While urbanites generally prefer automatic cars to manual cars, thanks to the former being easier to drive, some people still feel they click better with manuals.

The benefit of driving an automatic is that you do not have to bother shifting gears. There’s no clutch pedal nor gear stick to worry about. The car changes gears automatically.

All you need to think about is going forward, backward, turning and stopping.

“Automatics allow you to be more relaxed when driving,” Makmur, a businessman in the construction sector, said.

Fed up with the difficulties of trying to drive in Jakarta’s traffic jams, Darmadi, an executive officer at a digital media company, finally decided to switch to an automatic after 15 years.

“Driving an automatic in traffic jams does not tire me out,” he said.

Manuals are around 10 to 20 percent cheaper than automatics with the same specs, and with consumers still prioritizing affordability, manuals continue to beat automatic cars in sales, a leading auto dealer has reported. However, there has been an increase in automatic car sales.

Bisnis.com reported that automatic cars accounted for 45.9 percent of the 206,887 cars sold between January and August last year.

The increase in automatic car sales, particularly in big cities, has also been attributed to the growing number of women drivers, as another car dealer found in its sales figures last year.

It reported that the number of automatic cars in urban areas surpassed manuals with a 70:30 ratio.

While automatic cars may be easier to drive, new drivers must remember that to drive safely, they must keep both hands firmly on the wheel at all times.

During heavy traffic, an automatic transmission allows the driver to move along by doing nothing more than pushing down on the accelerator pedal.

For less experienced drivers, it may be difficult to navigate an uphill road in a manual car, especially if they need to make a handbrake start. Drivers of automatics also do not need to worry about stalling, such as after stopping at a traffic light.

Less work: Urban drivers find automatic transmissions provide relief during traffic jams. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)

Manual transmissions

Nevertheless, some people still prefer manuals, as they are less expensive to buy and are said to be cheaper to maintain and have better fuel efficiency.

Saptono, a producer at a private TV station, has his own reason for why he has stuck with manuals since 2002.

“It is more about the driving experience. I feel comfortable with a manual transmission,” he said.

“If you have problem on the road like a breakdown, automatics require the battery to be replaced or the car to be towed, while with a manual you can do a jump start,” said Saptono, adding that manuals had more respectable on-the-road prices.

Another advantage people might never think about is that manuals are less likely to be stolen.

With the millions of automatics on the roads, there is an entire generation that is unaware of the finer points of driving a manual.

According to budgetdirect.com, if a car thief sees that a car is a manual, there’s a fairly good chance it will not be stolen.

However, the advantages and disadvantages are up for debate.

“I do not think automatic cars have higher maintenance costs. It depends on how well you take care of your car,” Hendy, a property broker, said.

“The on-the-road prices for automatic cars are also not higher than manuals. You can still expect good prices because more people are switching to automatics,” he said.

It is up to each driver if they prefer a car that is easier and more comfortable to drive, or a car that is less expensive and lets them be more involved in the driving experience.