Listen up, stick-shift nuts. Our favourite transmission is becoming an endangered species. A way of motoring life for enthusiasts the world over is slowly being eliminated from the product lines of numerous automakers. Continuously Variable Transmissions (CVT’s), dual-clutch transmissions and even the conventional automatic are becoming more and more popular-- prompting manufacturers to scrap the stick altogether.
Remember when the BMW X5 was available with a manual gearbox? What about the Honda CR-V? The Nissan Maxima? Those days are gone. Sure, manual transmissions are still available on some mainstream four-cylinder models like the Camry and Accord-- but probably not for much longer. The take rate for manuals is so low in many market segments that their continued existence will become hard to justify.
Heck, you can’t even get a manual on the new Ferrari 458 Italia. Or the Mercedes SLS. Or the Lexus IS-F.
At least Audi still offers the R8 in a manual transmission. God bless you, Audi. Acura, too. They’ve just added a six-speed, SH-AWD option to their TL.
But alas, our days of heel-and-toe shifting, rev-matching and using our right hands for more important things than holding coffee are numbered.
Why the concern from this frustrated auto writer? It’s a matter of principle. The end of manual transmissions signals the end of one of the most satisfying forms of driving. It also signals the end of a generation of more enthusiastic, skilled motorists that helped drive the market to produce exciting, involving products.
It’s the end of an era, folks. Once upon a time, people drove cars. Throttle pedals were connected by a cable to the engine, traction control existed solely between the drivers ears, and there were no electronic second-chances for those who text, twitter or talk at the wheel.
Forget that new automatics are getting faster and more fuel-efficient than a stick-shift. Go full automatic, and the passion, joy and involvement of driving quickly fade away. If we let the manual transmission die, chances further increase that we’ll all be doomed to a future of driving yawn-worthy Lemming-mobiles. Nobody wants that.
What can YOU do to make sure the manual stays around? Write your MP. Lobby your favorite, second most favorite and third most favourite automakers. Be sure you, your family and your friends opt for a manual gearbox whenever possible. They’re typically less expensive to buy and maintain, anyhow.
Remember when the BMW X5 was available with a manual gearbox? What about the Honda CR-V? The Nissan Maxima? Those days are gone. Sure, manual transmissions are still available on some mainstream four-cylinder models like the Camry and Accord-- but probably not for much longer. The take rate for manuals is so low in many market segments that their continued existence will become hard to justify.
Heck, you can’t even get a manual on the new Ferrari 458 Italia. Or the Mercedes SLS. Or the Lexus IS-F.
At least Audi still offers the R8 in a manual transmission. God bless you, Audi. Acura, too. They’ve just added a six-speed, SH-AWD option to their TL.
But alas, our days of heel-and-toe shifting, rev-matching and using our right hands for more important things than holding coffee are numbered.
Why the concern from this frustrated auto writer? It’s a matter of principle. The end of manual transmissions signals the end of one of the most satisfying forms of driving. It also signals the end of a generation of more enthusiastic, skilled motorists that helped drive the market to produce exciting, involving products.
It’s the end of an era, folks. Once upon a time, people drove cars. Throttle pedals were connected by a cable to the engine, traction control existed solely between the drivers ears, and there were no electronic second-chances for those who text, twitter or talk at the wheel.
Forget that new automatics are getting faster and more fuel-efficient than a stick-shift. Go full automatic, and the passion, joy and involvement of driving quickly fade away. If we let the manual transmission die, chances further increase that we’ll all be doomed to a future of driving yawn-worthy Lemming-mobiles. Nobody wants that.
What can YOU do to make sure the manual stays around? Write your MP. Lobby your favorite, second most favorite and third most favourite automakers. Be sure you, your family and your friends opt for a manual gearbox whenever possible. They’re typically less expensive to buy and maintain, anyhow.