Here is why one experienced car tester says that only the Mazda Miata and Fiat 124 Spider are improved by a stick shift.
Among the automotive press, it is very popular to want to "save the sticks." Journalists of all ages, genders, and focus areas seem universal in their desire for most vehicles, or at last many, to have a stick shift option. I'm not one of those press members. Having tested vehicles now for a decade, and having myself owned many vehicles with a stick shift, I can only say that two affordable vehicles are really better with a stick shift. They are the Mazda Miata and the Fiat 124 Spider. Both of these vehicles start under $30K new.
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Why Stick Shifts Don't Help Affordable Cars
Great affordable cars like the Honda Civic, Hyundai Veloster, Hyundai Elantra, and many others would seem to be perfect candidates for a stick shift. But they all lack a critical element in the way that I enjoy driving a stick. They all are front-wheel drive. I'm a fan of front-wheel drive commuter and everyday cars. It works much better in any condition that is not dry and sunny, and FWD allows for more interior space than any other option. Once you put a tunnel down the center of a car, the space is always minimized.
That said, one of the main reasons I like a stick shift is to be able to downshift heading into a corner to brake the car. One can certainly do this with any drive configuration, but only rear-wheel drive allows you to do it without impacting steering. The same is true when starting off at a corner under power. Front-wheel drive cars will pull the car and spin one wheel while you try to steer. If feels lousy. With a rear-wheel drive car, it feels great.
Why Many Tubos Don't Need a Stick
One reason I liked the stick shift in my classic Supra, Miata, classic Civic Si, and Integra was that all of them had the engine's torque in the upper rev bands. To have a satisfying feeling of push or pull, one needed to operate the car in the higher rev bands. Cars like the modern Civic and Veloster don't work that way. They have boosted engines that allow them to have the full torque feeling at just above idle. You don't need to wring them out at every corner to make them feel fun.
Why Commuter Cars With Manual Transmissions Are A Terrible Idea
Nearly every affordable vehicle sold today is a general-purpose, commuter car. We use them for daily tasks around town, and to commute most of the time we drive. Having a stick shift transmission is not a plus in these scenarios. Sure, there are a few fanatics that want a stick in such a car, but they don't buy them. Not in any appreciable numbers. Automakers and every dealer, new or used, know that those cars will sit until discounted. Or the lone fanatic shows up and wants one. One.
CVTs, DSGs, and Slushboxes Have Improved
There was a time in America when an affordable car meant having a lousy three or four-speed auto - or a stick. The lousy autos made the car a bummer to drive. Today, affordable cars like the Civic have great CVTs than can be "shifted" manually in some cases. One can use the paddle shifters, or in other cases, the +- function of the gear selector to keep the car in the part of the rev band one wants. That is at its core what a manual transmission has as its sole benefit. Cars like the Veloster and Elantra offer a dual-clutch auto that allows for even better control if you want to keep the car in a certain part of the rev band.
Why The Miata and S124 Spider Are Special
What makes the Miata and 124 Spider twins special is that they are affordable, rear-drive, and the rear drive does not impact the vehicle's rear seat space. Because there is no rear seat. These are cars that almost anyone can afford either new or used and they simply don't have any downside to a stick. Furthermore, both offer great feeling sticks. Not all sticks are great. (Fiat 500 we are looking at you).
The Miata and Spider both lend themselves to non-commuter, occasional driving. These are cars that are primarily built for fun driving. Country roads, and decent weather. They come with none of the parameters that make sticks a bummer.
The Miata also has an engine that loves to rev. It feels great driving a Miata around holding the revs between 3,000 and 5,000 RPM. Very few modern affordable cars feel good when you do that.
What About High-Performance Cars?
