how many of you have an EX AWD AUTO Transmission and do you like it. Do any of you wish that you got a 5 speed instead? Any major benefit over the other?

I've got the EX AWD Auto.. personally, I dig it! I've always been a manual kinda guy, but the benefits of the auto for this vehicle, in my situation, are high.

Are you asking this specifically in the context of off-roading (the forum subarea) or general driving?

paulj

Good question, Paul. I may move this to another category depending on R-Adrenaline's answer.

I was tempted to get a manual EX but got the automatic. I do like it. In fact, I love it. That being said, I sometimes think about how fun it would be to have a stick shift in my E. It is set up nicely for one.

On the flip side, I'm on my phone, pulling up my drink from the cup holders and chowing on something a lot while I'm behind the wheel. Stick=fun but auto=convenient.

[quote:1cf5d1dfdc=" "]Are you asking this specifically in the context of off-roading (the forum subarea) or general driving?

paulj[/quote:1cf5d1dfdc]

Well I want to do camping and some beach runs to the coast. Is there an advantage over the other with that regards. Also, is there a difference in acceleration or passing speed when dealing with an auto or manual. I can easily down shift in a manual but an auto may not downshift at higher speeds which would make passing a pain.

The auto kicks down just fine for passing! I drove nearly 500 miles one Sunday last month, and a lot of it was on two-lane rural highways, where the inevitable slowpoke inpeded quite a bit of traffic. I nearly ended up driving mine like a madman, simply because it was so much fun kicking it and passing! 8)

I can totally relate hownowcb! I went to a seminar class about 100 miles away and I had such an easy time passing with the auto that it was almost scary. I found myelf going WAY over the speedlimit at times because it was that easy. I've read reviews on how the E isn't good for passing on the highway, but my hunch is that these people aren't doing it properly. With other cars (especially VW's), you get passing power by slowly pressing the accelerator down because of the low end torque. With the E and other Hondas, the accelerator has to be pressed down more suddenly to kick the engine (and downkick the transmission) into VTEC mode and hence more power. If more people knew about this, I'm sure the acceleration complaints would lessen.

Anyway, as it pertains to camping and beach driving, just read previous posts.

It's okay. It has it's oddities, but I'm getting used to them now (2200 miles), so they don't surprise me anymore. I think I would really like a manual for the performance, but like another poster mentioned, it is hard to beat the convenience of an automatic when juggling cell phones, dogs in car, radios, etc. For the few times the manual would be "fun", it's not worth giving up the many more times automatic is convenient. Not to mention safer.

Overall the manual on the Element is geared a bit lower than automatic. MT owners are more likely to complain about high RPMs at highway speeds.

At low rough-road speeds each has an advantage. The downhill engine braking is supposed to be better in cars with MT, since the connection between drive shaft and engine is tighter. On the other hand, the AT might be able to deliver more torque to the wheels in some uphill cases, due to the torque multiplying effect of the fluid connection.

In situations where you need to apply gentle torque (e.g. ice), the AT gives you the option of starting in 2nd - this is equivalent to the 'snow' mode in some other cars.

The choice between AT and MT is best based on what you are used to, and what will be best for the bulk of your driving. On the beach, ground clearance and tire pressure will be bigger issues than the transmission.

paulj

I was raised on manual transmissions, originally whipping cars around the twisty hilly backroads of the Santa Cruz mountains in the Bay Area.

After living for twenty years in the Seattle area, I realized 90% of the roads were relatively straight (and boring) and most of the time I was wearing out my shoulder (literally) and knee shifting in bumper to bumper traffic. And my "offroading" is relegated to logging roads, which is usually creeping along too, without too much REAL off road challenge.

My 03 Element is my FIRST automatic ( I am 52 years old), whereas I DO miss the "snap" of a manual, I am absolutely overjoyed with now being able to creep along with the rest of traffic and traffic jams have GREATLY lowered their stress factor on me...just makes it time to crank up the music. And even better was soon after buying the Element, I ripped up my knee mtn biking, requiring surgery. I was able to continue driving, which would NOT have been an option with a manual.

For Western Washington trail access, the automatic sure seems sufficient.
Toss out the stock tires though and get some GOOD sneakers. TIRES can make more of a difference than transmissions in dicey conditions.

Honu,
We're going to have to figure out a way of testing your miracle tires against my bargain basement ones :-) Maybe when we get our annual snowfall in the Puget Sound.

paulj

paulj, what are you using for cheap tires?
I went the super pricey route for a change, mainly due to lack of availability in all my usual favorites, but in the past I have found some good deals for cheaper. Such as when I found the generic Arizonian Silver Editions(with siping added) were better than the brand name Yokohama Geolanders on my previous truck. Of course some tires are just BAD at any price. It amazing how little circles of rubber that all look pretty much alike, can make such a big difference in the safety and feel of a car. ..IMHO...

I was raised driving shift cars too, automatics are a rare kind in my highly mountainous country; when I moved I got a Civic A/T for the "convenience" and because the traffic in the us is waaaay more calm than the maniatic-chaotic traffic down there.

