New manual transmission options continue to dwindle

[Elkins45]

https://www.motor1.com/features/746345/manual-cars-2025/

The Toyota Tacoma is now the only truck on the US market with an available manual. Will you miss them when they are gone? Would you buy a cheap used manual just so you can have one for the sake of nostalgia?

I still have one manual (2016 Mazda6) but both of my trucks and xB’s are automatics now. By the time I’m ready to buy a new sedan I’m guessing I will have no options in my price range.

 

[eljefino]

Although I miss having options I've had plenty of stick shift trucks and prefer automatics in that specific use example. They creep around better when I'm trying to back up with a load of drywall or whatever.

For a long time I liked sticks because automatics didn't perform well enough for me, but now they generally do.

 

[Devo242]

Quite an excellent list for 2025, there are a lot of great options available in my opinion. Just look back at 2020 and what was available then for comparison:

https://www.motortrend.com/features/2020-new-car-truck-suv-manual-transmission/

Some of my friends kids are driving age and manual transmission vehicles are popping up in their circles which is surprising to me.

 

[barryh]

Same in the UK although we are quite a few years behind in the trend. Auto vs manual sales of new cars is approx 70/30. Some brands are already 100% auto. One thing rapidly speeding up the move to auto's is hybrid technology which are almost all auto and by 2035 when petrol and diesel cars are banned here there will be no more new car sales with a manual.

There are already some manual cars which are more valuable than an auto but they need to be a bit special such as a Porsche. I can see that trend continuing with certain classic cars being more sought after with a manual. If electric cars are going to be seen as bland and uninvolving to drive, then enthusiasts may want a manual as their weekend car.

I wonder what's going to happen to motorcycles. At the moment there is split between scooters and some small commuter type bikes being mostly auto and sports bikes which are almost all manual. I believe I will always have a manual motorcycle as it's such an integral part of the riding experience.

 

[Ausfahrt]

I was a diehard MT guy until I developed a bad knee. At my advanced age I will take the AT in my Tundra but I still have my three on the tree in my C10 Chevy!

 

[Elkins45]

Some of my friends kids are driving age and manual transmission vehicles are popping up in their circles which is surprising to me.

My neighbor bought a used manual Mitsubishi compact of some sort for his teenaged daughter. I was surprised he had the patience to teach her to drive it.

 

[fantastic]

I have a 5 spd Nissan pickup that will be put back on the road soon hopefully. But certainly won't be my daily driver. I don't or won't miss them. It was an era. Automatic transmissions have come a long way from back when they were seemingly unreliable vs a manual.

 

[MRC01]

I like manual transmissions. I don't like new cars. They have far too many annoying sensors & electronics, network connected tattle-tales, etc. all of which makes them more expensive to buy, more expensive to maintain and insure.

I will try to make my manual 6-speed Mazda 3 hatchback last the rest of my life. But if I can't, I will probably replace it with a vintage manual transmission car rather than a new one. But that decision is so far "down the road" that when the time comes, the alternative may be a flying saucer? That sounds more fun than a manual transmission.

 

[IndyIan]

If I'm not getting a hybrid or EV, I'll stick with a manual for as long as I can. There is still lots of fun compact cars in the use market with manuals. For something like a Miata or BRZ, I'm going manual regardless if the auto is faster.

 

[Hirev]

Let me tell you something. I own a C6 and a C7 corvettes both are manual transmission. If you want to have something as simple as new tires put on you have to inquire with the manager if the person working on the car knows how to drive a manual transmission these days. There has been several people on the corvette forum over the years that had had their M/T corvette crashed where the guy was just pulling it into the service bay area. I get responses from the manager like... Oh I pull it in myself.

 

[Vil_Riker]

I like manual transmissions but would only drive something like a BMW or and Audi with it. A boring econocar is not worth the hassle.

 

[AZjeff]

More selection that I would have guessed right down to a Nissan Versa if you want a cheap stick.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

More selection that I would have guessed right down to a Nissan Versa if you want a cheap stick.

Not much longer. Nissan is axing the Versa after 2025 MY

 

[Danno]

Just drove a customer order 2025 Jeep Wrangler 2 door, base trim, V6 with the 6-speed manual.
Color is "41" olive drab, new for 2025.
Turns on a dime. Super fun.
Customer picks it up tomorrow.
Window sticker is in Canadian dollars. USD would be mid-30s.

 

[SeaJay]

The vast majority of new vehicle purchasers in the US have gotten on the modern bandwagon and opt for an automatic. Our friends overseas are a bit slower to come around but will eventually get there.

 

[tcp71]

Two of our 5 household cars are manual. They are the daily drivers of our 17yo and 19yo boys. It's a life skill AFAIK. Surprised by the amount of new vehicles still available with MT in 2025. Was expecting a shorter list.

 

[Brons2]

A boring econocar is not worth the hassle.

Those are the best ones! Light action, light clutch, makes a boring car way more fun. Banging gears, seeing if you can make it spill it's guts.

I dunno maybe it's just me. I had a 2012 Sonata with a manual, it was the last year you could get a manual. It was slow, but if you took it right to redline and power shifted it, you could catch a scratch in 2nd. Haha.

 

[IndyIan]

I like manual transmissions but would only drive something like a BMW or and Audi with it. A boring econocar is not worth the hassle.

It not a hassle, its just fun to do. And they seem more reliable(user dependent) than an automatic, on average.
It does also give you more control in low grip conditions, sometimes I run 3rd gear at low rpm to get up my driveway if it snows a bunch during the day. Also its better at rocking the car if you get stuck.
I will admit the CVT does a pretty good job of getting good mileage though.
I just like a lighter simple manual car that gets good mileage and is fun to wind through a couple gears, and then do some heal and toe into the next corner. A miata is the best example of that, but a 2700lb wagon that will wag its tail on command is a bit more practical for a DD and still involves the driver more than the average DD.

 

[andrew_j]

Car makers mostly gave up on decent feel and experience with them save a few sports cars. No thanks and don’t like how they rev hang for emissions or MPG not sure.

 

[barryh]

Those are the best ones! Light action, light clutch, makes a boring car way more fun. Banging gears, seeing if you can make it spill it's guts.

I dunno maybe it's just me. I had a 2012 Sonata with a manual, it was the last year you could get a manual. It was slow, but if you took it right to redline and power shifted it, you could catch a scratch in 2nd. Haha.

Smaller lighter cars suit manual much better than larger cars. I totally understand why people want a big heavy car to be an auto but a small car can be a lot of fun with a manual if it has a switch like gear change and light clutch. The quality of the gear change has become even more important with the advent of 6 speeds.

Back in the early 70's I had a car with a 4 speed manual and overdrive which was a hydraulically actuated 5th gear that was engaged by flipping a lever on the steering column in the same way as modern flappy paddles. A modern flappy paddle manual on all the gears would be nice to drive particularly if it also actuated the clutch. A DCT really without the automation.