1) availability- lots of automatic TDI's now days, especially relatively new ones 2) traffic- don't want to fool with shifting and all the foot dancing required. Heavy traffic makes an automatic worthwhile. Most of my travelling is not on expressways. 3) convenience- no time to learn how to drive a manual . Last experience driving a manual ended with me getting my uncles truck into a low speed collision. I was trying to get up a hill into a driveway without the engine stalling, and I gave too much gas and let go of the clutch, and bang, smacked into my grandpa's truck. 4) Resale- manuals have poor resale value, are more difficult to sell, etc. Not sure I want to keep my Jetta forever. Who knows, the 2006 Jetta TDI with the digital shift gearbox (automated manual) might get better MPG, have more features, etc.
Speeding sucks 4166It depends on the type-age of the bus. The local busses in Orlando I would guess are all very new diesels, they don't make any smoke, and...
I don't know why the TDI gets a greater difference auto vs. manual (TDI has about a 10-15 percent penalty for automitc, vs. 0-5 percent for most non-diesel cars). The Hondas and Toyotas sometimes get better MPG for the automatic than the manual. Maybe VW, being a European country, just doesn't make very efficient transmissions. Still, I'm getting abotu 25 percent better fuel economy than a 2.0 L gasoline Jetta, and over twice the fuel economy of driving an SUV-truck. I get about 38-40 miles per gallon on average.
