Now, for those of you who don’t know the difference, let me give you a quick summary:

- Automatic transmission means the car has only two pedals (acceleration and break), and the gear is shifted automatically, based on the speed it’s traveling at. This is the kind normally found in cars in America and Mexico.

- Manual transmission implies a third pedal, called a clutch, being present in the car. With this system, the driver manually changes gears, the system being more commonly used around the world than its automatic counterpart.

As with any two approaches to the same system, both have pros and both have cons, so I will try to point them out as clearly as possible and try not to shed any bad light on either one of these marvelous inventions. After all, none of them is flawed, they’re just made for different kinds of situations.

First of all, let’s take a look at automatic transmission. This is lovely for beginners to learn driving on, because you don’t need to change gears yourself, except between Reverse, Neutral and Forward, thus allowing you to focus on the road better than you would with a manual gearbox. Also, there’s no way you can skip a gear, which can sometimes happen with manuals, especially if you’re a beginner, so automatics help extend the engine’s lifespan. Another plus would be fuel efficiency, because there is no chance for the car to reach too high of a speed in too low of a gear.

On the other hand, though, being able to shift your gears manually gives you the ability to get a better acceleration in key situations, by simply switching gears downward before you accelerate. Also, switching to a lower gear creates a phenomenon called an “engine brake”, which is very useful during the winter and during rainfall because it keeps the car from skidding, while still slowing it down. Neither of these is possible with automatics, hence the large number of traffic accidents that could’ve been avoided if the gearbox was manual. Still, a manual gearbox is a bit harder to use than an automatic, because you always have to know which gear you’re in, where the one you want to shift to is located, and most importantly, make sure you’ve got an appropriate speed for the gear you’re in.

All in all, manuals are slightly more professional than automatics, because you can customize your power/speed ratio yourself, but are harder to learn and require more attention. Although automatics are a lot easier to use, there are times when they’re not up to the challenge they’re being put through and cause a crash that could’ve been avoided. As I’ve said before, they’re designed for different kinds of situations, but both have their own advantages and disadvantages. The only real way to see which one suits you best is to try both, and pick the one you feel most comfortable around.

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