I have been driving my Mom's auto Xb for the last few days up around Boston. The thing rocks! Its lower revving at highway speeds and has pretty good acceleration for a slush box. Am I regretting my decision to get a manual? A little bit...and I have been driving standards exclusively for 10 years. Scion, add that 6th gear already!

I just drove my Automatic xB 195 miles back from the dealer. Has pretty good pick-up for 109hp. I love it!!! My GSR civic hatch was a manual and I just was sick of driven a manual. I do still miss my hatch especially when I see a nice looking hatch on the streets.......

I have ZERO regrets going with the automatic. I believe the MPG is identical as well. I see NO advantage to driving a manual with the xB.

... Its lower revving at highway speeds and has pretty good acceleration for a slush box. Am I regretting my decision to get a manual? A little bit...and I have been driving standards exclusively for 10 years...
I too have driven standards for my past 6 or more vehicles. I decided to finally go AUTO and I love it.

The lower rev's at highway speeds explains the following:

The August 2004 issue of Consumer Reports tests came up with the following figures for the xB:

Overall MPG (Auto/Man.) 30/32
City/Highway MPG (Auto/Man.) 23/37 25/36

The Auto got 37 and the Manual got 36 MPG. Auto wins! :P

Also, the NADA Bluebook listing for the xB says, "Deduct for no Auto Trans" :D RPM

The August 2004 issue of Consumer Reports tests came up with the following figures for the xB:

Overall MPG (Auto/Man.) 30/32
City/Highway MPG (Auto/Man.) 23/37 25/36

The Auto got 37 and the Manual got 36 MPG. Auto wins! :P

Also, the NADA Bluebook listing for the xB says, "Deduct for no Auto Trans" :D RPM

Auto wins because it gets 1 MPG more on the highway? What about the manual getting 2 more MPG in the city and 2 more overall? And what about the manual costing $800 less to begin with? :P

Life is too short to spend shifting.

Don't get me wrong. I've been driving longer than many of you here have been alive, and all my previous vehicles have had manual trannies, so I've mastered the manly art of shifting, including the ability to start from a dead stop going up San Francisco's hills.

But creeping along in commuter traffic with a manual transmission is no fun. Being in the wrong gear in an emergency situation is no fun. Needing to take your hand out of your girlfriend's pants in order to shift is no fun.

I used to think automatics were proof you didn't know how to drive or you were getting old. But moden automatics are so good that, except in very specialized circumstances, driving a manual is kind of dumb.

Welcome to the 21st century, dudes. :wink:

:shock: Hey Guys
discussing manual vs. automatic is like whether turtles on steriods are faster than turtles not on steroids.
Yeah if your going to choose up an Aveo or a Aerio it could be important but get serious.
I am more interested in finding out how the transmission effects mileage (are you really getting EPA or not)

critter304 Illinois

When buying my xB, I chose to get an Automatic being that the traffic here in LA is just plain awful and also being I've been driving a stick for sometime.

The auto was great for the first few months but now I wish I had gotten a stick only for passing and traveling up the many hills in my area.

I have no faith in automatics, no matter how new. I can't imagine wanting to give up control of a manual for convenience of an automatic. Traffic may be a _____ in a manual, but hey, it's good excercise. Right?

Based on what motortrend reports, the manual goes 0-60 almost 1.5 seconds less than the auto. May not matter for some, but it does to me.

There is no right answer here.

I love the manual because of the driving fun, better MPG and less $$. If you want a automatic then go for it. Most cars, at least up here in Michigan, are automatics. Yes the crusing RPM's are more with the stick but I am very happy with mine. I drive 80+ every day :D :D :D

I enjoy driving. Automatics are not fun. If your not shifting, your not driving.

Im sorry, but when I test drove an auto xB it was like driving a golf cart!!. The manual is alot of fun! and I dont know why everyone complains that "we need a sixth gear"- A 1.5 L does not neet a six speed!! just because at 65MPH the revs are at 3000 RPM doesnt make the manual " bad". my sisters 89' celica GTS is the same way! but at 65 the revs on hers are at 4000 RPM. Even if a six speed was an option- scion would not be able to sell them for 14k!!

