Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Another thing about that damn hire car: I could hardly hear the engine, so I couldn't get a sense for when to change gear.
New car disaster!
- Thread starter rogerzilla
- Start date
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Another thing about that damn hire car: I could hardly hear the engine, so I couldn't get a sense for when to change gear.
Same as in an ICE car. You just change between Drive and Reverse. The only disconcerting thing is if you have a manual that doesn't have a foot brake that stays on when you lift your foot off it. That was the first thing I enabled on the VW (they call it one foot driving or somesuch). Or I can just pull up by a space, depress the brake, hit START and let the car park itself. It's pretty good at parallel parking. It can reverse into supermarket spaces but always misjudges the initial turn and ends up going forward before going back.
You don't need to. An EV isn't going *anywhere* once it's in park.
Honestly, it would take you about 10 minutes.
cougie uk
Guru
My wife absolutely refused to drive her EV for a week after we got it. I had to give her a driving lesson at night when the roads were empty to get her to use it. As you say - it took less than ten minutes to get used to it. Much easier than gears.
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
having driven stick for 35 odd years this is my 1st automatic and after occasionally reaching for the gear changer out of habit i soon got used to it and as said above they are way easier to drive .Mrs ck is a pretty poor driver ( i put that down to her mini strokes and other health conditions ) and she finds it the best thing she has ever used .
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I deliberately went for an auto. I was also going much bigger vehicle, so driving an auto is one less thing to worry about it. It's great, and coupled with a big powerful torquey diesel, it's a hoot.
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Never driven an EV but used to have the same feeling about autos. Then I had to drive a garage loan car so had no choice. But I got used to it in about 5 minutes. Only issue is feeling like you want to push your clutch foot through the bulkhead when stopping at lights!
Now since having a BMW with the 8 speed box I'm a total convert to autos. So much better.
Yes how you select D, N, R, P etc can differ between makes but you pick it up in as little time as an unfamiliar manual car (where's reverse, top left, bottom right? Do I need to push the stick down, lift it up or lift a catch to select it?)
You just leave it in Drive with your foot on the brake. Or if you're going to be stationary for a bit longer, put it in Park and put handbrake on. Manoeuvring: in D to go forward, R to reverse. Couldn't be simpler.
I don't get that with the 8 speed ZF box in the 2 BMWs I've had.
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
I've never done that either.
Seriously though, if a car doesn't have accelerator brake and clutch I wouldn't know how to drive it. I wouldn't know how to do manoeuvreing and parking. How do I leave it in gear on a hill. The list goes on and I don't think I'd be safe learning as I go along.
They have accelerator and brake. THere is no need for a clutch, since there are no gears for you to change.
You can't leave it in gear on a hill, you just use the parking brake. It is many years since I have had a car with a poor enough handbraake I felt the need to leave it in gear when parked on a hill.
I have had automatics as hire cars a few times, and never had the slightest problem driving them. An EV is no different, though I haven't driven any of those yet.
Time Waster
Veteran
Wasn't there a few cases of drivers getting run over by their own Tesla after it moved forward after they parked up and got out? I seem to recall once it was a Tesla self driving car but I did read a few years after that of normal EVs doing it from that brand. Can't recall much about it just recall the above.
To be fair, the only ICE automatics I have driven have tended to be hire cars in the USA. Usually a Dodge something or other dreadful.
In the ID4, the accelerator is marked with the "Play" symbol and the brake with "Pause" just for added style.
The mode selector is a little rocker switch by the steering wheel. Select between D - Drive, R - Drive with regenerative braking (my preferred mode), N - Neutral, and R - Reverse. Button on the side for "Park". That's it. You get in, press the power button or push the foot brake down and select the mode. Easy as.
Electric_Andy
Heavy Metal Fan
- Location
- Plymouth
Interested to hear how good the hill assist is with these new cars. My 2014 Passat had it, first time I used it I thought it was fantastic. Only problem is if you're parallel parking on a hill, the brakes disengage and you get a sudden surge forward. Easier on a manual brake to let it off gradually with a bit of drag. But auto hold was very much on/off
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
It's absolutely fine on newer vehicles, especially with electronic handbrakes. I'm a convert to them now.
dicko
Guru
- Location
- Derbyshire
My first automatic was a hired Mercedes Sprinter six berth motor home in Auckland 2014. We picked it up at Auckland airport loaded it with our stuff and then had to drive it through the Auckland traffic out of the city. It took about two minutes to get comfortable with it before hitting the duel carriageways. That night in our first campsite I looked forward to driving it for the next fifteen days. Driving an automatic is very simple and pleasurable.
BoldonLad
Not part of the Elite
- Location
- South Tyneside
I've never done that either.
Seriously though, if a car doesn't have accelerator brake and clutch I wouldn't know how to drive it. I wouldn't know how to do manoeuvreing and parking. How do I leave it in gear on a hill. The list goes on and I don't think I'd be safe learning as I go along.
It’s dead easy. I bought my first automatic two years ago, at age 75, took me no more than 5 minutes to get to grips with it, then, maybe 5-10 miles to suss out the other stuff, like active cruise control, lane assist etc
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
My car has a hold button that puts the handbrake on and takes it off as soon as you touch the accelerator
