A question on Leraner driving.

Disclaimer this does not affect me in any way shape or form.

Walking back from the shop today I saw a Nissan Leaf with an L plate.

Now I believe that if you take your test in an automatic (I dunno why you would even want one) then you can't drive a manual.

So the question is if you pass your test in an Electric vehicle can you then drive Ice vehicles since they are a totally different beast?

I have never driven an EV and have only been in one once and I didn't pay any attention to how to drive it.

pretty much its one foot driving and forget the brake pedal. bloody horrid things

viva le manual!

the trick to driving an ev is you need a kick in the nuts to start with

It's not a thing, driving an EV is counted same as driving an auto.
Basically I you pass your test in an EV then your license will have an auto only condition on it, this is for restricted license only.
Once you pass the test for your full you can drive auto or manual no matter what you passed your test in.

While I agree with the above sentiments, thanks to @dannyb for explaining the situation, I guessed someone with teenagers might know.

Yeah the auto/manual thing is almost done and dusted - walk onto your average dealers lot and try and find a manual car (actual car, not a ute, SUV or van). They are rare as hens teeth and rocking horse poo now, haven't seen a new one that wasn't a 'sports' type special fit with three pedals for a LONG time.

I agree about the auto/EV thing though too - some of the EV's are complicated as shite and you need a manual (ha - the paper thing not the three pedals) to really know how to work the systems.

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Originally Posted by No.3

Yeah the auto/manual thing is almost done and dusted - walk onto your average dealers lot and try and find a manual car (actual car, not a ute, SUV or van). They are rare as hens teeth and rocking horse poo now, haven't seen a new one that wasn't a 'sports' type special fit with three pedals for a LONG time.

I agree about the auto/EV thing though too - some of the EV's are complicated as shite and you need a manual (ha - the paper thing not the three pedals) to really know how to work the systems.

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Suzuki are one of the few manufacturers that still make them.

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Suzuki are one of the few manufacturers that still make them.

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And possibly that is due to demand from the grey snail fraternity - towing their little runabouts behind the house! Gotta have the auto equipped vehicles idling for that as the trans craps itself after the first 5,00k's with no bearing lube...

Why auto? After driving one of those Road rangers for years
Don't want to see a manual again lol.
A modern auto pisses all over any manual(depend of application of course), designed to make things simple.

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I've driven Kona and Ioniq EVs around Banks Pennisula. Got to say they were impressive on the hills and sealed roads, but really bad on the gravel roads as the traction control and regen braking didn't like the variable surface.
But back on topic, there's zero chance I'd ever put a learner driver in an EV. Due to the low noise it's very easy to be going much faster than you think and then out brake yourself or go into corners dangerously fast. EVs and learners not a good mix!

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Originally Posted by riflegus

Why auto? After driving one of those Road rangers for years
Don't want to see a manual again lol.
A modern auto pisses all over any manual(depend of application of course), designed to make things simple.

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After having driven the Volvo I-Shifts I would never want to go near a road ranger gearbox ever again.

Our Isuzu at work has the 8spd Eaton fuller box, was an absolute pig when I first got my HT but after a dozen drives you work out pretty quick what works and what doesn't lol.

I’m on an auto ute now after my first three trucks all being manual. Will never go back to manual now but I will definitely be teaching my kids to drive manual. Manual will be pretty well dead by the time they are driving i’d say but it still translates to things like tractors and the older vehicles that will still be on the road etc so still a fundamental skill in my eyes.

I'm currently teaching my daughter to drive. Majority and test in auto but whenever we're at a farm or camping she practices in my manual ute.
Reason for this is to lesson the stress of the test, but she will know how to drive a manual.
As with stagstalker, it's a life skill worth having.

side note, I did my license in an auto but owned a manual for 6 months beforehand. Wee bit different 40 years ago.....

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Originally Posted by uk_exile

I've driven Kona and Ioniq EVs around Banks Pennisula. Got to say they were impressive on the hills and sealed roads, but really bad on the gravel roads as the traction control and regen braking didn't like the variable surface.
But back on topic, there's zero chance I'd ever put a learner driver in an EV. Due to the low noise it's very easy to be going much faster than you think and then out brake yourself or go into corners dangerously fast. EVs and learners not a good mix!

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Not just EVs either....I used to transit rental cars for a rental company. I was asked to drive a then new Primera from Chch to Blen. It was the first of the CVT with the centre consol dash so about 1999-2001 I think. Was cruising along the Kiakoura coast at around half throttle and gave it just a little bit of juice as I came onto a straight...running nice and smoothly, relaxed and comrfortable...looked down at the speedo and I was a LOT faster than the speed limit......(Well past the "lose your license level" too...) It was at that point that I paid more attention to the speedo than listening to the engine revs...The CVT would sit at a rev range and not move...if you put your foot down, revs stayed the same and the gear altered to increase speed. I had not noticed as revs had not changed and man I am glad there were no pandas out that day....I got a hell of a fright.....To this day that is the fastest I have ever travelled in a vehicle on the road and I was not intending to go fast at all.....I can see how EVs would be possible to do similar but I suspect the battery range might drop somewhat....

