If the automatic transmission is becoming increasingly popular, some drivers are still not familiar with this type of gearbox. If you have never driven such a car, don’t worry, you just need to follow our driving tips for an automatic transmission:
- Get familiar with the pedals
- Meaning of positions on the automatic gearbox: P, N, D, R
- How to drive with an automatic gearbox?
- How to park/reverse with an automatic car?
- How to drive an automatic car?
For a long time, automatic cars were largely a minority. They were mostly reserved for people who had a “fear of driving.” The advantage of driving comfort was expensive in Europe, both in terms of purchase prices and fuel consumption. On the other hand, automatic vehicles quickly gained popularity in the United States, especially due to the low price of gasoline. But thanks to technological advancements in recent years, automatic transmission has become more accessible as it reduces consumption.
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Get familiar with the pedals
Once you are used to driving with an automatic car, it is much easier and more comfortable because there is no need to change gears. This means that in such a vehicle there is no clutch pedal, which can be destabilizing when one has driven a manual all their life. Even if you know, when driving for the first time with an automatic gearbox, you have the reflex to want to release the accelerator pedal to engage. The only problem is that the pedal next to it is the brake!
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Left foot unemployed
So, you need to get it into your head that you will only use your right foot to accelerate and brake. Thanks to the automatic transmission, your left leg can relax throughout the journey, while the right will be much less stressed. Embracing this reality will help you avoid getting too close to the windshield by wanting to engage the clutch on the brake pedal.
Meaning of positions on the automatic gearbox: P, N, D, R
That said, the absence of gears does not mean the absence of a gearbox. But instead of having a reverse and a dozen gears, the vehicle has 4 positions:
- P: Park, when the vehicle is stationary
- N: Neutral, for neutral
- D: Drive, for forward
- R: Reverse, for reversing
Driving is therefore child’s play.
How to drive with an automatic gearbox?
- Before starting, switch to position P and check that the handbrake is engaged.
- Press the Start button while pressing the brake pedal to turn on the ignition.
- Shift to position D to prepare for starting (or R if you want to reverse).
- Release the handbrake and gently press the accelerator.
How to park/reverse with an automatic car?
- When you are stationary, switch to position P, with the brake pedal pressed, to turn off the engine.
- Engage the handbrake.
If you are driving an automatic car for the first time while renting, take a few hours to get familiar with the system. Stay alert, as once you master the technique, you may lose your vigilance and revert to your old driving reflexes and want to use your left leg. Following our tips for driving an automatic gearbox, everything should go smoothly.
So who is the boss of the car gearbox!
🙂 How to drive an automatic car?
Tag: explanations of automatic car letters