I love the manual transmission in my Subaru Impreza. When I need to get up and go, or when I'm maneuvering in a mountain setting, it's lovely and comfortable and just how I want to drive. Even in suburbia, downshifting to use engine compression rather than breaking feels much more comfortable in control.
That said, driving stick in stop-and-go traffic is a huge pain, and it's dealing with it in snowy weather is less charming than in dry. And there's the additional hand that's needed — I don't text or Facebook while I drive (well, I really try not to), but even dealing with drive-thru food is less convenient / more dangerous if you're having to deal with the stick.
I'm not sure what I'll do when I replace the Impreza in a year or two. The semi-manual setting on our Outback, complete with shift paddles on the wheel, is fun to use in the mountains, too, and sometimes it's pretty nice not to deal with one more thing to do. I'll have to see how I feel about it at the time (and, as this article notes, what's available). I'd hate to give up the stick, but it may be time to acknowledge that it's a car technology that has come and gone.
Do You Drive Stick? Fans of Manual Transmission Can’t Let Go – WSJ
Fans can’t reverse trend, no matter how tightly they clutch manual transmissions
I've not driven a stick since my Pontiac Sunfire died. It was one thing when it was just myself, but when I got married to a woman who doesn't drive sticks I thought it best to make sure she could drive whichever vehicle we had on hand should I be incapacitated.
I love my Subaru. I love shifting. It's a great feeling that I don't feel in automatics.
Good read. I don't think I'd settle for an automatic or even semi automatic ever 🙂
+Les Jenkins Margie learned/loves stick, so that wasn't a problem. The next challenge is whether to see to it that Kay learns it. I can see some real value there.
+Violante de Rojas why does this make me think of you?
I learned to drive shift in Grimm's last Fiero. I fell in love with it…and after having a Nissan Sentra with gear problems, learning shift was easy. My first stick was a Suzuki Sidekick in '95 and have never regretted it. And I was often in stop and go traffic during the five years of working summers at NYRF, often having to deal with nonsense traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway. Gah.
I will never give up driving stick if I can…better MPG, lower insurance rates, and way better handling in snow or rain. And believe me, Long Island snow can be rather bad on the Eastern End!
I considered an automatic gearbox for my current car, a Nissan Note, but the reviews showed it to be significantly noisier and less economical than manual. For me those outweighed the greater ease of driving. I’m not a fan of drive-thru anyway.
I started driving stick in 1983, when I bought the Celica, and continued until last year. Part of upgrading my car at that time included preparing for shoulder surgery on my right arm, and a manual would make driving more difficult during recovery, so I went to an automatic. Also, the CX-5 can only be purchased with manual in the smaller engine size, and I was fairly sure I didn't want that (made clear once I drove it.) MPG does go down with all-wheel drive, but not near as much with automatic transmission on the best vehicles. And I bought a Mazda because I like their handling, and the new car it just the same. But I do think everyone should know how to drive a manual,, especially if they think they'll ever participate in 'The Amazing Race.'
My first manual (since everyone is telling the story) was the 1971 VW Super-Beetle I picked up while in college (very used, I hasten to add). Four-speed, with a weird press-down-the-knob to shift into reverse.
If you’re at a drive through, why do you need to shift- its all clutch work.
My driving instructor pointed out that you shouldn’t use the gears to slow the car – which is what you are doing – because brakes are cheaper than clutches to replace.
Interesting about the 'press down the knob shift in reverse'…that's what my Grimm One's Hyundai Veloster Turbo has….
(he's also had a bunch of VW's, the last of which was a Type 181 'Thing')
I'm more of a Land Rover person than one for the 'sporty' cars with stick!
I read a news story once about an attempted auto theft which failed because the thief could not drive a stick. I am half serious when I say I think a manual transmission is a theft deterrent.
I first learned to drive in a manual transmission automobile, I have never owned an automatic, and I enjoy driving manual transmission much more than automatic. But if I had to do much stop and go driving I think I would get an automatic to reduce the workload. I think the decision whether to get one or the other is about having the right tool for the job the vehicle will be doing.
I've been driving a stick since I was about 10…it's a long story…my Subaru is a auto and still forget and shift it sometimes….