I did and I use my left foot to brake autos and my right ( mostly ) to brake manuals without even needing to think about it .
My current fleet includes an S203 C270CDI with electronically governed box , a W126 500SEL with a conventional 4 speed auto mated to the 5 litre V8 ( a glorious combination ) and a W105 219 from 1957 which is a four speed manual with column change and LHD to add to the mix . I hate driving the S203 primarily because of the electronic nanny but it is a daily driver and cheap to run , the W126 is much more fun , can be hustled along when I'm in the mood or driven sedately otherwise ; the old car was my first one and I have managed to keep it all these years , but now awaits restoration , although it still starts and drives OK .
Automatics can be fun , and in some cases faster than the manual equivalent . It is just a pity that most people dismiss them and few take the trouble to learn to drive them properly ; for these people there is a whole world of undiscovered motoring pleasure out there .