GOG47:
71 plate Daf CF 480 with a 16 speed ZF manual, replaced a 18plate 450 with the same. All 5 of ours are manual after a lot of grief with merc autos previously. In fact anything to do with the Mercs were grief, lol. We do timber haulage so manual give more control when it gets sticky
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Ah, good for DAF for Keeping the manual gearbox an option. That’ll be the same ‘box as my MAN then.
I need to get a job on the timber, always thought I might enjoy it. Sadly, it’s not really an industry round South Yorkshire [emoji19]
It’s not the worst job right enough[emoji106][emoji1787]
Definitely still lots of manual gearboxes around, at least “up north, where it’s grim”
For long-haul stuff on decent roads, yes, definitely prefer an auto, but delivering building materials to isolated places in the countryside, on roads you can’t believe trucks aren’t banned from, to “villages” which even Google maps won’t acknowledge as existing, then give me a manual any time.
nomiS36:
I do! Well, for now anyway until I’m made redundant anyway.
2018 MAN tgx 500 wagon and drag which has got a 16 speed range change splitter comfortshift gearbox. Love it and will miss it when they do finally finish me. I asked for a manual when the company I work for were buying it. We do building site deliveries and I find the clutch gives me much more control for tricky tight or muddy situations. Everybody seem to think I’m mad choosing it [emoji23]
The company tried buying another manual about 6 months later from MAN but were told manuals were no longer an option. Seems I must have one of the last ever made. Makes me sad [emoji17]
^^This.
Completely agree that the manual gearbox gives much greater control and involves using your skills more as you’re actually driving it yourself, not just attending the steering wheel.
If you’re comparing a man auto to a man manual, then yes your right. However, Scania opticruise and Volvo i shift have perfect clutch control in an auto. Ive done heavy haulage with both brands auto boxes in and out of off road sites with no problem. I wouldnt want a Scania or Volvo with a manual box. I would rather have the comfort shift box than the auto in a man
the maoster:
Turn this on it’s head; if you were in the market for a new personal car would you opt for manual or automatic? Personally I’d go for auto every time, with one proviso, it must have a big engine for it to work properly…
My g/f is in the car trade and generally gets to choose a brand new company car on a monthly basis. She always opts for auto after falling in love with the auto 3.2 litre Merc I bought her. The problem is that these are invariably six or seven speed autos coupled to an asthmatic 1.2 litre eco engine, so you get the ridiculous situation that on a flat motorway at a constant throttle the bloody thing is constantly changing up or down which infuriates me.
Disagree - Big engines are only really necessary to compensate for the power-sapping nature and general slovenliness of an old style slushbox. One of the very best autobox cars I’ve experienced was Mrs Roymondo’s Skoda Yeti. A 1.2 litre turbocharged petrol engine married to VAG’s dual-clutch 7-speed automatic transmission. It was an absolute hoot and delight to drive in full auto, with totally seamless changes both up and down the box. By contrast, whenever I drive her current Citroen C3 (petrol engine with 6-speed robotised transmission) I use manual mode as in full auto it always finds itself in the wrong gear and insists on changing up early. Fortunately it has both flappy paddle and gear lever so it’s not too much of a pain.
It’s worth noting that my own car is a Mazda MX-5, which is blessed with a lovely manual 'box that I love to use (as well as having the drive at the correct end of the vehicle)- but if it had that dual clutch auto as an option I’d happily take it.
nomiS36:
I do! Well, for now anyway until I’m made redundant anyway.
2018 MAN tgx 500 wagon and drag which has got a 16 speed range change splitter comfortshift gearbox. Love it and will miss it when they do finally finish me. I asked for a manual when the company I work for were buying it. We do building site deliveries and I find the clutch gives me much more control for tricky tight or muddy situations. Everybody seem to think I’m mad choosing it [emoji23]
The company tried buying another manual about 6 months later from MAN but were told manuals were no longer an option. Seems I must have one of the last ever made. Makes me sad [emoji17]
^^This.
Completely agree that the manual gearbox gives much greater control and involves using your skills more as you’re actually driving it yourself, not just attending the steering wheel.
If you’re comparing a man auto to a man manual, then yes your right. However, Scania opticruise and Volvo i shift have perfect clutch control in an auto. Ive done heavy haulage with both brands auto boxes in and out of off road sites with no problem. I wouldnt want a Scania or Volvo with a manual box. I would rather have the comfort shift box than the auto in a man
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Yes I guess I am comparing MAN/DAF autos to their manuals. I haven’t driven a scania auto for a while so I presume they’re better now but I wasn’t all that impressed. Volvo on the other hand, very impressive and that was a 12 plate!
nomiS36:
I do! Well, for now anyway until I’m made redundant anyway.
2018 MAN tgx 500 wagon and drag which has got a 16 speed range change splitter comfortshift gearbox. Love it and will miss it when they do finally finish me. I asked for a manual when the company I work for were buying it. We do building site deliveries and I find the clutch gives me much more control for tricky tight or muddy situations. Everybody seem to think I’m mad choosing it [emoji23]
The company tried buying another manual about 6 months later from MAN but were told manuals were no longer an option. Seems I must have one of the last ever made. Makes me sad [emoji17]
^^This.
Completely agree that the manual gearbox gives much greater control and involves using your skills more as you’re actually driving it yourself, not just attending the steering wheel.
If you’re comparing a man auto to a man manual, then yes your right. However, Scania opticruise and Volvo i shift have perfect clutch control in an auto. Ive done heavy haulage with both brands auto boxes in and out of off road sites with no problem. I wouldnt want a Scania or Volvo with a manual box. I would rather have the comfort shift box than the auto in a man
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Yes I guess I am comparing MAN/DAF autos to their manuals. I haven’t driven a scania auto for a while so I presume they’re better now but I wasn’t all that impressed. Volvo on the other hand, very impressive and that was a 12 plate!
Ive driven a 17 plate and a 19 plate daf for a day each lately. Both 510 or 530, not sure but both auto. The 19 plate seemed much better to me but still nowhere near the 2 big swedes.
Id prefer the opticruise over the i shift. Only a small thing but you can manually downshift the scania without having to put it in manual mode. My volvo, i have to move the lever to manual and then downshift. Its really a nothing complaint but its the only fault i would have with the volvo
Thanks to everyone who answered my question i knew the thread would be a good read, i have never driven a manual i don’t think it would be much fun in my job.
