Comfort (Komfort) is the most talked about and the most important advantage when various German media discuss automatic transmission. To put it bluntly, the automatic gear is to hand over the operation of clutch and gear shifting to the gearbox. The driver no longer needs to consider the engine speed and vehicle speed to choose the appropriate gear, and can focus more on the road conditions. This advantage is particularly obvious in traffic jams or stop-and-go road conditions. (I believe everyone has a deep understanding, which is also the main reason why many people in China choose automatic transmission. . In addition, the advantages of automatic transmission comfort are also obvious on mountain roads that frequently go up and down.
Sicherheit, although there is no exact data to show that the safety of automatic transmission is higher than that of manual transmission, automatic transmission simplifies the operation and enables drivers to concentrate more on road conditions. According to a survey by German media, most automatic transmission owners feel that the mental stress caused by gear shifting is obviously reduced when driving. (PS: I have to say that every time I enter the high-speed entrance, watching the traffic on the main road and increasing the speed will really make many people nervous, because the road rights and speed of the vehicles on the main road are very high. . This is also one of the main "hanging points" of driving schools. Of course, some people just changed the automatic gear, used the brake as a clutch, and ran a red light and had an accident. This is a special case, so I won't say more.
In the eyes of non-professional users, it is gone.
Manual gear:
Cheap, which is also the advantage of manual gear mentioned most in various media discussions. Generally, when buying a car in Germany, the standard gear is manual gear. If you want an automatic transmission, you need to add money to modify it. For a new car, it is generally necessary to make up the price difference of about 1800 Euros (interested friends can go to the home pages of major manufacturers to adjust the virtual configuration to see the price difference). For used cars, the price of automatic transmission is higher than that of manual transmission, and the options available are much less.
Saving fuel is actually basically a tradition. In the era of automatic gearbox in the fourth five-year plan, the results of bench test and actual measurement are indeed that manual gearbox saves fuel. However, with the application of seven or eight-speed automatic transmission, the fuel consumption advantage of manual transmission has basically disappeared. Of course, there is still this advantage for middle and low-end cars. In addition, it is also related to the driver's driving habits. For example, a colleague of mine often needs to rent a car from a car dealer for business trips. Judging from the bill he reimbursed every time, automatic gear is much more expensive than manual gear. I wonder how he drives it.
Driving pleasure (or feeling), I asked some German friends, they like the feeling that my car is the master. Although the development of automotive electronics and ECU control technology can basically optimize the driving performance of the car according to the working conditions, they still like to judge the shift timing by themselves and let them just step on the gas pedal and wait for the gearbox to shift speed. That's boring. Some Germans just like to change gears when the third gear in expressway roared to 100+, but we can't stop people from being happy, can we? Germany is an industrial country, and many Germans have strong hands-on ability. Many of my colleagues have their own workshops at home. Generally speaking, they can solve any problem of the car by themselves. Some of them can also disassemble the engine and replace the parts themselves (I have to admire). A buddy is a fan of old cars. He collected several classic cars from the 1930s and 1940s at home and repaired them himself. When the weather is fine, he will drive them out to play.
To sum up, the reason why Europeans (Germans) prefer manual transmission is probably the advantages of manual transmission, which is cheap, fuel-efficient and pursues feeling and fun. It is said that only when the car can drive will there be so-called driving pleasure.