Car with automatic transmission. Also the selector in such a car

A car can be a prundler even though it might not have the traditional automatic transmission with torque converter. Any DSG, CVT, Hybrid that has a fully automatic mode for changing gear is a prundler.

Any car (usually electric) with fixed-ratio transmission is also a prundler.

To not be a prundler a car would need at least two forward gear ratios that can only be selected manually.

Origin:
From PRNDL -> PRNDLer -> PRuNDLer

When you eat dirt for the first time and leave your family to build a shack in the woods