I’ve owned 4 cars, and 3 of them have manual transmissions.
The first is a 2007 Subaru Liberty wagon (rubber shifter, six gears required instead of five), and the second is a 2011 Subaru Outback (heavy clutch, unusually light and short gearshifts) , sticky gas), so it’s not like sports. The three-pedal bike is a central part of the appeal.
After those two (and a car-free time abroad) is a 2016 Subaru BRZ (short, sharp, noisy shifts between first and second on cold start). I only owned it for 12 months before the presses started rolling, and I had nowhere else to park.
Since then, I mainly drive automatic transmission. My 2005 Mitsubishi Pajero has a five-speed automatic, and most of the new cars we review have two pedals, not three.
Of my about 150 reviews published on CarExpertonly seven cars are manual transmission cars.
However, last week, during the assembly Compare i30 Sedan N v Subaru WRX RS, I spent 10 days definitely commuting in the convertibles. Sure, there’s also some fun to drive there, but for the most part it’s just clutch in, clutch between Hampton and Southbank.
I love it. I missed it.
Not because it’s a purer driving experience or other geek shit, but because it put me in control of the car.
No matter how smart an automatic transmission is, it’s still not plugged into your brain. Even the best stuff out there (the PDK is up there, as well as the BMW-tuned ZF transmission) sometimes does things the driver doesn’t want; shifting gears too soon or hanging in gears for too long.
The car’s computer brain can’t see the gap opening in traffic ahead and actively shifts from Thursday to Tuesday, it has to wait until you accelerate to shift. There’s only one sign of lag, an extra step in the process, leaving space for the car to do something you don’t want.
For example, just because you slow down more than half of your travel distance doesn’t mean you want to slow down. Maybe you just want to rely on the engine’s torque to accelerate from 50 to 60km/h in fifth place. The manual gives you that choice.
Then there’s the joy of tiptoeing. In a car like the i30 N, it allows you to revel in the obnoxious exhaust and enjoy smooth shifting every time you slow down. Sure, you look like a knob from the outside, but it’s very satisfying on the inside.
I’m not here to say that every new car has to be a manual transmission, or that people who buy automatic transmissions are less passionate about cars than people who drive themselves. For example, the Mercedes-Benz C300 we got this week would be a much worse car with three pedals than two.
But final Spending some time in manual transmission cars has reinforced the fact that the next car I buy will hopefully feature gearshifts. Sure, they’re less convenient sometimes and my friends won’t be able to drive it (ahhh no, however, will I live?!), but it’s just more fun.
I like the look of the new one Civic CHEAP, and the idea of experiencing a typical daily shift-shifting Honda (or close to it) is quite appealing… as long as the price tag is right. But it is another story.
