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

[HeliDriver]

In my 27 years of car ownership, I've owned six vehicles - four manuals and two automatics. My first car was a manual, and I've always had at least one (sometimes two) manuals in the driveway.

The two automatics are big GM SUVs, so a manual wasn't an option, but I still would have been tempted if one had been available. I can live with an automatic in a giant SUV, but it still bugs me that even the manual mode on the transmission doesn't let me actually choose which gear I want - it just lets you lock out higher gears. Why give a manual control if it's only going to be half-assed?

I'm lucky that my wife also drives stick (and drives well), but she doesn't much care one way or the other: she'd be just as happy with an automatic. And I'm also lucky that I don't live in the city and rarely have to deal with bumper-to-bumper traffic. Driving in heavy traffic is just a chore, IMO, but even more so with a manual: may as well buy a luxo-barge with a quiet interior and an automatic and just give up on any pretense of driving enjoyment.

[tpl]

Great article!

I learned to drive manual from family and got my license with a manual car.  But I'm sure there are things I'm not doing it right.

Could autos.ca do another article focus on the dos and don'ts and other tips on driving a manual?  I want to do things properly.

I tend to skip shift and my friend saw me doing that and told me that's bad. I googled it and found there are opposing opinions.  So I'm still not sure if it's bad or OK.  Things like this.

Hopefully, someone can write a more comprehensive article on the techniques on how to properly drive a manual.

Not sure wht you mean by skip shift but when I had a Saab 900 Turbo for fuel economy it was recommended that you just used 1,3,5 .

[tpl]

I drove manuals exclusively for 40 years.  Then a DSG and now an 8 speed auto.
I COMPLETELY disagree with people who find a manual to hard/tiring/difficult to drive in commuter traffic. I did it for 30+ years without a problem. Although I will admit that some manuals and their clutches could have done with redesign by a Honda engineer before being sold to the public.
I do agree that manuals are easier in slippery conditions.

 I am now of the opinion that a properly programmed  automated manual( aka DSG/PDK/DCT)  with available paddle shifting is the way to go.    From what I read in the forum some manufacturers have not managed to get that right...I would have thought that buying and reverse engineering a VW DSG or even just buying a licence for it would have saved millions.

Upcoming emissions and economy standards will probably make manual transmissions a thing of the past unfortunately.

My daily commuter is a manual too.  It is not as bad as some people make it to be.  One can find a car with an easy clutch and shifter if one is not that strong.

The nice thing with manual is you can quickly disconnect the engine from the transmission in an oh crap situation such as unintended acceleration.  You can keep both hands on the wheel and don't have to hunt for the N on the automatic selector. 

For the DIYer, manuals are easier to diag and fix.

This was true.  I replaced about 1/2 the internals in a BMC A series 4 speed in a Bug-Eye  with the only 'special tool'  being a set of circlip pliers...everything else was just regular wrenches and a soft faced hammer.  Took a whole day including getting the gearbox and engine out and putting it back in...simple times.  I have a sneaking feeling that a modern manual transmission just ain't assembled with any thought of being mended.

[DriverJeff]

Great article!

I learned to drive manual from family and got my license with a manual car.  But I'm sure there are things I'm not doing it right.

Could autos.ca do another article focus on the dos and don'ts and other tips on driving a manual?  I want to do things properly.

I tend to skip shift and my friend saw me doing that and told me that's bad. I googled it and found there are opposing opinions.  So I'm still not sure if it's bad or OK.  Things like this.

Hopefully, someone can write a more comprehensive article on the techniques on how to properly drive a manual.

Not sure wht you mean by skip shift but when I had a Saab 900 Turbo for fuel economy it was recommended that you just used 1,3,5 .

Corvettes had that forced-shift-skip thing for years.  Still do maybe?

[DriverJeff]

Where is Jacob Black's view on importing vehicles from Australia and driving RHD on North Americans roads.
Free Trade with Europe can we import cars over here?

