The stick-shift is not dead. Reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated. If you're a car enthusiast or car critic mourning for manuals, using online forums like a group therapy session, I have good news.
Well, first, some bad news: the Buick Verano is no longer available with a three-pedal manual, (or at all after this year, except in China). #Savethemanuals! Boo-hoo. Whatever.
The Porsche GT3 is back with a three-pedal, six-speed, clutch-and-stick shifter. That's big news for gearheads. It's Porsche admitting the GT3 need not be all about fastest lap times, that for some people, fun trumps speed. Still, it's hard not to see it as Porsche manipulating its cult of eager customers. Those who bought the PDK-automatic GT3 will now be lining up to trade them up to a new six-speed GT3, which is otherwise almost identical. Simultaneously, it's making the limited-edition 911 R – and the prices they've been trading hands at – seem more than a little silly.
The Mazda MX-5’s six-speed makes it feel faster, more involving and ultimately more satisfying.
Mike Ditz
But the new GT3 isn't even the best news. No, for those of us who like driving and appreciate a twisty road, it is that there are plenty of cars with stick-shifts currently available. In a totally unscientific and haphazard survey of auto makers, I found more than 40 cars available with a manual transmission. There are certainly even more out there.
The Mazda MX-5 is an obvious example. The six-speed makes it feel faster, more involving and ultimately more satisfying. But the same holds true for more unlikely cars. The Mazda3 is heroically fun with a stick, considering it's only got 155 horsepower and costs less than $20,000.
The Fiesta ST with a five-speed is only $25,000.
Ford
A Ford Fiesta with a five-speed manual is a riot – a classic case of the old adage, "It's more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow." The sportier Fiesta ST with a five-speed is like a real-life Wacky Racer and it's only $25,000.
As a rule: The less powerful the car, the more fun it becomes with a stick-shift. Unintuitive, maybe, but try it out. Go test-drive a manual Toyota Corolla or Yaris – if you can find one on a dealer lot – and revel in the ability to take it up to redline without breaking the speed limit. The racket from the engine as you push it to the limit can make you feel like Kimi Raikkonen, albeit on a budget. Now, test-drive one with an automatic. A bit sluggish, right?
This rule is doubly true if you're comparing a manual box against a heinous CVT automatic. Get that lawnmower transmission away from my cars.
The Subaru BRZ starts under $30,000.
SUBARU
The Subaru BRZ and Toyota 86 (formerly known as the Scion FR-S) could both use more power to be truly great. The stick-shift, offered as standard on both, should be mandatory because it makes better use of the power that is there. Both the Subaru and Toyota start under $30,000.
BMW offers several models with a manual. In recent years, Munich has lost a lot of driver's-car credibility, but the counterargument is always that: Hey, well, you can still buy a rear-wheel-drive 340i with a stick-shift. The M2, M3 and M4 all come standard with a stick, too.
Other cars you can get with a stick? Fiat 500 Abarth, Ford Mustang and Focus RS, Jeep Wrangler, Subaru WRX and STI, Chevy Camaro and Corvette Z06, Dodge Challenger Hellcat, Jaguar F-Type, Volkswagen Golf SportWagen and Golf R, Honda Civic and Fit, Nissan 370Z and Micra, Hyundai Veloster, Mini Cooper and Cadillac ATS-V. Yes, a Cadillac. And wouldn't you know: it's great.
There are not many sports cars purer than a Carrera S with a manual box.
Porsche
You don't need to spend over $160,000 on a GT3 to get a manual Porsche. Nearly all 911 models come standard with a seven-speed manual. True, the seven is not as precise as the six-speed, but there are not many sports cars purer than a Carrera S with a manual box. Alternatively, a manual Targa 4 GTS would be a very tasteful way to spend $150,000.
More good news: Manuals will often save you some money. The PDK-automatic is a $4,250 option on that Porsche Targa 4 GTS.
The Porsche 911 Carrera GTS with an interior package painted in Carmine red.
PORSCHE
If you're looking to buy the absolute cheapest new car on four wheels, a manual is the way to go, too. A base Nissan
Micra requires compromises – like sweating through summer without air conditioning – but with a stick-shift it's a six-pack under $10,000.
The more I look at the list of manual cars available in Canada, the more it becomes clear: It's only at the high end of the car market where manuals are dying. This is said for those enthusiasts who could have purchased a Ferrari 550 with a gleaming metal-gated shifter. Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren have stopped making manual boxes.
Not all high-end cars are better with a stick. Shifting your own gears in a BMW M6, for example, is like rowing a canoe across a lake of gravel. If the next-generation M5 and M6 don't have a manual option, I won't miss it.
Aston Martin is the exception. The V12 Vantage S with a dog-leg seven-speed is perhaps the quickest way to find zen. The company has said it would like to continue offering cars with clutches and gear levers.
There could come a day when fuel-economy standards make manuals untenable. They aren't as fuel-efficient as the latest automatics. But until then, there are plenty of good cars that'll let you shift gears the old-fashioned way.
As of 2017, I'm happy to report news of the manual transmission's demise is false.
A partial list of cars you can buy with a manual transmission:
- Mazda MX-5
- Mazda3
- Subaru BRZ
- Subaru WRX – STI 6-speed manual only
- Toyota 86
- Toyota Corolla
- Toyota Yaris
- Porsche 911 GT3
- Porsche 911 Carrera
- Fiat 500 Abarth
- Fiat 124 Spyder
- Ford Focus RS
- Ford Fiesta ST
- Ford Mustang
- Aston Martin Vantage V12 S (seven-speed)
- BMW M2
- BMW M3
- BMW M4
- Audi A4 and A5 coupe
- Jaguar F-Type
- Volkswagen Golf and Golf R
- Volkswagen Golf SportWagen
- Volkswagen Jetta
- Cadillac ATS-V
- Jeep Wrangler
- Dodge Challenger and Hellcat
- Chevrolet Camaro
- Chevrolet Cruze
- Corvette Z06
- Honda Civic
- Honda Fit
- Hyundai Veloster
- Mini Cooper
- Mitsubishi Mirage
- Nissan Versa
- Nissan 370Z
- Nissan Micra