Why is manual transmission increasingly out of favor?

The main feature of a manual transmission is that the driver must manually change gears using the clutch pedal and gear lever. The main component of a manual transmission includes an intermediate gear shaft, which operates by connecting to the engine's rotating shaft.

Normally, on passenger cars, manual transmissions often have 5 or 6 levels, on heavy trucks there will be more levels.

6-speed manual transmission on the Audi R8 supercar. Photo: GTCARLOT

The main advantage of manual transmission is fuel economy. On the highway, manual transmission saves 5-15% fuel compared to automatic transmission. However, new automatic transmission technology is equipped with more gears, reducing the gap in fuel economy compared to manual transmission.

In addition, manual transmission also has the advantage of price, simpler maintenance, and less expensive.

Manual transmissions, if used properly, can operate for hundreds of thousands of kilometers without problems. Periodic oil changes are also not as frequent as automatic transmissions. More importantly, manual transmissions create a feeling of direct control over the power of the car engine and the driver can feel the maximum power of the engine.

However, besides the above advantages, manual transmission also has the inconvenience of having to perform too many operations when driving, continuous clutch and gear lever operations. Using manual transmission can be a "horrible" experience when stuck in traffic in the city.

Because of this inconvenience, manual transmission on passenger cars gradually lost customers. They turned to choose automatic transmission to help operate the car more simply and comfortably while the difference in fuel consumption and durability is insignificant.