Is an Automatic Car Faster Than a Manual Car?

You’ve probably come across the automatic vs. manual debate more than once. One side claims automatic transmissions are faster, while the other swears by manual transmissions. The argument has only gotten louder in recent years as cars with manual transmissions have diminished in number.

So, who’s right? Let’s compare automatic vs. manual transmissions by how they perform.

Is Automatic Faster Than Manual?

If you’re looking at older models, manual transmissions generally shift gears faster. They have shorter response times compared to automatic transmissions from the same era. The performance gap between earlier automatic and manual cars widens more when drivers put a heavy load on the engine. When older drivers and fans of driving stick talk about manual cars having better acceleration and speed, they’re not exaggerating.

However, things changed as technology advanced. Recent models with automatic transmissions leave their predecessors in the dirt. Some automatic cars can even match or exceed the performance of manual vehicles in terms of pure acceleration.

How to Compare Automatic vs. Manual Transmission Performance

There are several ways we can compare the performance of automatic versus manual transmissions. You can measure how fast the cars accelerate from a standstill. Alternatively, you can also examine their performance while driving downshift. Or you can look at the time each transmission takes to shift gears.

Acceleration From a Standstill

When going from 0-60 mph, most manual cars can accelerate faster than automatic cars. The typical automatic transmission optimizes fuel economy and low emission levels when it shifts gears. In contrast, manual transmissions focus on performance during gear shifts, which means faster acceleration.

The newest automatic transmissions can accelerate faster than their manual counterparts. You can take better advantage by manually shifting gears when driving an automatic car.

An automatic transmission vehicle is designed to shift gears for optimal emissions and fuel economy. You can actually go faster using a manual transmission because you are shifting based on performance rather than emissions and fuel economy.

–Anthony Harlin, ASE Certified Master Automobile Technician

Driving Downshift

Downshift is when you shift the transmission to a lower gear. It’s important when you need to decelerate, such as driving down an inclined slope.

Manual gearboxes work better than automatic transmissions when you drive downshift. If you’re a veteran driver, you can predict the position of your car in the next few seconds. When your vehicle goes downhill, you can downshift to the appropriate gear.

In comparison, automatic gearboxes shift gears without waiting for your input. When you go downhill, several seconds might pass before the automatic transmission realizes it must downshift.

Time Between Shifting Gears

While manual transmissions let you pick the precise moment to shift gears, changing gears takes time. You must release the clutch, ease down on the gas pedal, shift gears, and then engage the clutch again.

Automatic gearboxes minimize the time it takes to shift gears. Engine power reaches the driving wheels more quickly and with less disruption.

How Does an Automatic Car Accelerate Faster Than a Manual Car?

Modern automatic transmissions attained their faster acceleration through several improvements. First, they replaced the fluid torque converter used in earlier automatic gearbox designs with a more efficient part. The upgrade lets the gear shift speed up more effectively.

Next, manufacturers increased the available gears in the automatic transmission. Older automatic designs had 1-4 gears, fewer than the 5 or 6 gears in their manual counterparts.

Automatic transmissions also use a torque sensor to monitor the rotational speed between impellers and the turbine. The sensor also measures the stabilizing torque between the two components.

Based on the readings sent by the torque sensor, the transmission control module engages the torque converter with the appropriate gear. The automatic gearbox creates a mechanical link with the entire plate more quickly than you can shift gears in a manual transmission.

Not every driver can benefit from the improved lock-up ratios and acceleration of newer automatic transmissions. One notable group of exceptions is race car drivers.

Racers can determine how fast their racing car is going by feeling alone. They also know how to get the most performance out of the engine. If anyone is one with their vehicles, it’s them. Thus, they generally prefer manual transmissions that let them shift gears while maintaining their momentum.

You can push the automatic transmission to accelerate faster by manually shifting gears.

What Transmission Type Should You Pick?

If you want a manual car, choose one with an automated manual transmission. And if you prefer an automatic car, pick a vehicle with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Automated Manual Transmission

The automated manual transmission retains the mechanical clutch that defines a manual car. However, you don’t engage or disengage the clutch with a control pedal. Instead, electronic, hydraulic, or pneumatic systems operate the clutch for you.

Cars with automated manual transmission can operate in fully automatic mode with forward gear shifts. They also allow you to manually shift gears with either the gear selector or controllers on the steering wheel.

Alternative names for the automated manual transmission are direct shift gearbox and sequential manual gearbox.

Continuously Variable Transmission

If you want an automatic gearbox with great acceleration and fuel economy, CVT is the choice. While it still suffers from reliability issues, it has vastly improved on its earlier iterations.

Unlike older automatic transmissions, CVT has gears that act as steps between low and high speeds.

Most CVTs feature a pair of conical variable-diameter pulleys. The pointed ends of the cones come into contact with each other to create a V-shaped groove. A belt links the pulleys together, riding the groove between the cones.

One side of the pulley stays in place. The other side can move and relies on a hydraulic cylinder to actuate it.

The hydraulic cylinder can increase or decrease the available space between the sides of the pulley. In response to those changes, the belt moves lower or higher along the walls. The gear ratio changes accordingly.

Compared to other automatic transmissions, the CVT can work to keep the engine in its optimum power range. It ensures an infinite number of seamless transitions from low to high speeds, leading to better efficiency and improved fuel mileage.

Hopefully, you can now answer questions like “Is manual faster than automatic?” Older manual transmissions are faster than the automatic ones from the same era, but modern automatic gearboxes have the edge.