Weekends often see drivers flocking to hill stations like Lonavala, Mahabaleshwar, and Panchgani, regardless of the season. However, driving in mountainous terrain presents unique challenges compared to driving on plains, frequently leading to accidents.
Drivers often lack experience navigating uphill and downhill conditions, handling loss of control, or managing oncoming traffic on bends.
This raises a common question: "Manual car or automatic?"
The number of manual car drivers in mountainous areas is still large, because in this the driver has complete control over the car. It is easy to shift down a gear at the right time on a climb in a manual car, which gives more power to the engine. While descending a slope, the stress on the brakes can be reduced by using engine braking, which is more effective in a manual car. In hilly areas, the clutch is used more, and repairing a manual car is cheaper than an automatic.
Advantages of automatic cars
As technology has changed, automatic cars have not been left behind on the mountains. The driver does not get tired because he does not have to press the clutch repeatedly and change gears. Modern automatic cars have a 'hill hold' feature, which prevents the car from rolling back on climbs. It makes it easier for novice drivers to focus on the turns in the gorge.
Which one will you choose?
If you are an experienced driver and want complete control over the car, then a manual car is still the best option. However, if you want to enjoy the journey and get rid of the clutch in the traffic in the gorge, then it would be convenient to choose a modern automatic car (which has 'manual mode' or 'paddle shifters').