People drive LHD vehicles in Aus all the time - mostly old American classics. Driving an RHD car on American roads is fine (but I don't know the legalities of it). It makes life a tad harder, especially when wanting to overtake on rural roads but otherwise it's okay.

Gettin' your drive thru order is a bit of a b!tch too, no?

[Patrick_D1]

I do my part by ordering all my company cars with manual gearboxes. Number 11 (in 4.5 years) is on the way as we speak, so that's 11 which were ordered from the factory and will end up in the hands of customers.

The journalists who contribute to this site can also attest to my personal bias for three-pedal cars sneaking in back when I managed the press fleet...

Gettin' your drive thru order is a bit of a b!tch too, no?

Go backwards. 

[ArticSteve]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving   

[HeliDriver]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

I know VW and Honda are both great. BMW also seemed pretty fine on a test drive.

[Solstice2006]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

What the heck is that supposed to mean?  My fun to drive ratio is so much higher when I test drove the manual Mazda6 vs the auto...

[Snowman]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

Audi, Porsche, BMW,....

[HeliDriver]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

What the heck is that supposed to mean?  My fun to drive ratio is so much higher when I test drove the manual Mazda6 vs the auto...

Right, Mazda's gearbox is just fine, and even Ford is said to have some decent manual boxes in the Focus and Fiesta (but the Mustang's is supposed to be crap.) GM even puts a good one in the 'Vette.

And I suppose the Audi boxes are the same as VW (i.e. good.) Also never heard anything bad about Porsche's manuals.

Who makes a "bad" manual these days? I dunno, maybe Hyundai/Kia? Toyota's probably isn't that great (can you still get one in a Corolla?), but I'd still expect it to be better/more enjoyable/less unenjoyable than the automatic.

[jyarkony]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

What the heck is that supposed to mean?  My fun to drive ratio is so much higher when I test drove the manual Mazda6 vs the auto...

Yeah, well, you can skip the Kias... and sorry Force, but as much as I prefer a manual, Hyundai don't make great manuals, while their automatics are quite good... Fords' ain't that great until you get up into Mustang territory. and credit Subaru for doing a good job on this generation WRX/STI. Nissan manuals are pretty horrid - I absolutely loather the one in the Juke Nismo RS.

[jyarkony]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

What the heck is that supposed to mean?  My fun to drive ratio is so much higher when I test drove the manual Mazda6 vs the auto...

Right, Mazda's gearbox is just fine, and even Ford is said to have some decent manual boxes in the Focus and Fiesta (but the Mustang's is supposed to be crap.) GM even puts a good one in the 'Vette.

And I suppose the Audi boxes are the same as VW (i.e. good.) Also never heard anything bad about Porsche's manuals.

Who makes a "bad" manual these days? I dunno, maybe Hyundai/Kia? Toyota's probably isn't that great (can you still get one in a Corolla?), but I'd still expect it to be better/more enjoyable/less unenjoyable than the automatic.

The Boss Mustang had a good manual, and the new ones are okay, but the Fiesta and Focus aren't examples I would cite of good manuals...

the one in the Audi S4, now, yes, that is worth driving. I think I prefer it to the Porsches and Vettes...

[ArticSteve]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

Audi, Porsche, BMW,....

Agreed.  Those 3 are probably on top.  Obviously the type of car as well.

[pi314]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

What the heck is that supposed to mean?  My fun to drive ratio is so much higher when I test drove the manual Mazda6 vs the auto...

Right, Mazda's gearbox is just fine, and even Ford is said to have some decent manual boxes in the Focus and Fiesta (but the Mustang's is supposed to be crap.) GM even puts a good one in the 'Vette.

And I suppose the Audi boxes are the same as VW (i.e. good.) Also never heard anything bad about Porsche's manuals.

