I know it’s a meme, but I’m going to rant for a bit.
The MT version of the air conditioner is the two knobs, one for temp and the other for fan speed. The AT is the temp setting where you pick a temp and the air blows until it’s that temperature.
And the MT is far superior in every way. Most car trips, you’re not in your car long enough to stabilize the temp, and if you’re like me, you never bother with anything between max cool and max heat anyway.
If you’re not in the car long enough to stabilize the temperature, then you’re close enough to bike.
You try riding a bike in a foot of snow for 15 miles to the grocery when it’s -10F outside, then carry a week’s groceries for your family in your backpack. I’ll wait.
Depending on the kids ages, they also can ride, or ride in a trailer. The dog can ride in a basket or trailer depending on size
Go for a Dutch style cargo bike and the kids and dog can ride up front in the tub
Surely the real reason is the terrible bike infrastructure where you live
That’s very sad, and you have my sympathies. I wish that more places were designed so that kids could have a “free-range childhood.” The benefits to their physical, mental, and emotional development are significant, versus having to be carted around everywhere. Not to mention the burden on parents of being forced to be chauffeurs.
“Max cool / max heat only” is for troglodytes. While I agree that the auto-settings are ~useless, the One True Method is to keep the fan speed on low to maintain airflow and adjust the temp for comfort.
Why use the air at all if you don’t want it warmer or cooler? And if you want it warmer or cooler, why not use the max setting until it reaches the desired temperature? You’re using the same amount of energy, it just takes longer and you’re uncomfortable longer.
Because moving air keeps the cabin from getting stuffy. I’ll crank it to the extremes to get the bulk of the temperature change done, but then dial it in to a comfortable neutral temperature once that’s accomplished.
Preach. I much prefer it heating and cooling faster than it throttling itself because you don’t have it set high or low enough.
I actually like the quieter settings better most of the time. Just a low breeze, so I might be the target audience for automatic.
It doesn’t heat or cool faster, this is simply the interface we’re talking about. They both do heating and cooling at the exact same speed and power, and they both stop heating and cooling the instant the ambient temperature reaches whatever temp you set the controls to. The only difference is one is controlled by a dial and the other uses buttons.
Automotive A/Cs with an automatic temperature control instead of the knobs actually will cool faster with it set to the minimum temperature. All you’re doing when you increase the temperature is adding heat to the cold air, therefore it takes longer to cool the interior down compared to setting it to Lo.
if you’re like me, you never bother with anything between max cool and max heat anyway.
I am very much not like you. I want the air to be a comfortable temp so if I can’t roll the windows down because of rain or crazy weather I set it to the temp I want and let the fan circulate the air.
So what’s your ideal temp? Is it the same if you’ve been to the gym while your car bakes in the parking lot on a summer day? How about when it’s been snowing all night and your windows are completely fogged and your gloves are wet from clearing off the snow?
You’re saying in those situations, you don’t just set the temp as low or as high as it can go and have it run full blast? How frequently do you need air conditioning while it’s raining, but not to clear fog from the windshield?
Sure, I suppose if you’re in the car long enough, you might want to turn the temp to a moderate level, and turn down the fan speed, but those are things you can do without taking your eyes off the road. God forbid your “auto” aircon is controlled via a touchscreen.
If the car is hot, the automatic aircon will operate at maximum cool until the temperature is brought down to the set point. Likewise when the car is colder than you want
Of course you move the set point up or down a bit between summer and winter, and depending on how you feel at the time
Max cool gets too cold if you’re aircon is working properly
Full blast is reserved for when first getting in when it is crazy hot or cold, but once it gets to a reasonable temp (or starts at one) then just somewhere in the middle based on whether the sun is on my side or it is humid or something.
Right now I have the temp setting and it is somewhere between 68 and 75 depending on whether it feels hot or cold and I just change it a degree or two until it feels right. Ideal temp just means I feel comfortable, and what I am wearing and the temp I came from changes that. Have little paddle flippers to adjust so easy as a finger flick to adjust and having physical controls for the a/c was a requirement when I bought my car.
The transmission doesn’t control the air conditioner
My 98 automatic truck has 3 knobs. Fan speed, temperature, and source (head, feet, both, etc.).
Sorry, no, I meant that as an analogy. The image OP posted referred to a hand fan as the “manual” version of air conditioning, but I disagree.
