Topic: Feature: Long Live the Manual Transmission (and How to Save it)

[Autos_Editor]

Go hands-on with a manual.
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[JohnnyMac]

Great article.  I'm going to do my part, I'll be buying a manual vehicle next (probably a Golf R) and see myself having a manual until I'm too old and lazy to do so.

I have to be honest though.  I don't think this next generation will get into manuals at all.  All they care about is their stupid smart phones and texting.  Hard to do that when you have to concentrate on shifting gears yourself.

When I ask coworkers if they'll teach their sons/daughters to drive a manual they all tell me no.  So pretty hard for next generation to get into manuals when the manufacturers aren't offering them, they don't learn from parents, and are preoccupied with electronic devices.

The most troubling part to me is the inclusion of automatics on pretty much every performance vehicle and in some only automatics being offered.

[MJMontreal]

I've always driven manual shift. Another advantage in my view, is speeding... when I drive an automatic in the city, I often find myself 15-20 kms over the limit without realising it. It sort of gets away from you. I don't know if the new automatics are better, but I can slow down more safely on a slick roads by easing the car into a lower gear. I hope they'll still be around for awhile.

[northsparrow]

I drove automatics exclusively for nearly 19 years before buying a my first car with a manual transmission.

The car was second hand and I  had to have  it driven home for me after the safety inspection and upgrades
performed by my mechanic.

On a quiet afternoon in my suburban neighborhood it took me a solid hour  to back the thing out of the driveway without stalling but I persevered  and so did the battery and starter.

That was 16 years ago and I will never go back to driving an automatic while a manual is an option.

Manuals give the driver engagement and control over the driving process for all the reasons listed already.
That is a priceless attribute with all the distractions that existed 16 tears ago let alone today.

If someone can find the numbers, I strongly suspect Canada has a far higher uptake rate for manuals than the USA. If this is true then it goes a long way to explain their increasing scarcity.

PS

I don't recommend backing out of a driveway as the first step in learning to drive a manual!

[Kris78]

Another huge benefit of a manual is in winter driving. Wheels spinning when the light turns green? Shift into second! About to go down a hill  and want to keep the speed down? Shift down! I find a manual transmission an invaluable piece of safety kit when the white stuff starts falling.

As for being an evangelist of the manual gearbox, I can proudly say that I own one (two, if the motorcycle counts). However, I've failed to convince anyone else to give it a try. My nephew - he of the millennial generation - has an antipathy towards them that borders on hatred.  My father-in-law wants one, but the WAF is nil.

My wife is just terrified at the thought of having to do more to make the car move. However, she was out with friends one day in a stick-shift Mazda 3. Her friend, when asked about it, exclaimed with great enthusiasm that a manual made her feel sexy! My wife became quite intrigued, but not quite enough to get her to try it out.

If she ever does change her mind, my noob friendly 2013 Civic may have to be called into action. I'll get my brother to teach her though. 

[redman]

It's all about the vehicle and driving situation. I commute in a flat area and mostly traffic situations. Driving a stick as I have, now has zero benefits for me, ninety plus percent of the time.

If I lived in: 1) A mountainous area 2) Secondary Sports Car or 3) Hauled loads then I could justify stick.

Another point is to factor is resale. A stick sedan has poor resale while a sports car stick may vary.

[CSH]

It's all about the vehicle and driving situation. I commute in a flat area and mostly traffic situations. Driving a stick as I have had zero benefits for me ninety plus percent of the time.

If I lived in: 1) A mountainous area 2) Secondary Sports Car or 3) Hauled loads then I could justify stick.

Agree. Auto/CVT is what GPS is for map books. It will become niche for limited situations.

[quadzilla]

Another huge benefit of a manual is in winter driving. Wheels spinning when the light turns green? Shift into second! About to go down a hill  and want to keep the speed down? Shift down!

I'm pretty sure every modern autobox can do that also.

[mlin32]

I agree that knowing how to operate a vehicle with manual transmission is a necessary skill, regardless of whether one owns a vehicle so-equipped.

That said, I feel that unless you're on a track and need that degree of control, there's no true tangible benefit to having 3 pedals. As mentioned in the article, dual-clutch and torque-converter automatics have better performance and lower fuel consumption. Driving in urban congestion and stop-and-go traffic with a manual is annoying. Trying to park kerbside on a hill requires more effort than necessary. Really, it's a relic of the past......just read Jeremy Clarkson's article in last month's Top Gear magazine.

As for the snow driving, most automatics do allow one to start off in 2nd gear or have a "snow mode" for low-traction situations, and also have manual (or even automatic) downshifting capability for steeper gradients.

Would I buy a car with a manual transmission? Depends on how good or bad the automatic variant is.

[Kris78]

Another huge benefit of a manual is in winter driving. Wheels spinning when the light turns green? Shift into second! About to go down a hill  and want to keep the speed down? Shift down!

I'm pretty sure every modern autobox can do that also.

Some do, some don't. It seems that all new automatics being introduced include these features.

My 2011 CR-V could be shifted manually into a lower gear when going down a hill, but it wouldn't shift if the wheels were spinning. The traction control would kick in and you would sit there looking like an idiot.

