<i>Because the newest computer-controlled automatics can shift more quickly than any human can, engineers see the manual transmission as outdated. We disagree. Shifting a manual transmission is not only more engaging and fun than flicking some dainty little paddles, it also requires more skill and makes the driver a better one.</i><p>"It's an unimportant skill but as you practice it you will get better at it." Well, yeah.<p>My fun weekend car has a stick, and that's not such a bad thing, but there's no denying stick shift on passenger cars exists solely for entertainment value or vanity at this point.
It's just SO MUCH MORE FUN to drive a stick-shift. Even if all you're doing is getting on the interstate you can make it feel like you're really kickin' ass and zooming along simply by how you shift.<p>Forcing your car to rev up a little more than need be may be inefficient compared to what a computer can do, but where's the fun in that?<p>Getting perfect 0-60 times is for drag racing (which no one does). Having fun on your daily commute? Yeah, that!
There's far more than just these 20. Honda, for example, has plenty of manual models available (we happen to own a manual Fit). They may be dying but they're far from endangered.
You not get manual Land Cruisers in the states? I haven't bought an auto car ever, will only buy manual. Have always driven manual and find it quite humerous that people consider them difficult or more effort. I prefer manual as i find auto's suck for going up/coming down steep hills and are also a pain in the arse in bumper to bumper traffic as they always creep forward unless you have a foot on the brake.Not to mention they cost an arm and a leg to fix.
Gimme manual any day, from a 5 speed synchro to an 18 speed crash gearbox. Love driving manuals,my fuel efficiency is up there with if not better than auto's too (you can't coast in an auto).
Edit: i got >400,000km out off my last land cruiser clutch....You won't see a auto gearbox in a work vehicle that will do that(e.g vehicle used off road and towing heavy loads).
Coming from a farm, I've driven both manual and automatic transmission cars, trucks, tractors, heavy machinery, semi-trucks, etc.<p>At some point the type of transmission used is only one part of the car that is going to affect its performance. I have not done anything in an automatic that I cannot do in a manual transmission car. Sure, my automatic pickup will accelerate faster than the manual one I had before it. But that is more due to the engine horsepower to vehicle weight ratio than the transmission. (2013 f150 w/ 350 hp vs 2004 f350 with 250 hp)<p>My guess is the reason that it is becoming harder to buy new manual transmission vehicles is declining demand and the cost associated with extra development to create two versions of the same car.
This list is terrible. How, for example, could you ever exclude the Subaru WRX? One of the most fun to drive -- and affordable -- cars with a stick out there today.
This is just depressing.<p>I had an S2000, but sold it when I had the opportunity to travel overseas for work one year... Been back a few years now and I still haven't found anything to replace it.<p>Given the very short list of cars that still offer manual transmissions, it's unlikely I'll ever in my life have another car I will love to drive as much as my old Honda. I just can't see driving a convertible without a manual transmission... where's the fun in that?
I don't understand what people find fun about shifting, but it is not worth the pure agony of traffic jams. Let off the brake, pray the person isn't too close behind you, accelerate a bit, decide if traffic is moving enough to accelerate more, brake. Repeat twice a minute. Add in hills and snow for more "fun."
> Outside of Germany, the SS is the only old-school V8 performance sedan you can get with a manual.<p>Except of course for the Australian car that is the original version of the SS.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_(VF)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore_(VF)</a>
Is the price listed on these vehicles starting at $35000 USD because of the stick shift or is that just the starting price for cars now? I haven't seriously looked at cars for well over 8 years since I moved abroad, and before that it was just buying beaters from people on craigslist.
I just bought and learned to drive a manual transmission BRZ about a month ago. The beginning was tough but was very worth the effort and time.<p>Sure, the transmission isn't as efficient and in some cases your mileage probably winds up going down, but the fun factor is very enjoyable.
I mean riding a horse also requires more skill, and so does braking on slippery surfaces without ABS. Personally I'd rather not do the latter, and not rely on the former for transportation...<p>But to each their own. Maybe I'd me more inclined to drive manual if I wasn't living on a hill... surrounded by hills.
<i>Americans just don't want to be bothered with the chore of working a clutch with their left foot and shifting with their right.</i><p>It's my impression that more American drivers use their right <i>hand</i> to shift, rather than their right foot.