Different strokes for different folks. I'm not gonna bash auto's cause they are an awsome convenience, but for me there's just something about driving stick that makes me feel good. It's fun at any speed. I also like to flail my limbs wildly in different directions and this lets me do just that ... while driving! :shock:

Auto all the way. In my area a stick will kill the resale.Plus you can still shift if you want.It's just not quite the same.

... Plus you can still shift if you want.It's just not quite the same.
Just like TheScionicMan says:

"I can shift the Automatic, I just don't HAVE to." :lol:

When I was 18 I had a manual after that I got lazy :D

i am glad i got a manual at first because i had many plans like turbo etc....but then a change in plans....i want to get a house first....but anyway....i am tired of sd traffic....not as worse a la but it getting there....so thats i want auto now....but ill get over it....

I test drove both. I really liked the stick. It was very smooth. I chose the automatic, because, while talking to the salesperson, I forgot to shift. I'm too absentminded to be shifting. If I'm talking to someone while driving we are lucky to arrive in the right town. I don't want to have parts of the car landing on the pavement while I'm explaining to someone that not funding healthcare, education and school lunches is not pro-life.
I realize my own limitations and let the machine shift for me.

I have become a big fan of manuals. I decided I wanted a stick before I had decided on my car. I would rather drive then be driven, shifting is an important part of driving. If were some how able to make full time cruise control on your car and you did not need to gas or break I would not be interested (yes I know it wont happen, I am making a point). There are too many adavantages to pass up a manual transmission IMO.

Manual Advantages:
-More Power (less drive train loss)
-Faster (shift closer to the optimal time, not when the auto wants to)
-Cheaper to buy
-Cheaper to repair
-Better gas mileage
-More fun to drive
-More Control of the car

Automatic Advantages:
-Can be lazy

The day may come where I am old and dont like the work of driving as much, then I will get someone to drive me, or an automatic.

I like the way you put it John. Maybe you can make it to our next meet. For now keep shifting.

I like the way you put it John. Maybe you can make it to our next meet. For now keep shifting.

thz.
I'd love to come to your next meet, just let me know when and where and I will come buy if I can make it.

My two cents' worth: After driving my beloved manual transmission Tercel wagon for 21 years, when it came time to order my xB, I did consider getting an automatic...for about four seconds. Driving without shifting is just no fun. I may have passed the half-century mark but that doesn't mean I want a boring automatic. My 2005 five-speed xB is a total blast to cruise around in. Maybe when I hit the three-quarter century mark I'll switch to an auto, but I doubt it. Check with me in 2029. :D

There are no right answers here...
It all depends on what you're looking for.
My xB is stick because i have been driving auto for years and wanted a bit of change...this way i can go back and forth between 2 cars =)

but i do think you get a little more driving connection with the car in manual

Manual, automatic, as long as you are happy, doesn't much matter. I've been driving standard for 25 years now, and I've not liked the automatics I've tried. I felt autos shifted at the wrong times, and shifted a bit rougher than I wanted.

Drove my wife's 2003 Prius, with the continuously variable automatic, and that was nice! No gears, no jerk when accelerating on the highway, dead smooth the whole time. Sigh.

Finally bought my xB with automatic, and I'm happy with it. Shifts smoothly, and most important, my wife can drive it! (I taught her standard, but without practice, you just can't really get it.) I checked yesterday: for the almost 2300 miles I've put on the xB, I've gotten 34.4 MPG.

Yeah, I used to feel that the stick made me feel like I was driving, but long traffic jams on 128/95 made me feel like I was driving the wrong car. :( Whatever. Just got sick of it, and sick of having a car my wife wouldn't drive. Also, about 95% of my driving is on the highway, and at highway speeds it ain't like I need to shift anyway.

The important thing may be, can you drive a stick? Once you learn that & get some practice in, you don't have to say, "Uh, I can't drive that thing, I don't know how to shift."

... Its lower revving at highway speeds and has pretty good acceleration for a slush box. Am I regretting my decision to get a manual? A little bit...and I have been driving standards exclusively for 10 years...
I too have driven standards for my past 6 or more vehicles. I decided to finally go AUTO and I love it.

The lower rev's at highway speeds explains the following:

The August 2004 issue of Consumer Reports tests came up with the following figures for the xB:

Overall MPG (Auto/Man.) 30/32
City/Highway MPG (Auto/Man.) 23/37 25/36

The Auto got 37 and the Manual got 36 MPG. Auto wins! :P

Also, the NADA Bluebook listing for the xB says, "Deduct for no Auto Trans" :D RPM


1 mpg...