I see that.
I’m still curious about why you don’t think that the “automatic” is good, though.
In my MT AC I can pick max cold, max hot, or somewhere in the middle by mixing cold and hot.
The AT AC can do max cold, max hot, and then gives you numbers for the middle.
If I want my MT AC truck to be middle temperature, I have to crank the heat until it gets hot and then manually turn down the temperature until I’m comfortable at half.
If I got into an AT AC truck then I could just set the temperature to half and it will automatically crank the heat until it gets hot and then automatically turn down the temperature until I’m comfortable at half.
Other than AT AC having more stuff to break and higher cost of repair. AT AC gives you the same temperature experience without you having to turn the knob multiple times. It automatically does it for you.
Sorry, that’s not what I meant. It was a metaphor. Manual AC is better than Auto AC.
Current ATs shift way better than most people would manually. Setting your AC to 75 doesnt mean the air coming out of the vent is 75°. People on here complaining about AT and aircons while apparently never having used them.
Big “Meh” on that statement. I drive a manual, and for a vacation, drove an Toyota Camry automatic. It had like 10 gears, and would take a while to search for the gear you wanted, and by the time it found it, it would need to be in a different powerband, so it would immediately pop out, search again…Rinse and repeat. On the flip side, my partner has a Honda with a CVT, and it is a much better automatic in my opinion. Easy power transition, no jerks, always at the right ratio, it really is fantastic. You might get a little hesitation if you absolutely slam the accelerator to the floor, but it is otherwise fairly responsive.
This feels like I’m being attacked for driving a manual clapped out civic with poor AC…damn I’m broke cuz
Transmission choice is very condition dependent. America has a lot of flat straight roads. This fits automatic transmission very well. The car can easily predict when you will want to change gears.
Conversely Europe has a lot of curving and/or hilly roads. This changes the dynamics. You often want to hold off on a gear change, due to road conditions ahead. This is easy in a manual car, but is frustrating in an automatic. You either change too early, and so have to downshift when you enter the corner or hill, or it over revs on the straights.
It’s a dying question however. Electric cars don’t need either manual or automatic gearboxes.
I dont know if youve recently used an automatic but my 2017 Audi A3 shifts extremely well on european streets, never had any problems or efficiency issues. I would say it shifts way better than most people could manually. Also with automatics theres not even a need to ‘hold back on a shift’, it can just shift and then shift back in a split second without any noticable change in momentum. I think what you are describing might have been a problem years ago.
It’s definitely improved, but it feels distinctly different to drive. Also, not all cars do it as well as that, some (cheaper) cars are still quite clunky with it.
Beyond that, their inertia effects. If you’re used to manual, an automatic feels “wrong”. Therefore most car buyers buy manual. This means most 2nd hand cars are also manual. This makes automatics more expensive and so even less desirable. I suspect America has the opposite situation.
Your last argument is probably accurate but just shows how little thought people give to big decisions like buying a car. Thats like bathing in mud for years and when someone offers you a shower youre like ‘nah Im kinda not used to that, Ill keep buying mud’. Also most people are used to manual because automatics havent been around forever, including myself. It doesnt feel wrong at all for me, got used to it on the first day.
It’s not about the shift itself. It’s about how long it takes from the input of my foot, to the power at the wheels.
A great example is spontaneous overtaking. For my taste, it takes way too long for the AT to shift down, while with MT I can shift down before I press the accelerator.
That, and getting stuck in snow or dirt. With MT you can also sort of sway yourself out of a problem.
Anyway, preference, etc. Both has pros and cons, it’s up to the driver to decide what pros matter to them.
You’d be surprised at how good the tech in modern cars is.
In addition, another thing rarely mentioned, automatic transmission works better with automatic security features, making them a safer choice.
Here in Norway they plan to phase out teaching just manual transmission entirely due to these reasons. In the future, if you want a driver’s license, you will get taught automatic at least.
Credit to ciko22ie below for the assist. Should’ve known the link wouldn’t have been enough to embed the image .
Sorry I like better fuel economy and support the Right to Repair
I do prefer manuals. But the fuel economy of autos largely surpassed manuals a few years ago. Can’t beat 10 speeds or a cvt with a stick shift.
For new cars, sure, but I’ll be dammed if I let anyone tell me that my shitbox(es) would be more efficient as an auto