It could be argued that a Camaro, Challenger, or Mustang are all affordable and are all better with a stick. Feel free to make the argument. The vintage ones certainly all deserve a stick. The modern ones? Not so much. For one thing, they get slower with the stick. Our own editor has a Challenger and he is the first to explain why a car like that is a great car in which to have an automatic. These are also not "snickity-snick" stick shifts. They shift "heavy." The feeling is nothing like shifting a Miata or Spider. Is it "fun" to drive one with a stick? Sure. But not home from work in traffic, at night in the rain.
Related Story: An Electric Miata From Mazda Would Be Fantastic
I don't mind being the auto writer with the unpopular opinion on transmission choices. I've walked the walk. Aside from my manual Supra, Miata, Civic Si, and Integra, I've owned a stick-shift pickup truck (stupid). In addition, I've tested Corvettes, Vipers, BMW M-cars, Hellcats, Alfa-Romeo cars and other high-performance cars both on and off the track with every form of transmission. I understand first-hand the benefits and drawbacks of a manual transmission.
There is a reason that BMW, Ferrari, Porsche, and pretty much every mainstream automaker is moving away from stick shifts. Actually two reasons. The first reason is that they don't improve the enjoyment or performance of the vehicle. The second is that EVs don't need them. Add to that that customers don't buy them and you can understand why they are going away.
Hopefully, the Miata and Spider will continue with stick shifts until they go electric. From this vehicle tester's point of view, these are the only two affordable cars sold today that are made better with a manual transmission. What's your take? Tell us in the comments below and be sure to include the make model and year of the stick-shifted car you own.
John Goreham is a life-long car nut and recovering engineer. John's focus areas are technology, safety, and green vehicles. In the 1990s, he was part of a team that built a solar-electric vehicle from scratch. His was the role of battery thermal control designer. For 20 years he applied his engineering and sales talents in the high tech world and published numerous articles in technical journals such as Chemical Processing Magazine. In 2008 he retired from that career to chase his dream of being an auto writer. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on Twitter, and view his credentials at Linkedin.
Image Notes: Top of page image by the author. Second image courtesy of Fiat America media support.
So, the big difference
So, the big difference between an MX-5 and 124 Spider is the turbocharged torquey four banger under the Fiat hood. Based on the criteria, wouldn't you recommend the 6spd AT with the paddle shifters on the Abarth? Just saying'
Great points! Normally, yes.
Great points! Normally, yes. But the torque peak for the Abarth engine is at 2,500 RPM. Lower than for most normally-aspirated engines, but higher than some good turbocharged engines. Plus, the many other benefits and few downsides of the Spider like RWD, no second row of seats etc, all still make it better with the stick. There are a couple things I like about the 124 Spider compared to the Miata. The engine is not among those things.
Not sure of your case that
Not sure of your case that "RWD, no second row" make MT better than AT. I'm beginning to think the AT is actually a better fit for the Fiat engine: less boost drop on shift, and paddles provide driver rev band options. Forgot to mention, my main squeeze is a manual Volvo C30, which does have a light turbo and fwd.
I won't argue you are not
I won't argue you are not right about the Spider Auto. A friend let me drive his C30 (stick) once and I could not believe the car was not a smash hit in America. Fantastic in every way. I never got to test one for work, but really wish I had.
I learned on a standard, and
I learned on a standard, and with the exception of my 500 Abarth and my current 124 Spider Abarth, all my other recent vehicles are automatics. But a distinction I've seen written before and I tend to align with is this: You ride in an automatic, but you drive a stick. Yes, at first it's more effort, but as you become more in tune with your car, it becomes effortless and intuitive. It's like muscle memory combined with driving. You become closer to the vehicle you're operating. Stop and go rush hour traffic... not so much fun, but once again that's not where I spend my time when I'm in the Spider. The automatics are great for commuting, but when I drive my SUV, it's a dramatically different experience and requirement from a driver's perspective.For folks that have never driven a manual, you really shouldn't knock it until you've spent some serious time with one. Like a full summer, not a weekend rental. You might be shocked to discover you enjoy it. :-)
One of the greatest joys of
One of the greatest joys of my life is top down driving in my Miata. In 4 years, I've put 140K miles on my latest (an NC). I will sorely miss manual shifting when it disappears.
