But they’re also beloved

VAs consumers preferred the automatic, automakers stopped offering the manual to cut the costs of offering two powertrains.

“We have seen that buyers aren’t asking for them,” said Mark Gillies, spokesman for Volkswagen. “We had a manual option in the old Tiguan, buta lmost no one took it.”

There are few utility vehicles with a manual, including midsize pickups in the aging Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, as well as the six-speed manual in the new Jeep Wrangler. That clutch pedal has firm, almost abrupt kickback, and the gearbox is notchy enough to make it feel like you’re actually doing something in a vehicle that can conquer territory without much insight from the driver.

The remaining manuals are in subcompact commuter cars or sports cars.

“In our value vehicles, there is still a market for cost efficiency with a manual t hanalit tle higher priced automatic,” said James Bell, director of corporate communications for Kia.

But the manual take rate of 4 percent for the Rio, Forte and Soul is hardly a business case.

The new Kia Stinger performance sedan does not even come with a manual. The 365-horsepower rear-wheel-drive fastback competes with German benchmarks such as the BMW 3-Series, which has a manual with a take rate in thesingledigits.

“When you’re looking at performance sedans for 2018 everyone has switchedovertoDSGand modern automatics or dual clutch gearbo xes,”Bell said. “If you want to maximize performance and acceleration of a car, an eight- to 10-speed gearbox is t hewaytogo.”

Supercar-makers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini no longer offer manuals for performance reasons. Even the famed Porsche 911, with its excellent PDK dualclutch automatic transmission, has a manual take rate of just 20 percent.

“High-end automatic transmissions like the PDK drive better than you and make you a better driver,” Drury said. “I don’t think a lot of people get to go outthereandexer c isethe transmission the way it should be.”

That’s as true on the street as it is in the virtual world.

“Even the video games are all PDKs,” said Mark Basso, founder and president of Autobahn Country Club in Joliet. “When we opened 14 years ago, the vast majority of cars on our track — maybe 90 percent — were manuals. Now I would guess it’s 60 percent automatics and climbing.”

Yet for some enthusia stsori conoclasts and everyone we spoke to for thisarticle,there’sno other way to drive than with a manual. The numbers and the logic don’t matter. Rowing your own gears is simply more fun.

“There is a feeling of great control as a driver, and there is the sheer physical pleasure of managing a perfect shift,” said Gillies, who, as the former executive editor of Car and Driver, has had enviable success on the race track. “I feel more in touch if I am operating the gears.”

Owners of the Ford Focus RS and Ford Mustang GT 350 must feel the same way. Those performance vehicles only come with manual transmissions for now. The super fun andsupersmoothMazda MX-5 Miata has a manual take rate of just under 60 percent, which is one of the highest take rates in the segment, according to Jacob Brown, spokesman for Mazda.

Something is lost in the art of driving with an automatic transmission, some purists argue.

“Downshifting you learn to blip the throttle so the revs don’t stretch the pistons, that’s learning to drive a sports car,” Basso said. “They’re taking that away from you.”

Even though Basso’s teen driving safety school at the Autobahn uses cars with automatic transmissions, he advocates that everyone learns to shift. “It’s understanding the car,” he said. “When you haveac l utchyouhavea peek at the inner workings of the car. It’s not a toaster.”

It’s not just racers who appreciate a good shift.

“When the average person hears that you have a manual they think you’re some kind of Luddite,” said Brian Moody, executive editor of Autotrader. “But understanding how the mechanical pieces work can affect how you act and react behind the wheel.”

The next generation of drivers may not have as many opportunities to understand firsthand the marri ageoftransmi ssion and engine, but some stick lovers are intent on passing the knobby torch.

“I find it very rewarding, and everyone I’ve taught to drive manual has enjoyed it,” Drury said.

Gillies taught both his children how to drive stick and Bell was planning to do the same.

“Driving is not stab it and steer,” Bell said on the eve of taking his daughter to get her driver’s permit. “It’s about appreciating mechan icallywhatittakes to get up to highway speed and the respect for what it takes to get speed. The recognition should encompass all your senses to not be distracted. It’s a safety thing.”

It’s a fun thing too.

A. This recommendation may be valid in some cases but not all. All-wheel drive vehicles require all four tires to be very close in diameter and identically inflated to avoid causing heat, stress and wear of driveline components. Depending on the manufacturer, the maximum tread depth deviation between tires is approximately ⅔2 inch and 4⁄32 inch. Let’s say your four tires are worn to 50 percent of their original 13⁄32-inch tread depth and one becomes damaged beyond repair. Purchasing an identical new tire is the best choice, but you’d be out of specs on the tread-depth difference. Rather than being hustled to renew the other three, it is possible to have the new tire shaved to match the others (it may take some searching to obtain this service). This hurts but is preferable to buying four new ones.

On a typical two-wheel drive vehicle, it’s best to have all four tires be the same size, speed and load rating, tread style and compound to insure optimum road handling. In cases where an exact match (brand and model) can’t be obtained for a single replacement tire, some will opt for as close a copy as possible. Others will tell you to replace in pairs, or all four. I don’t believe the difference in tread depth is an issue unless the remaining three are worn below 50 percent tread. If you replace a pair of tires, mount the new ones on the rear. The reasoning is if driving in rain and hydroplaning becomes an issue, it’s better to have the front tires lose traction than the rears. This seems counterintuitive, but understeer is easier to correct for than oversteer. Releasing the throttle and perhaps braking lightly helps restore front traction, along with additional turning effort in order to stay on track. Should the rear tires lose traction, the vehicle is more likely to spin, which is difficult if not impossible to manage.

A. Try this the next time it quits: Hold the switch in the up position continuously and slowly sweep the opened door throughout it’s range. If nothing happens, try repeatedly operating the button as you move the door. If the window begins to function, even briefly, it’s likely one of the wires in the plastic conduit bringing wires to the door is breaking and intermittently making connection. This is not uncommon in vehicles that see a lot of door action, particularly the driver’s door. If the window reliably goes down, and up is the only concern, it’s not the motor. A scan tool test would be the next step, to prove out the switch request. Also, any other faults with other windows, mirrors or such at this same time? This might also hint at the broken wire theory.