Im in the same dilemma, but I think I will go for automatic, I get exhausted driving manual in lagos traffic

I never watched a car race with autorides. all I see is manual cos, to maximise ur speed, u need to be 100% in control!!!!!!!!!!!

Manual is a bump for maximum speed but for maximum comfort and full cruising, AUTO biko!

I have driven a lot of manuals, and I am currently driving autos.

No doubt there is a restriction with autos not permitting you to be fully and completely in control of the vehicle. There is always the lag even when you floor the gas pedal and it responds instantly, you are always not sure whether it will hesitate longer than necessary. This is a negative and hinders instant decisions and execution.

With manual, you decide when the gear should upshift or downshift and do the shifting accordingly. This puts you fully and completely in charge and in control. The possibility of the autos to refuse to downshift when you need it to is thus eliminated, thus reducing the risk of the avoidable with manual.

That being said, I have been longing to drive a manual again without losing the convenience of cruising offered by autos, so I got a car with auto equipped with a manual shift gate which amounts to manual without the clutch. Not much experience with this yet. However I still long for a manual manual!

I totally agree that the Manual car is faster in most cases than the Automatic.
I own a manual KIA RIO and also an Automatic Tiptronic Audi A4 2004.
I must say the KIA flies like a bird and quite enjoyable a ride when the road is free. But the downside is it can be a bad experience in terrible traffics along Third Mainland bridge.
Despite the speed strength of the manual powered KIA, I will give it any day any time to the turbo charged Audi A4. This has been tested and proven. The drive in all ramifications and cases is amazing and exciting. Either in traffic or off traffic. The ABS is on point even on high speeds.
I purchased the KIA because I could not afford the N400K difference btw its auto and manual. I needed it to augment my expensive to maintain Audi after disposing my supplementary Honda Bullet due to its incessant electrical faults.
In conclusion, 4 hia in Nigeria ooo, I will vote for the Auto drive.

Manuals are still faster though, if comparing two cars with the same engine.

When ppl here insist on faster for manual i agree, but we are not racers lets be realistic. We are Nigerians with heavy traffic and car killing pot holes that u have to almost stop for on our roads. Ask bus and taxi drivers why they take drugs to drive, simple, MANUAL! Every driver will experience back pain, must u add foot pain and head pain (head ache) if u can avoid it with an auto?
To hell with foot pain and head pain and enjoy the steady smooth drive to wherever u are going! Afterall i can still go 160km/hr on the auto!

^^^ Sure. With higher running costs - fuel, front brake pads and discs, greater wear on front suspension components (automatics are heavier) and of course, the life span of the auto tranny itself, manual rules.

Never heard of any sort of transmission giving head pain. Must be a new breed of manual transmission, that I've never come across. And taking drugs to enable one drive a manual on bad roads - if people will take drugs just because they encounter difficulty driving, then I'm sorry, they shouldn't be driving any sort of vehicle at all. A drug addict will always find ways to justify their drug habits - the weather was too bad, their cat ate their dog, their yam harvest was bad, their roof sprung a leak, the excuses are endless.

But, I digress - manuals are faster, which is what this thread's all about.

Never heard of any sort of transmission giving head pain (I mean head ache). Must be a new breed of manual transmission, that I've never come across. And taking drugs to enable one drive a manual on bad roads - if people will take drugs just because they encounter difficulty driving, then I'm sorry, they shouldn't be driving any sort of vehicle at all. A drug addict will always find ways to justify their drug habits - the weather was too bad, their cat ate their dog, their yam harvest was bad, their roof sprung a leak, the excuses are endless.

Am sure u have more car experience than i do but try driving for a whole day, then come back and tell us how u feel. Then drive all day for 5 days. AM sure u drive to work and back .No matter the traffic u cant compare it to a commercial bus/taxi driver. Am sure u've never been in their shoes. U cant imagine the pain. Research has showed that tired/stressed/over worked drivers tend to drive recklessly and do drugs, thats why commercial drivers behave the way they do. I used to drive a manual but had to change to auto when i got my new job and had to drive up to 600km a day and work, Head ache was almost constant for me then, but now its far less after i changed to auto.
Understand that the brain works more when driving a manual than auto. Any Doctor in the house can confirm that u get more tired driving a manual than auto. If u drive more distances and hold ups auto is best for ur health.

Anyway we have digressed from the real issue but its also a good discussion. I do agree that auto is slower.