Quote:
Originally Posted by JSH
Automatics get better mileage today than a manual (the way most people drive not hypermiling).
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This is the oft-repeated line that bugs me most in these stories about how modern automatics are supposedly superior. (Though, to be fair, you never see anyone else qualify the statement as it relates to driving style.)
But I wonder: do we know quantitatively how "most people drive" manuals?
Because the EPA test methodology handicaps manuals to the point that a driver does not need to be a "hypermiler" to beat the EPA rating by a significant margin. They just have to select a higher gear than the EPA test prescribes for a given speed once they've finished accelerating.
That alone will return significantly better MPG than the rating.
Anything beyond that is gravy: coasting (where appropriate, either in N or clutch-in); strategic use of deceleration fuel cut-off, etc.
What we needed was two EPA tests for the manual: use the same acceleration/deceleration profiles, but employ different shift points. That would put the lie to today's received wisdom that automatics are more efficient, period.
Quote:
Originally Posted by aerohead
2)Hundreds of clutch depressions and engagements over a few miles will destroy any fondness for the efficiency potential of a manual.
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Not all clutches are the same. The Mirage has the most ridiculously light clutch I have ever driven. I routinely tell people who are considering the CVT because of an urban commute to at least TRY the manual first.
Also: "Hundreds of clutch depressions and engagements over a few miles" makes the former driving instructor in me want to suggest an alternative approach to the situation.