Who makes a "bad" manual these days? I dunno, maybe Hyundai/Kia? Toyota's probably isn't that great (can you still get one in a Corolla?), but I'd still expect it to be better/more enjoyable/less unenjoyable than the automatic.

The Boss Mustang had a good manual, and the new ones are okay, but the Fiesta and Focus aren't examples I would cite of good manuals...

the one in the Audi S4, now, yes, that is worth driving. I think I prefer it to the Porsches and Vettes...

When I tested cars before buying the focus, I found the Mazda 3's shifter to offer quite a bit of resistance. Likewise the fiesta/Mazda 2 were OK but not great.

I like the balance the focus offers in terms of was of driving and overall a decent shifter albeit with some quirks (3-2 isn't the best)

The corolla has a terrible clutch in the 9th gen, and shifts are clunky but still really easy to do... Easy 2 finger operation in all gears.

I've driven quite a few more cars, I've found vw pretty good, and didn't even mind lower model Subaru shifters.

I think there's some subjectivity in defining what is a good manual - but in pretty much every case I've prefered the experience of the manual - I think I'm one of the few who would buy a manual in any car provided the transmission is reasonably decent... Even a full sized SUV!

[Brendan McAleer]

I should probably chime in here, having learned to drive stick when I was eight or so. Maybe six.
My wife didn't get her driver's license until she was in her mid-20s, but I bought a car specifically to teach her to drive stick, and now she refuses to drive anything else. I wouldn't really mind an automatic for an appliance, but for a car that really gets under your skin, you need to shake hands with it. If the argument being made by many manufacturers these days is that the only reason for a manual in a car is driver involvement, not speed, power, or efficiency, then it's still a powerful argument.

[Rupert]

Reports on the Focus manual gearbox were favourable on this forum not so long ago.

[mlin32]

Reports on the Focus manual gearbox were favourable on this forum not so long ago.

It's a good gearbox in terms of feel and action but Ford couldn't be bothered with it for North America so they plonked down a 5-speed. Totally missing a ratio; when I test drove a Titanium version (sport suspension, summer tires.....!) I liked the car a lot but the lack of a highway cruising gear was a deal killer. It was running something over 3k rpm @ 120km/h and considering I drive rural highways at 120-140km/h, that would get pretty old fast.

Regarding "drive-throughs"......I still have not understood the concept enough to ever try it. In the 1% of the time I need to get something to go, I park the vehicle, walk inside, and ask for the order "to go". I may be living in the wrong country then.

[Patrick_D1]

How many manufactures actually supply a manual worth driving 

What the heck is that supposed to mean?  My fun to drive ratio is so much higher when I test drove the manual Mazda6 vs the auto...

Yeah, well, you can skip the Kias... and sorry Force, but as much as I prefer a manual, Hyundai don't make great manuals, while their automatics are quite good... Fords' ain't that great until you get up into Mustang territory. and credit Subaru for doing a good job on this generation WRX/STI. Nissan manuals are pretty horrid - I absolutely loather the one in the Juke Nismo RS.

I've driven my fair share of great manuals and plenty of mediocre ones. I've only ever driven one or two that were bad enough to make me prefer an automatic.

[Rupert]

   I'm sorry but all of the talk about a six speed gearbox is over the top as far as I am concerned. Five is plenty good and more is not better...for what. I don't regard 3000 rpm at 120 km/ as being high with mid to small engines. It's no good having a higher gear if the engine will not hold it on the highway. Maybe the old overdrive switch could be brought back though on top gear for flat highway cruising...with the wind behind. I have never had an overdrive...it's not that little button on the shifter of small cars these days...literature calls this overdrive but it is not. It merely delays the shift point on auto trans to give more acceleration...more like an under-drive device and mostly not ever used. Overdrive somehow reduces the revs in top gear without the need of another gearbox ratio...presumably another device is involved that is not manually clutched but merely operated by a switch.
   These were used a lot on British imports here to save the old engines a bit on long continuous speed stretches...MG, TR.