I guess I should have said you can make any manual do those things, whereas not all automatics will give you that level of control. Time to edit I guess...

 

[Weels]

Good article Jeff -

I don't think the manual will die, as i believe there are enough of the 'smartphone is my life' generation that are still enthusiasts.

For me, up to this point, i have owned automatics only.  I always had the desire to learn (and learn properly), but no one in my family or any friends have a 3 pedal car.  So, i found Shifters as mentioned by Jeff.  Three 90 minute sessions, starting with the very basics - by the third session you are driving through downtown TO traffic, on the 401 (and doing some fun stuff like no lift shifts) and parallel parking while backing up a steep hill, etc.  Excellent program and highly recommended.

My next purchase, probably not until 2016    will be something sporty with a manual,  so i'm doing my part. 

[Snowman]

Great article Jeff, where is Shifters located? I would like to put my son through that training.

[Weels]

Great article Jeff, where is Shifters located? I would like to put my son through that training.

GTA

http://www.shifters.ca/wordpress/

[JohnnyMac]

Great article.  I'm going to do my part, I'll be buying a manual vehicle next (probably a Golf R) and see myself having a manual until I'm too old and lazy to do so.

I have to be honest though.  I don't think this next generation will get into manuals at all.  All they care about is their stupid smart phones and texting.  Hard to do that when you have to concentrate on shifting gears yourself.

When I ask coworkers if they'll teach their sons/daughters to drive a manual they all tell me no.  So pretty hard for next generation to get into manuals when the manufacturers aren't offering them, they don't learn from parents, and are preoccupied with electronic devices.

The most troubling part to me is the inclusion of automatics on pretty much every performance vehicle and in some only automatics being offered.

To assume this is an issue solely because of "younger people" or the "next generation" is ignorant. I would actually say that more cars aimed at "older people" forgo that manual than cars aimed at "younger people."

The only way to save the manual is to keep buying them. If enough are sold to justify the cost of development then you will continue to see them. There is some excellent choice with lesser expense sports car that offer a manual. From the hot hatches and the BRZ to the Mustang, Camaro, 370Z, Corvette, etc.

2/3 of the cars I've bought so far have been manual and one of the only reasons I bought auto now is because I use the TL as a city driver a 99% for work. The dream is to keep it longer term (why I also bought a Acura) and purchase a manual transmission sports car if I can - god willing.

Where did I say it was the sole reason?  Who are buying Mustang's, Camaro's, 370Z's and Corvettes?  It's not 20 somethings.  For sure there will be younger drivers who will be into manuals but I see that group being a whole lot less than older generations.  Just so you know, the cars that have been aimed at "older people" have always been automatics, for the past 50 years at least.

To assume this is an issue solely because of "older people" or the "old generation" is ignorant.  See what I did there.

[Hannibalsmith]

Great article Jeff, where is Shifters located? I would like to put my son through that training.

GTA

http://www.shifters.ca/wordpress/

My wife will be signing up this spring...and she's exited.

For my part, I ordered the 335 with the manual and RWD option...though I had to wait a few months, but it's now one more manual on the road.

[SaskSpecV]

Like some others here, I learned how to drive with auto transmission cars (that's what my parents had).  But thanks to some friends who had M/T cars (their own, or their parents' cars), and who were patiently willing to teach me, I became a proponent.

And mentioned in the article, wanting a M/T is NOT primarily about "faster", "better mileage", or "cheaper".  It's about the driver being forcibly ENGAGED in the act of driving - you can't turn off your brain while driving stick (no M/T car will ever be autonomous!)  It's about the tactile sensation of rowing the gears, feeling each gate, and finding just the right spot in the clutch takeup. 

In a nutshell, M/T helps me look forward to the otherwise mundane drives to work, or daycare, or the curling rink in my econobox..because every time I drive the vehicle, I get the simple satisfaction of rowing my own gears while doing it. 

As to my part for keeping the M/T alive - ordering a new vehicle (hopefully soon) with a stick.  And not a traditional M/T car, like a sports/sporty car - a CUV of some sort.  (Part of me is still bummed out about not buying the M/T Mazda5 - how awesome is a M/T minivan!)  I'd like to reward a dealership that actually stocks M/T vehicles though - might mean I have to buy from Quebec!

[dave_b]

Bought a stickshift Buick. Done my part :-D

[Gurgie]

With an automatic you just steer the car down the road.... 

With an manual you actually have to drive the car & become enganged in the process! 

A wise man once told me that if everyone had to pass their drivers exam with a manual transmission car... we'd have a lot more attentive/better drivers on the road   

[bridgecity]

I learned to drive with a manual (three on a tree), but have only owned one myself.  I will have another someday in the future, but right now with our vehicle needs/wants manuals aren't an option, or the options are very few. 

My boys will have a good start by learning to ride dirt bikes.  The 8 year old already has a bike with a clutch, which has given him a good understanding of how manuals operate.  I guess I need to get a manual in the driveway before it's time they learn how to drive to ensure they have that skill.

[dr_spock]

Good article, handsome Jeff.

There may be hope in the next generation.  My daughter asked for manual driving lessons.  I am going to let a driving school teach her and on their car.