I guess that's cool, but I'll take the 2 seconds chopped off the 0-60 time with the manual. Check reviews and you'll see the auto trans consistently gets 10-11 seconds where as Edmunds got 8.9 sec in a manual xB.

When it comes time to resell, the automatic only makes the care worth more in the blue book, that is what a dealer will give you on a trade.

If you are selling your car back to the dealer, you obviously don't care about what you get for it in the first place because they give you less than wholesale.

If you sell the car privately, the auto makes no difference, people who want an auto will want it, people who want a 5 speed will not. has little or no effect on what you can ask for it.

It comes down to personal perference.

Personally, I cannot stand most automatics. They always put you in the wrong gear at the wrong time. Lazily upshifting while you are on a hill or trying to accelerate. Constantly getting in the way more than helping.

I find driving automatics intensely boring, I literally can't stand it. My feet get jumpy with nothing to do. It makes the driving experience so passive which is probably why so many Americans prefer autos and why so many of them are oblivious when driving. It's just like "sit me on a couch and let me point the remote where I want to go"

As for the "I can shift, I just don't HAVE to" comment. It's cute, but not terribly clever. Shifting a "tiptroning" style auto is unsatisfying at best and doesn't come close to approximating a real manual. Shifting a REGULAR automatic is just retarded. It's not good for the tranny, it's not meant to be done regularly and there is no point.

It reminds me of the ricers in automatic Civics keeping the gear selector in "3" so they can go faster. LMFAO.

There are definitely reasons to get an automatic. They are nice for a long road trip in a big V6 or V8 sedan or SUV. They are pleasant in traffic (though I never minded a 5 speed on the DC beltway!)

They are good if you are older, disabled or an inexperienced driver or just not that engaged by driving and you'd rather not have the distraction of shifting gears.

All of those things I understand.

To me though, an auto tranny seems so out of step with the character of the xB (not to mention a sure way to sap the torque of the tiny 1.5 liter) that I'm puzzled as to why anyone would choose it. :?:

In fairness, I have NOT driven an auto xB. I didn't need to because I only buy manuals. Automatics have improved alot over the years and the better ones have computers that control some of the stupid behavior, but it's still a big mushy torque converter sapping your torque and deciding when to shift for you.

There is a time and a place for automatics, big luxury sedans, SUVs, city buses. Stuff like that.

Until I become a bus driver or have 8 kids, I'll be shifting my own gears because I want to, not because I HAVE to. 8)

My familiy jump all over me for getting a manual. Why? Because they dont know how to drive one! hehehhehehehehe

On an automatic, I'm pretty sure you lose about 10 hp to the torque converter. Manual all the way! And yes, if I had a bumper to bumper 1 hour+ commute every day, I'd go auto too.

I dig a shift. I have had, let me check...33 cars. Now, out of those 33 cars, 15 have been sticks, 16 have been autos, and 2 have been semi-auto. Yes, semi-auto.

I like the stick better, overall. The autos tended to be in larger cars, like vans and station wagons.

I think the stick is just more fun, and easier, yes, easier to drive. Autos tend to drive how they want to, and not often enough as I want to.

The auto sticks, as VW called them, they were fun, but only 2 speeds, 3 if you used LOW as first. So high RPM's there, and lots of noise on the highway.

Worse stick? My 1980 Chevy Citation. First gear had to be JAMMED into, every time.

Best stick (I can't say for sure if the xB will be the best, but it might be; too soon to tell), anyway, the Best stick has been the 1991 Honda Civic I had. Great shift.

I think if I drove more in stop and go traffic, I would want a stick still.

I also hear too often, of autos locking up (as in, getting stuck in park) to feel safe around them.

Best stick has been the 1991 Honda Civic I had. Great shift.
Before the tC, my '88 Civic was by far the easiest to shift. I got my 5-Speed tC two days ago. My last three cars were autos. The tC took no time at all to get used to. Shifting is smooth and easy. And as for the rpm at highway speeds?, well I drove it to florida (200 miles) and back saturday and today. I didn't find it loud at all. Overall, I am totally satisfied with my 5-Speed, and very glad to be out of my automatic.

Autos tend to drive how they want to, and not often enough as I want to.I couldn't agree more