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Originally Posted by riflegus

Why auto? After driving one of those Road rangers for years
Don't want to see a manual again lol.
A modern auto pisses all over any manual(depend of application of course), designed to make things simple.

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Only four gates? :P

Anyone know if there's still speed restrictions on learners?

As far as I know, exactly same speed limits but absolutely no alcohol in system.

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Originally Posted by No.3

Yeah the auto/manual thing is almost done and dusted - walk onto your average dealers lot and try and find a manual car (actual car, not a ute, SUV or van). They are rare as hens teeth and rocking horse poo now, haven't seen a new one that wasn't a 'sports' type special fit with three pedals for a LONG time.

I agree about the auto/EV thing though too - some of the EV's are complicated as shite and you need a manual (ha - the paper thing not the three pedals) to really know how to work the systems.

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U just don't live in 70 series country m8, they don't even come auto - a MAN'S truck

Got my missus a Haval H6 Hybrid before christmas. The thing almost drives itself, it has smart cruise control, just set the max speed you want and it will adjust to any cars in front including braking where necessary. It has auto lane centering, it will basically steer the vehicle on the open road for you including slowing down on sharp bends.

You still need to keep your hands on the wheel, and it will beep at you and start to slow down if you don't (has like a 5-10 second window).

The other thing that blows me away is the way it works. Electrics drive the wheels, it has a small EV battery, and uses the engine like a generator. So acceleration is smooth as with no gear changes. So weird.

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Originally Posted by vulcannz

Got my missus a Haval H6 Hybrid before christmas. The thing almost drives itself, it has smart cruise control, just set the max speed you want and it will adjust to any cars in front including braking where necessary. It has auto lane centering, it will basically steer the vehicle on the open road for you including slowing down on sharp bends.

You still need to keep your hands on the wheel, and it will beep at you and start to slow down if you don't (has like a 5-10 second window).

The other thing that blows me away is the way it works. Electrics drive the wheels, it has a small EV battery, and uses the engine like a generator. So acceleration is smooth as with no gear changes. So weird.

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Like a vegetarian that secretly eats bacon :yaeh am not durnk: I bet it's super nice to drive :cool:

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Originally Posted by vulcannz

Got my missus a Haval H6 Hybrid before christmas. The thing almost drives itself, it has smart cruise control, just set the max speed you want and it will adjust to any cars in front including braking where necessary. It has auto lane centering, it will basically steer the vehicle on the open road for you including slowing down on sharp bends.

You still need to keep your hands on the wheel, and it will beep at you and start to slow down if you don't (has like a 5-10 second window).

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Seriously not convinced on all those driver aids, I'm convinced its dumbing us down as a species

Yes Happy J you do have a point about the driver aids, but from my observations it's older drivers I'd be just as concerned about with such things as the young ( I will get back to this in a mo ) Distraction is the biggest problem on our roads at the mo, fuk me people on phones , playing with their touch screens ( which let's face it aren't all fantastic n fast as a I phone 15 ) , fukwits that are just completely unaware of wtf is going on around them, plenty don't even know what a rear view mirror is ffs & cunt's that don't know basic shit like - how to merge or that lane sweeping is illegal.

As for learner drivers


I taught both my girls to drive & here's a couple of things I worked out


* Just go auto for teaching, while I grew up on the farm with manual bikes, tractors, trucks etc. My kids did not & using an auto take's one major problem out of the equation ( had a mate that was so caught up on his son learning to drive in his manual, was to much pressure on the little guy, his old man got fucked off he nearly burned outed the clutch n was just a stressful shit experience alround ) worry about the stick shift stuff later on once they get some road time & street skills.


* Be in a decent sized wagon don't learn to drive in a Vitz or Micro, you want something high n big ( I used my Ranger WT & they soon become aware to size, traffic & can see what ahead ). Then start by going somewhere quite ( I used the local Massey Uni ) has all the characteristics of a proper public road with low speed limits n traffic to get their basic skills up with carparks, reversing etc before going to highway level.


* Once they get the confidence up, go do proper after dinner roadies be it around town, off to the beach, open road windy shit & night driving. This is where modern features come in handy like auto wipers & high beam dipping are really handy ( just one less thing to worry about while learning proper real world - defensive driving skills ) worry about that stuff later, it's not hard to learn

* Put the hours in, drum through defensive - reading the road skills, read the room - pressure when needed to drive home form seeing Nana, get their confidence up but tell em when they do a dick move.

* Then go pay for some proper driving lessons, it's a great way for them to get up the "Licence test curriculum" & shows em that the old man knows his shit


:thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by stagstalker

I’m on an auto ute now after my first three trucks all being manual. Will never go back to manual now but I will definitely be teaching my kids to drive manual. Manual will be pretty well dead by the time they are driving i’d say but it still translates to things like tractors and the older vehicles that will still be on the road etc so still a fundamental skill in my eyes.