However, I am conflicted. I have feelings of guilt while pleasure driving these days with the threat of climate change and all the environmental impacts of combustion engines.
I'm sure an electric Miata would assuage my feelings and offset the loss of the stick.
I lean toward the diehard
I lean toward the diehard stick-shift crowd. The last 10 cars I've owned were all manual transmission. My most recent new car purchase was a 2016 Nissan Frontier small pickup truck. This Nissan is also the first vehicle I've owned where the traction control cannot be fully disabled (short of having an aftermarket ABS fuse interrupt switch installed.) Without the ability to turn off the traction control and hang the back end out, or slide around on wet pavement I've found myself wondering if I would be more entertained trading my truck in for a full size automatic Chevy with a 6.2L V8 and a burly exhaust system or a vehicle with automatic trans that still has the ability to switch off stability control. I've also had the recent experience of driving both a Porsche Carrera with tiptronic automatic transmission and a 2019 Ford Mustang eco-boost automatic rental car with the line-lock feature AND the ability to fully disable stability control. Since driving those two cars, I've been plagued with the question about which type of car would give me more daily driving pleasure: Auto trans with ability to shut off stability control or manual trans with permanent stability control. This new era of mandatory technology presents a new set of pros/cons that are very different from the pros/cons of this automatic vs standard debate 15-20 years ago. That 4 cylinder eco-boost (turbo) mustang with automatic was much faster than a manual equipped version according to both the auto magazines and my butt dyno. The only new cars on my current wish list that I could actually afford are the new Mx5 with enhanced engine and the Mustang gt350. I can't imagine buying either of those cars without a manual transmission. But going back to my current truck situation I'm almost at the point where I could see myself selling a truck with manual trans and permanent stability control for a car with automatic trans that had a stability control that could be easily switched off...or back on...especially if that car had a brilliant sounding engine or exhaust.
Definitely. But both lack
Definitely. But both lack torque. When they fix that in 2022 we will see...
I have a 2019 BRZ series Grey
I have a 2019 BRZ series Grey. I would put it against a Fiat 124 anyway. Writer should check the 0-60 times. Plus, to exclude BRZ or 86 from improvement with a manual is just absurd.
The MINI Cooper S is
The MINI Cooper S is fantastic with a stick. Yes, it has torque steer when you put the hammer down... it keeps you on your toes! And it is a very nice feeling shifter and clutch. Unfortunately as of this writing I don't think the manual transmission MINIs are available in the US... and I wouldn't buy one any other way. (I'd choose a GTI with a stick I think).
My previous car was a GTI with a normally aspirated 6 cylinder engine and a stick shift. My current car is a turbo-4 GTI with an automatic transmission and paddle shifters. The current car has more horsepower by about 12% and doubtlessly is faster by a stopwatch, but it's not half as fun to drive. (Not only because the paddles aren't as visceral as working a clutch and stick, but also because the normally aspirated 6 had far more character than the smooth but kind of generic vibe of the turbo 4.)
I'll be going back to a stick for my next car if one is available in a car that otherwise works for me, regardless of whether it's front wheel drive or rear wheel drive.
Just purchased 2020 124
Just purchased 2020 124 Spider Abarth. I had to travel 200 miles to find the manual. There were at least 15 cars close to me, no manuals. I ask the sales rep why and he said, as you did, no one buys them. Last thing I want in a fun car is an auto. My daily 2019 Hellcat RedEye (no manual option).
my past driving instructors
my past driving instructors told me gears are for going, brakes are for slowing :D
Disagree across the board.
Disagree across the board. Even trucks are better with manual. Last two were automatic because of availability. They are terrible for towing. Always hunting and using cruise is impossible. That is not a problem with manual. The only place I like auto is when backing a trailer