Pretty soon I realized that my driving experience was downgraded to accelerate and brake, no more... then I decided to buy the E with M/T. My only concern at that time was the use of the cruise control, it it was really going to work as is supposed because if the car needs more power, the transmission would not downshift by itself in that case.

After 9 and one half weeks :wink: I've noticed that the lower gear ratio on the E helps it to handle almost any interstate traffic on 5th gear, is a good balance of speed and power and I love it. For off-roading, M/T is great to drive more power at low speed without spining the wheels on gravel, and for downhills, the engine brake might be similar to the 2nd position on the A/T but if i'm not wrong, the computer on the automatic can overwrite it if it thinks the speed is too high for 2nd gear. :?:

p.s... I'm multitasking at home, at work, etc... but eating or phoning while driving is not for me, it just doesn't worth the risk of loosing control just to save a minute on the road. :?

I travelled 200 miles to get a 5 speed in my Element. There were none to be found locally. One of the selling points of the Element is that I could get a 5 speed. After 4 years of driving an AOD minivan I'd had enough of driving a slushbox.

I love to shift when I drive. Doesn't matter if it's around town or driving the backroads, shifting and clutching is my passion. I love to throttle blip while downshifting, rev it up and feel the VTEC kick in. With a manual I feel I can take advantage of and enjoy everything the Element has to offer. You can really wring out every last ounce of power and set things up and have more control when driving the twisties. The 5 speed offeres more control both in both speed and handling.

For me, driving an automatic is a deadening experience and I might as well be riding as a passenger. Most automatics irritate the hell out of me. They never shift when I would like them to and often I wind up shifting them manually anyway with little good result.

I know I'm probably in the extreme on this one and that most people appreciate and like some aspects of the AOD. My husband regrets us buying the Element with a 5 speed and often grumbles about it. I moved so fast to buy an E with a 5 speed he didn't have time to think about it, never mind protest.

He's just not a driving enthusiast like I am. Driving is to get from one place to another in the shortest time possible and he likes to drink coffee while he does it. He can't walk (shift) and chew gum (drink coffee) at the same time. For him there's too much effort involved in driving a manual transmission.

I guess it comes down to how one's brain is wired. My husband has to constantly think and concentrate while using a manual and even then he doesn't do it all that well. . For me it's effortless..I don't even think about it. I can hop into any car with a manual transmission and figure it out in seconds. It's instinctive and I love rowing thru the gears with a good stick. The Element's shifter is very good, every bit as good as my sports car. I'm convinced that one reason I love the E so much is it's 5 speed.

Yesterday I took it for a 200 mile pleasure drive down by the Delaware River on a drive that incorporated the highway (where I use the cruise control in 5th), tight twisties, sweepers and narrow one lane roads. If it had an AOD I would not have done such a thing. I definitely would have no interest in going road tripping the Element if it had an AOD. It would've wound up like my minivan..Just a vehicle for carting the kids around town with. I probably would let my husband drive 99% of the time.

With the 5 speed I drive 99% of the time. :D

and for downhills, the engine brake might be similar to the 2nd position on the A/T but if i'm not wrong, the computer on the automatic can overwrite it if it thinks the speed is too high for 2nd gear. :?:


With the automatic, downshifting to reduce your speed does not work well, but using it to maintain a low speed does. For example if you at 40 or above, and shift into '2' (from 'd') nothing will happen. Now if you apply the brakes, it will suddenly shift down when your speed passes some threshhold. In effect, if the engine would redline at the current speed when in the lower gear, it won't shift down. It is better to brake to the desired speed, and then shift; easier on the transmission and the riders.

I don't know what would happen if I were in '2' and let my rpms increase to 5000 or more. '2' is not a good example for this, since the road would have to be both steep and straight, a rare combination. I have run in '1' with rpms above 4000, through that is more likely uphill than down. If I'm going down hill in '1' I am most likely trying to limit my speed to 20 mph or less.

I certainly wouldn't mind a lower 1st gear, the kind that comes with a transfer case. Uphill it would give me full engine power at a lower speed, along with more control. It would reduce my need to pump the brakes on steep downhills. Still I have developed enough confidence in the brakes to tackle most any (down) hill that ground clearance would allow.

paulj

Hey, Borg-Queen, do you have a sister as enthusiast about driving as you? :lol:

My sister is not part of the Driving Collective. :wink:

In fact, she's one of the WORST drivers I've ever known..and that's with an automatic! She doesn't know how to drive a manual. About 15 years ago I drove down to Florida with her in my Mustang GT convertible 5 speed. I drove the entire way there and back. She just sat and complained that I was going too fast. :P

...Which will give you some insight into what kind of person she is. I could go on at length about her but let's just say she's not a part of my life and not very enjoyable to be around. I wouldn't pair her up with anyone..least of all her poor husband. :roll:

I do know of a lot of nice Miata chicks who are really into driving though. :wink: Seem most women who drive Miatas are really enthusiastic about driving.

As for me, I've always had a passion for driving. I think I got that from my father, who was quite a car nut. :)

BTW, thanks for the compliment. :)