You Wish These Cars Came With a Manual

I wanted to say Alfa 4C, but since it’s been discontinued, I’ll go with the similarly purposed Alpine A110, despite it not being available in the US.

“Faster lap times” is only an excuse in a car dedicated to fast lap times. The 4C and the A110 are cars for fun, and depriving them of a manual option is limiting how much fun they could be. Are they afraid it will be too much fun with a manual?

The A110 is really the spirit of this question. I will never understand why this car doesn’t come with a manual transmission. Also, while Alpine is at it, the company should send them over to the U.S. Please and thank you.

Submitted by: smalleyxb122

It’s a big, dumb, fun hoonmobile, if they can give the Challenger a 6-speed option, the Charger deserves it too. At least the aftermarket facilitates that, if you’re dead set on it.

Of all the correct answers on this list, this is the most correct. Cheers, brother. You’re a real one for this.

Submitted by: Maymar

New U.S. bound Morgan Plus 4's, they have the BMW 2.0 turbo but only paired with the 8 speed auto (a great automatic but still an automatic). It is such a retro car that it just screams for a manual transmission.

Yes yes yes 1 million times yes. All Morgans speak to me on a very deep level, but a manual Plus 4 would be absolutely amazing.

Submitted by: CitronC

Any half ton pickup. I understand slowly and surely, people just stopped buying them, with Ram holding out all the way to 2018 on thier heavies.

But Ford, Gm, and Ram for sure all have 6 speed transmissions that can handle V8 power.

A stickshift pickup is just good clean fun, and I miss the days of banging gears in a nice truck.

While a half ton with a manual would be super cool, I can understand why they would fall out of favor with the people driving them. They don’t really add anything to the fun factor of a huge truck.

Submitted by: Caddywompis

A Stinger with the 3.3L Twin-turbo V6 and a 6-speed stick would have been awesome.

A Stinger GT with a manual would be super cool. Genesis sort of tried it with the G70. It put a manual in the 2.0-liter turbo for a while, but never the V6. That’s a shame.

Submitted by: BlackBelt2010

Basically any of the Subarus besides the WRX and BR-Z.

There was a time - not even that long ago - that you could get a manual transmission on any Subaru (except the Tribeca - but it already sold poorly enough without one).

Wanna swap your own cogs in an Impreza with or without a turbo? You could!

Wanna drop the kids to school in your Outback and have a low-speed slide through a snow-filled parking lot on the way home, bouncing off the rev limiter? You could!

Wanna bring the dog to the dog park, and then press his face into the rear glass with a clutch dump! Again, you could (you ass).

And this is to say nothing about the 6-speed in the Legacy GT - if you wanted WRX fun while flying under the radar, you could do it!

But now, want a stick shift and the ability to carry something even moderately sized? Subaru doesn’t want your business.

of course they’re now selling way more cars and making much, much more money but leave me to sulk and complain on the internets...  

Damn you, Subaru, for killing off the manual Impreza. Sure, the take rate was low, but I do not care.

Submitted by: Skipp

The U.S. spec Alfa Romeo Giulia and the Stelvio.

C’mon, Stellantis. The most sporting vehicles in their perspective segments need to have the most sporting transmissions, don’t they?

Honorable mention, the Tonale (and the Hornet, sigh).

I totally understand the Giulia manual yearning. Hell, the company even makes that very car overseas. As for the Stelvio, I don’t know if there’s much to be added with a row-your-own transmission.

None.

I have zero attachment to manuals, and would never wish for one, let alone buy one. It’s 2022. The car can handle the gear changes WAY better than I can.

This is not the way, chief.

Submitted by: dolsh

Maverick with a normally aspirated 2.5l.

Look at you, going above and beyond. I asked for a transmission, you give me an engine. You will take your hybrid motor and you will like it.

Submitted by: spookiness

If you’re in the market for this size vehicle & don’t plan on going off road (so no wranglers or broncos!) , there’s nothing.

There’s a better chance of me growing a third arm at 26 than this happening. This is my type of fantasy.

Submitted by: Nekkid_Snek

I would love to see the 2-series coupe come with a manual in all engine trims. That is the closest we will ever get to a traditional BMW sports coupe and the manual would be a huge benefit to enthusiast at all pricepoints, even in the lowest-powered Euro trims.

Hell, I was even pretty impressed with the Mini-based 235M grancoupe (or whatever the hell they call the FWD-based 4-door 2-series) that I drove at a BMW autoX event a year ago and that car would be lots of fun with a manual as well.

It would be so simple for BMW to do this. We know they can do this. Yet, they will not do this. Curse them.

Submitted by: oddseth

Alfa Romeo 4C. It would have been an absolutely perfect driver’s car. And it would be in my driveway right now.

I never understood why the 4C didn’t have a manual transmission, especially since it had manual everything else. Alas, maybe in another world.

Submitted by: Give Me Tacos or Give Me Death

Besides every Subaru I’d say every Honda. The hrv would be such a more pleasant cuv if you could get the 1.5 turbo with AWD and a stick. Hell even the base (only) engine would be better with a manual.

Also the Ford escape.

Honda makes one of the best manual transmission in the biz. I would love if they were available in more products. Ah, a boy can dream. Also, no one needs a manual Ford Escape.

Submitted by: chewymilk

This bad boy would be infinitely more fun with a manual transmission.

Having to hunt for gears in sand dunes is a huge pain in the ass. Sure the Automatic Transmission is cool, but there’s less to go wrong w/ a Manual on expeditions. I might burn a clutch, but that’s field reparable.

Blow up the valve body in an automatic? bro. There isn’t civilization for 10 days in either direction.

In an apocalypse, trying to find a transmission guy is gonna be really difficult.

You bring up some good and salient points here. Toyota, take notice, please.

Submitted by: kalieaire

M139 (2003-2008) Maserati Quattroporte with the Duoselect automatic. A terrible transmission that shifted badly, broke often and hampered an otherwise lovely to drive car. I’ve always thought a Getrag 6 speed manual transmission would have been a significant upgrade, especially since the Coupe already came with that as an option.

Plus the auto had a tiny dinky little shifter that looked really out of place

Of all the cars listed here, the early M139 Quattroporte is probably the vehicle most due for a transmission change. That being said, there’s something I always liked about the tiny dinky little shifter. It’s endearing to me.

Submitted by: Vracktal

Chrysler Pacifica hybrid. So all my cars could be manual and my kids would have to learn stick or walk.

Not in this lifetime, pal.

Submitted by: DC native

Something like a Porsche Macan with a 6spd manual would be the perfect daily for me.

Yeah, that would be neat. If you’re a gambling man, you can find used Cayenne manuals that are pretty sweet.

Submitted by: vchengap 

fucking all of them. i dont care if its faster and gets higher gas mileage. its not better. give them a 10% credit on cafe numbers for manual transmission cars.

So true, bestie.

Submitted by: Kahlessj