I have a nice boxy, high off the road 2001 CRV, manual transmission. There’s nothing out there to replace it from what I see. Here is my must have list: manual transmission/AWD, sun roof, 7 inches or more ground clearance, over 30 highway. Ok I have looked at every website I can think of and can’t find a single car that meets my four point list-I even looked at the higher end such as acura etc. I’ll just keep my CRV as long as I have to, but its annoying now 12 years later I can’t find a car to meet my needs.
Manuals are just disappearing. I wanted to test drive a manual Mazda 3 speed and/or a 3 series BMW for my mid-life crisis purchase. Nothing available in the dealerships in the area I live in (CA). I believe the only manual CUV/SUV available is by Subaru as Texases mentioned.
This is just a wild guess, but I suspect that as the CAFE requirements become tighter and tighter manuals will disappear except on the fancy sports cars and be replaced with automatics with 7 to 8 gears. They’ll operate with paddles too, to accomodate the desire for sporty driving, but they’ll be automatics.
As Barney said, your standards are too high. You have my sympathy. Before Suzuki stop selling in America, I would look at their SX4. It takes care of 3 out of your 4 requirements-the sunroof. But where else are you going to get a 6spd stick for 17k. And while I think it is the antithesis of a MINI, you may like the Countryman
You can get great manual transmission cars, just not here the the US. Most drivers in the rest of the world drive manuals. Mercedes make great diesel sedans with manuals, but does not sell them here. Most Americans don’t know how to drive them, are sipping their big gulps, text messaging, talking on cell phones, putting on makeup, etc. I’ve been driving stick shift cars for all of my 40+ years of driving.
On most vehicles, the manual is offered on the no-frills trim.
If you want a sunroof, it’s usually on a higher trim level and you’ll need to get an automatic.
If AWD is an option, usually on a higher trim level and you’ll need to get an automatic.
Basically, your dream car does not exist in today’s market.
I asked at a dealer about a new Toyota Matrix with a manual transmission and he said there were 2 within a six state area. But at least he offered to order one for me. You might get everything you need- except the ground clearance - by ordering a Matrix.
Same is right. As computer controlled Internal combustion motors get more sophisticated, autos not only become easier to integrate into the drive train, the cars become more efficient. There are many off road vehicles and trucks which used to be the bastion of the manual, that function much more safely and efficiently, towing, plowing and in just about any other high load use. Sports cars may be more fun to drive, but try getting from point A to B in one faster in a manual then an auto version. Besides, try texting in traffic with manual.
Right on Dag,wish our Macks were automatic,I think a large part of the dissatisfaction that used to accompany autos was engines that didnt work well with them.I guess a large part of the gearbox deal was to compensate for low torque,now that electric drive drive is starting to come on line you may see some trannys disappear altogether,I’m not joking a lot of gargantuan machinery is electric drive( not necessarily cheaper but better-case in point Diesel Electric locomotives) hate to run a large caterpillar manual shift-Kevin
Yup. I’m also thinking that with 7 or 8 gears an automatic can keep even a modest engine right in its optimum mileage range for every condition, whereas 7 or 8 speeds in a modest motored car would really be a drag with a manual.
In the USA manual transmissions are available on a few very basic economy cars, and exotic sports cars. Honda no longer sells the CRV with a manual trans in the US. Honda does sell basic Civics with a 5 speed manual and the Civic Si with a 6 speed manual.
American drivers just don’t buy manual cars very frequently and they are becoming more and more rare in the US. Many mfgr’s still make manual trans cars and trucks and sell them in Europe, central and south America, and other places where driver’s still know how to drive them and prefer them. In the US, driver’s have voted for the auto transmission and those of us who like to shift ourselves are in a minority that gets smaller year by year.
I’m assuming you desire to buy a new car. If manuals are offered for the make/model you desire, a dealership or auto-broker should be able to find you one. You may have to compromise on colors and other options, maybe even on the model year, but I’m sure there is one available for you somewhere. These folks have networks of all new cars available nationwide, and they’ll ship the one you want to your nearest dealer.
i prefer manuals also. For a given mpg rating, you almost always get a better 0-60 time with a manual vs and automatic. Make sure you let the car salesmen know you won’t purchase any car with an automatic. If given this message enough times, the salesmen will then let the auto manufacturer’s know the importance of offering manuals on as many models as possible.
I drove my girlfriend’s new Hyundai Santa Fe the other day, and I noticed that with the transmission in “auto” mode and the cruise control engaged, it was downshifting uphill at almost every overpass (we don’t have hills here in South Florida). By putting the transmission in “manual mode,” I was able to put an end to the unnecessary downshifting. I should mention this was with the “Eco Mode” turned on.
Although I admit automatic transmissions tend to be better for towing, I still prefer a manual transmission for the control of being able to prevent unnecessary “hunting” and downshifting, which many times, adds unnecessary wear and tear to the transmission. I think it is more efficient and practical to engage cruise control in a particular gear and keep it in that gear, especially when the vehicle isn’t being driven under a heavy load.
If I am towing or hauling a heavy load, and I need to downshift, I probably shouldn’t be using the cruise control anyway, but if the vehicle is not loaded down, I want the cruise control to operate only in the gear I select.
Welcome to the 21st century. Gone are the days of big engine and 3 speed automatics that gain nothing from downshifting. And I don’t know about automatics being better at towing. Some trucks now come with automated manuals instead of slushy autos.