The real reason automatics are quicker than manuals | Know it All with Jason Cammisa | Ep. 11 - Hagerty Media

These days, automatic-equipped cars can accelerate more quickly than their manual-transmission counterparts. One of the reasons is that many automatics can shift quickly and with little or no interruption in power.

But that was always the case. Something else has changed — and that “something” is gearing.

It’s the same reason why the 992-chassis Porsche 911 GT3 Touring didn’t initially pass drive-by noise regulations with the PDK automatic versus the manual — when both cars used the same engine and exhaust.

In fact, the majority of the discrepancy between the transmissions’ acceleration isn’t due to the shift times, it’s due to gearing.

Watch and learn why.