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7 years ago they were saying manuals would be gone by now...and auto drive would take over by 2030...... cant see either happening in huge hurry.

I still love a manual but for everyday driving in a ute I am auto all the way.

Had to sell my mates GTR a while back and the heavy clutch in that thing engaged a few lost muscles haha
after an hour driving it through the city I was swearing at every traffic light.

While I agree driving auto's is easy, my stepson was taught by a neighbour in an ancient Riley with no syncro box he now drives autos purely because of a hip problem. Me I don't do city driving and still love my manual ute as long as it lives.

I learnt in England and everybody pays for lessons its just part of life over there.

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Seriously not convinced on all those driver aids, I'm convinced its dumbing us down as a species

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On the other hand it might save us from the dumb drivers

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Seriously not convinced on all those driver aids, I'm convinced its dumbing us down as a species

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Trust me...its not driver aids doing that.....There are so many factors at play. I suspect drivers aids are actually there to ensure the targets of the 'dumbing down' survive....I mean dumbing the population down and then weeding them out with car crashes sort of defeats the purpose....

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

While I agree driving auto's is easy, my stepson was taught by a neighbour in an ancient Riley with no syncro box he now drives autos purely because of a hip problem. Me I don't do city driving and still love my manual ute as long as it lives.

I learnt in England and everybody pays for lessons its just part of life over there.

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I got my Bus/Coach/Cat D licence in England, It's a lot stricter over there and there's no way anyone could pas the test without at least a full day of lessons. Quite different to over here. Not sure what the car licence stuff is like though.

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Originally Posted by Savage1

I got my Bus/Coach/Cat D licence in England, It's a lot stricter over there and there's no way anyone could pas the test without at least a full day of lessons. Quite different to over here. Not sure what the car licence stuff is like though.

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I wouldn't know now did mine back in the 80's when there was no theory exam

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Seriously not convinced on all those driver aids, I'm convinced its dumbing us down as a species

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Sure there is that aspect to it. I used to think that way as well. But I used to sales rep territories from Taranaki, across to Hawkes Bay, down to Wellington. Those were long drives. And lapse in concentration - even small ones - were what got people killed.

When you drive one of these new cars and start using the drivers aids you can see how they are more safety aids.

And the big thing I've noticed, with the cruise control that automatically speeds up and slows down you get a lot less pissed off with other drivers.

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

I wouldn't know now did mine back in the 80's when there was no theory exam

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I did mine in the 80's, there was an oral theory exam followed by a practical.

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Originally Posted by vulcannz

Sure there is that aspect to it. I used to think that way as well. But I used to sales rep territories from Taranaki, across to Hawkes Bay, down to Wellington. Those were long drives. And lapse in concentration - even small ones - were what got people killed.

When you drive one of these new cars and start using the drivers aids you can see how they are more safety aids.

And the big thing I've noticed, with the cruise control that automatically speeds up and slows down you get a lot less pissed off with other drivers.

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One thing that really helped me was a learning experience. In the 90s I was working as a driver for a rental company and had picked up a secondment for a weekish in Nelson while I was living in Blenheim. I would do my days work in retail, drive for 80min or so work for a couple hours in Nelson, drive home and repeat. I used to get pised of at having to overtake everything going over each time but never had the issue on the return journey. In daylight I was usually cruising at about 105-115km give or take and was constantly behind slower traffic. On the return trip, my headlights and the road meant I was only able to travel comfortably at around 85-95. What I learnt was two fold...

At 85-95 I never caught up on the truck in front and the truck behind me never caught up to me and I was far more relaxed and less worn out after the return journey...........and when I timed the trips...they were within 5 minutes of each other (there and return)

Secnd thing I learnt was my fuel usage was about 10% or more improvement for the additional 5 minutes....Upsshot, I arrived within 5 minutes, I did not need to take a fiver and refocus before starting what I was doing and I used less gas......

Ever since then I tend to travel at or just below the speed limit. If anyone catches up on me, I let them past as soon as I can. A- I dont want to annoy other drivers, and B - when they are n front of me I have control over how their driving affects me but when they are behind me I am at their mercy....If they are in froont I can make sure to stay clear and aout of their way.

When I sat my restricted a few years back now I did it in my girlfriends Mitsubishi Fto which was automatic. The test officer hopped in, looked at the auto shifter, then said "now I'm gonna guess a young fella like yourself doesn't want and auto only license...?" Then fudged the form to say it was a manual haha

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Originally Posted by riflegus

Why auto? After driving one of those Road rangers for years
Don't want to see a manual again lol.
A modern auto pisses all over any manual(depend of application of course), designed to make things simple.

Attachment 241777

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I would drive a Road Ranger all day if I could. I shifts are great, but boring. There's no skill in using them.

Bring back big cams and road rangers I say.