Manual Transmission?

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Indeed it is. Laziness, stupidity (on part of both the manufacturers and drivers) and higher price points are to blame (note how the MT was usually around $1k less than an AT car, now ATs are standard and the prices are higher.

I still do prefer the control of driving an MT. Ive never had an issue driving them in heavy, consistent traffic.

But what can you do? The manufacturers often geared them stupidly, yielding fewer MPGs despite the fact that they are lighter and more efficient. Now we get DCGs and the like, which are still MTs in principle, with 50% more moving parts, and another $1000 markup to get the "optimum performance".

It is a shame, and its truly an American-derived phenomena.
 
You can floor the gas in too high a gear, lug, and make tons of NOx. America hates NOx unlike Europe, so they get cool cars and we don't.

NOx also appears in lean burns and diesels.
 
Yup. The longer I wait to buy that new car, the less likely the chance I will be able to get one with a manual trans.

I wouldn't mind an RWD manual 3-series wagon. But is it available in the US? Of course not.
 
I love my 10 Mustang GT manual. I would probably buy another manual but I think it might actually hurt resale. Fewer and fewer people like to shift gears. Most are so incredibly lazy they can't bother to use the blinker. That said, if I commuted in an urban area I might get an auto.
 
I drove a friends 2012 clutch less M3 over the weekend and was meh. I could care less a manual is likely slower it's more interesting to me.
 
Originally Posted By: SOHCman
Its hard to keep up with texting your bff when you have to shift...

Jokes aside, it is all a gradual transition toward a driverless car.
 
My CVT beats my rogue more than I would; give it 1/2 throttle to merge or pass and its running at redline and just hanging out there like a weed whacker. That would be fine if this 4 banger engine didn't have a "big block sized" long stroke and big pistons. Just waiting for the rods to soon be OUSIDE the block ...
 
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The performance gap between autos and manuals has been steadily shrinking. For most people in most driving situations the computer-controlled automatic will make better gear choices. Heck, many automatics have more gear choices. A decade ago you generally gave up a gear when going automatic (4-speed auto or 5-speed manual), but now the automatics generally have the same or a greater number of gear ratios. 6 and 8-speed autos in a 1/2 ton trucks are everywhere and manuals are nowhere.
 
Originally Posted By: Y_K
Just realised that it's getting close to impossible to buy a new car with a manual transmission. Althought, there are good news: Porsche Retains Manual Transmission


Hard, but still not impossible. Challenger, Camaro, Mustang, and (as mentioned) Porsche, BMW, etc. are all still available with traditional manuals. Sequential-shift and dual-clutch manumantics are just another flavor of automatic, though, and my bet its that Porsche will soon ditch the traditional stick to go with only DCTs (given that they're part of VW/Audi which is really on that bandwagon).

The cost of certifying a chassis and drivetrain with a manual for emissions standards doesn't justify the return for most ordinary 4-door cars anymore. Not enough sell to recover the cost. For example, you know the engineering cost for putting a 6-speed manual in, say, the Charger would be very low since the car is essentially identical to the Challenger. But it has to have its own emissions certification, and I have NO doubt that that is the roadblock.

Last I checked only one full-size pickup (Ram) was still available with a manual, and then only in a limited number of configurations.
 
I had to search for a long time to find my manual trans Ford truck as they stopped making them in the 1/2 Ton 2008 (v6 only) and 2010 for the super duty. Took me a few years to find one I liked and I jumped on it as I found out they go extremely fast. I would call about manual trucks that were posted within a few days and they would be sold. At least there is a market for them so hopefully they will bring them back and not just for the sport cars. I will have to keep my 09 for a long time.
 
When good shiftable AT came out, I gave up on MT. Partly because of the traffic I face and the fact that ATs almost always shift faster and get better fuel mileage. I know you can force a MT to shift faster but, in every driving an AT is a better option in my opinion. Ed
 
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