Old school.Double de-clutching down on a non-synchro box on a steep hill in traffic can be a challenge… on the other hand, the manual accelerator was a brave stab at early cruise control, and no problem searching for the keys - she starts fine with a screwdriver.
Do all of you North America types realise that elsewhere in the world the manual gearbox is ubiquitous?
I'd be prepared to bet that at least 80% of europeans learned to drive a manual and, until perhaps 6-7 years ago, manual cars probably outsold autos 2-1.
Dare I say it, the manual gearbox as the generic is essentialy the quartz watch....
The reason this is changing comes to down to emmissions based taxation.
Whilst the auto has more internal friction (and is less efficient) the testing specifies gear ratio and road speed for manuals but allows the auto to pick its ratio at the specified road speeds so the autos perform better in standardised testing. Stacking an extra ratio or 3 in there also helps.
EVs, PHEVs and radar cruise control are also reducing the number of manuals sold.
I just returned to the manual transmission fold after a five-year hiatus of driving only automatic transmission cars:
It’s a 2026 VW Jetta GLI, the last manual car VW will sell in the US. It does have push to start instead of a key, but no auto start-stop (thank God!), minimal nanny features, and still has the AC controls separate from the infotainment screen.
I tried the dual-clutch version and found that for street driving (even in manual sport mode), the computer had pre-selected the higher gear and so shifts to a lower gear (say from 4th to 3rd) were pretty slow. So, I went with the manual because I want to use the gears I want! The car does have a “feature” where it recommends the shift on the screen and I find them rediculous - cruising along in 4th at 45 mph on a city street at just over 2000 rpm, ready to downshift into 3rd if I need to accelerate and it’s telling me to shift to 6th!
I think not, unless I’m on the highway!
One funny thing, when I emailed the dealership that I wanted to drive this car with the manual, they texted me twice to verify that I knew it was a manual and that I could drive a manual! The salesman I worked with (about 30) had to get one of the mechanics to move the car up for me because he didn’t know how to drive stick!
I just returned to the manual transmission fold after a five-year hiatus of driving only automatic transmission cars:
It’s a 2026 VW Jetta GLI, the last manual car VW will sell in the US. It does have push to start instead of a key, but no auto start-stop (thank God!), minimal nanny features, and still has the AC controls separate from the infotainment screen.
I tried the dual-clutch version and found that for street driving (even in manual sport mode), the computer had pre-selected the higher gear and so shifts to a lower gear (say from 4th to 3rd) were pretty slow. So, I went with the manual because I want to use the gears I want! The car does have a “feature” where it recommends the shift on the screen and I find them rediculous - cruising along in 4th at 45 mph on a city street at just over 2000 rpm, ready to downshift into 3rd if I need to accelerate and it’s telling me to shift to 6th!
I think not, unless I’m on the highway!
One funny thing, when I emailed the dealership that I wanted to drive this car with the manual, they texted me twice to verify that I knew it was a manual and that I could drive a manual! The salesman I worked with (about 30) had to get one of the mechanics to move the car up for me because he didn’t know how to drive stick!
That was the case when I got the Elantra N in January. Leftover 2025 with only 30 miles because nobody could drive it. But it was just a placeholder until I could get another Mercedes wagon to replace the 2002 that got totaled.
Wagons are great. We owned a 2003 BMW 325 XiT from 2003 until about 2020. I miss it. It of course had a manual transmission. Photos of the Mercedes?
Photo from the internet.
Evo wheels on the Civic? I like it!
I'm hoping VW will change their mind on putting a M/T back in the Golf lineup.
Porsche has been rolling back on that...
I doubt it. When I purchased my manual GLI a month ago, they had 3 others on the lot and two had been there for months. I was chatting with the salesman about how popular they were and he told me not at all - I was the first person in nearly half a year who had come in requesting the manual specifically. They couldn’t keep the dual-clutch models (both GLI and GTI) in stock - many sold before they got to the lot.
