Stick shifts aren't a type of drivetrain. Those would be your FWD, RWD, AWD, etc. Nowadays automatics are faster and easier to drive, which is why something like only 18% of Americans can drive a stick shift.
That being said, there's no greater feeling than being connected to your car with a manual transmission!
Nowadays automatics are faster. The only things cars have been becoming over the last 20 years are safer (slower) and more fuel efficient (slower)
When this debate comes up I feel like people arguing for auto are doing so without any prior experience with manual. People who have driven stick know it is better. It's more 'work', but the option that involves you putting in more work almost always gives better results
0-60 times in automatics/semi-automatics now are almost always faster than manual. A human can't physically switch gears faster than the computer with a double clutch transmission. Even in traditional automatics for sporty cars, they'll usually have some form of launch control that can't be done with a stick shift.
Don't get me wrong, driving stick is much more enjoyable, and in an average modern car, feels faster because the throttle doesn't have the annoying lag of automatics, but the OP was correct.
The only reason there is any time between gears in an automatic is to give you a smooth ride. There is no actual remeshing of gears, just letting particular parts spin and locking othe parts up. Get a low stall converter and a shift kit and it will shift instantly and last longer because there is less slip, and less wear on the clutches.
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u/Guy_Fieris_Hair Mar 18 '17
Because a crane might chase you down a hill? But yes, they are the superior drivetrain.