Surprising Places to Find a Manual Transmission
It’s been ages since an enterprising individual created a hashtag, citing an alarming disappearance of manual transmissions from options sheets on new cars. This is absolutely true, of course, with fewer and fewer new vehicles being offered with a third pedal these days.
In some cases, and in a stark reversal of yesteryear, it is suggested that the automatic transmission variant of a certain model is actually quicker than its h-pattern brother. Same goes for fuel economy; more than one econobox is more efficient with a CVT than with a stick. Still, as enthusiasts, most of us will argue in favor of the extra driver involvement that’s part and parcel of a manual transmission, outright lap times or acceleration curves be damned.
[Images: Nissan, Hyundai, Ford]
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Look no further than the Nissan Z Nismo for proof. When the model debuted just a couple of years ago, suits at the company were insistent that the exclusion of a manual transmission was a good thing and enthusiasts would prefer the autobox for its speedy gear changes which would translate into better times at yer local circuit.
Look no further than the Nissan Z Nismo for proof. When the model debuted just a couple of years ago, suits at the company were insistent that the exclusion of a manual transmission was a good thing and enthusiasts would prefer the autobox for its speedy gear changes which would translate into better times at yer local circuit. But after hearing outcry loud and clear, the brand is planning to start offering a manual transmission in the Z Nismo for 2027 or 2028, depending on development progress. Don’t say squeaky wheels don’t get any grease. Same goes for why Toyota belatedly decided to stick a stick in the soon-to-be-departed Supra.
Those cars are great examples of machines in which one might be surprised to find a manual transmission, at least after their makers initially refused to offer such an option. On the flip side of finding a manual transmission where one might not expect were the crop of compact car-based crossovers from about twenty years ago.
Rigs like the original Hyundai Santa Fe and Ford Escape were all offered with a stick, despite take rates in North American markets hovering somewhere between zero and zilch.
These configurations often represented a great way for dealers to advertise an impossibly low monthly payment in an effort to get customers in the door. Often installed only on a base trim with a base engine (and front-wheel drive), price points usually were very favourable.
If not for a rock bottom lease payment then at least for some kind of crazy purchase deal. Not all of them, though; the Escape could be had for a short spell with a manual transmission and all-wheel drive, a combination of which they surely made dozens.
