Top 10 cars with a manual tranny
Fun-to-drive option becoming an endangered species
For plenty of good reasons, people get upset about the extinction of rare species, such as the Amur Leopard or the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid. But for car buyers who like to shift gears on their own, manual transmission gearboxes are becoming equally endangered.
Before the last clutch pedal goes to the junkyard, help save the manuals by buying one of these fun-to-drive new vehicles that will let you change gears all on your own. All prices are baselevel MSRPs.
2015 BMW M235I COUPE: $45,000
Few new cars are as rare as rearwheel-drive compact coupes, particularly the kind that can be had with a stick. One of the best is the BMW M235i, the only 2 Series that sports the brand’s familiar, longitudinally-mounted turbocharged 3.0-litre engine. Via a six-speed manual gearbox, the straight-six is rated at 322 horsepower, allowing the M235i to scoot from zero to 100 km/h in about five seconds.
2015 CADILLAC ATS COUPE: $41,240
There are plenty of reasons the all-new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro is based on the same platform as the four-passenger Cadillac ATS Coupe.
With a super-rigid body, tight suspension (including General Motors’ Magnetic Ride Control) and sharp steering, the rear-drive Caddy two-door is one of GM’s best-handling cars. Whether you pick the base 272-hp, turbocharged 2.0-L four-cylinder engine, the 3.6-L V6 with 321 hp or the range-topping, 464-hp ATS-V, all ATS Coupes can be hooked up to a six-speed manual transmission.
2015 FORD MUSTANG: $24,068
The original 1964 Mustang introduced millions of North Americans to the type of fun-to-drive motoring normally associated with posh import brands.
And part of that experience was driving a car where a manual gearbox was a joy — not a burden. Over a half-century later, the current rear-drive ’Stang lives up to that tradition, offering a six-speed manual in the base, 300-hp sixcylinder, the 310-hp turbo-four and the top-of-the-line Mustang GT, with its 435-hp V8.
2015 FORD FIESTA ST: $21,450
The subcompact four-door, fivepassenger Ford Fiesta ST is the epitome of the modern hot hatch. Not only will the turbocharged, 197-hp, 1.6-L in-line four get your blood flowing, but you can only get a Fiesta ST with a six-speed manual transmission, and thankfully, it’s a good one. Shifts are short, accurate and quick, in keeping with the front-wheel-drive car’s dynamic demeanour.
2016 MAZDA6: $24,695
Just because you have a family to haul around, you don’t want to be handcuffed to a slush box.
That’s why the fine-handling, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger Mazda6 is the mid-size sedan of choice for drivers. Powered by a 184-hp 2.5-L four-cylinder, the four-door 6 is one of those rare family machines that will let you change gears on your own. A crisp-shifting, six-speed manual is available in all three trim levels, from the base GX to top-of-the-line GT.
2015 JEEP WRANGLER: $23,995
Driving fun doesn’t always have to happen on pavement. Offroad is where Jeep’s venerable all-wheel-drive, five-passenger Wrangler comes into play, one of the rare SUVs that will let the driver use a third pedal. Although a five-speed automatic is optional, the Jeep can be had with a sixspeed manual gearbox, either as a two-door Wrangler Sport or a Wrangler Unlimited Sport S. Both are powered by a 285-hp 3.6-L V6 that delivers plenty of performance.
2016 MAZDA MX-5 MIATA: $31,900
With the option of a slick-shifting six-speed manual, why settle for an automatic transmission in the all-new 2016 MX-5 Miata roadster? Mazda’s rear-wheeldrive two-seater almost demands that you shift gears on your own, with a rev-happy, 155-hp, 2.0-L four-cylinder engine. Better still, the engaging MX-5 is still priced like an average family crossover.
2015 NISSAN JUKE SV FWD: $20,498
Small crossovers have become more popular than Kardashian family photos, yet few are as fun to drive as the hatch-back-meets-SUV Nissan Juke. In front-wheeldrive SV form, the Juke will let you row your own gears — all six of them. Although equipped with the less-powerful (188 hp) version of the turbocharged 1.6-L fourcylinder found in all-wheel-drive/ autobox Jukes, its manual tranny snaps through city streets like a hot hatch.
2016 SCION FR-S/2016 SUBARU BRZ: $27,490/$27,395
If you don’t like the idea of an affordable, fun-to-drive roadster, such as the Mazda MX-5 Miata, consider the rear-wheeldrive 2016 Scion FR-S and Subaru BRZ twins, with standard six-speed manual gearbox. With Subaru’s 200-hp, 2.0-L four cylinder mounted low in its chassis, the always-ready-to-drift FR-S and BRZ twins sport a centre of gravity lower than a Porsche Cayman.
2016 VOLKSWAGEN JETTA GLI: $27,395
Volkswagen’s legendary Golf GTI hot hatch gets a lot of love from driving enthusiasts. Since its debut over 30 years ago, though, the Jetta GLI has become known as the “GTI sedan” for good reason. Powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-L four-cylinder engine as the Golf-based GTI, the front-wheel-drive, five-passenger, four-door GLI channels 210 hp through a six-speed manual, backed up with a responsive handling setup and quick, accurate steering.