Every New Car You Can Still Buy with a Manual Transmission
Roy RitchieCar and Driver
Before we start, a moment of silence for the stick-shift-equipped models we’ve lost recently. Chances are the manual transmission won’t be with us much longer. It’s a dying breed. But don’t have your left foot removed just yet. There are still new cars available in the United States with a manual gearbox. (A handful of sport-utes come with them, too, but we covered those in a separate list.) If you’re after a row-it-yourself driving experience one of these cars should do the job.
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The first on the list is the Aston Martin Vantage. Although its turbocharged engines now come from Mercedes-AMG, a manufacturer that does not offer a manual transmission, Aston does offer its gorgeous “entry-level” Vantage with a seven-speed manual.
Every BMW M3 since the original E30 has been available with a manual gearbox. Thankfully BMW has decided to keep that streak alive. Like its mechanical twin, the M4, the high-performance sedan is also available with a six-speed manual, albeit only in the car’s standard 473-hp guise.
Like its M3 sedan sibling, the BMW M4 can be ordered with a row-your-own six-speed behind its 473-hp twin-turbo inline-six. That said, the gearbox is limited to the coupe body style, as the M4 convertible is an automatic-only affair.
Cadillac’s CT4-V Blackwing is a monster of a machine that just so happens to offer an available six-speed gearbox. With a starting price of around $60,000, this 472-hp sports sedan is also a surprisingly stellar value. No wonder it earned a place on our latest 10Best list.
Cadillac’s commitment to the stick shift goes beyond its entry-level CT4-V Blackwing, as the brand also equips its larger CT5-V Blackwing with an available six-speed manual gearbox. The transmission mates to a raucous 668-hp supercharged V-8 engine. Like the smaller CT4-V Blackwing, the CT5-V Blackwing nabbed a spot on our latest 10Best list.
Chevy will no longer sell you a Corvette with a manual gearbox, but it still lets you rip gears in the Camaro. In fact, a six-speed manual is available with every engine choice offered in this rear-wheel-drive muscle car, from the base turbo 2.0-liter all the way up to the fire-breathing ZL1’s supercharged 6.2-liter V-8.
With a base price of less than $15,000, Chevy’s pint-size hatchback is among the cheapest new cars available in the U.S. The Spark is the GM’s smallest car and it still comes standard with a five-speed manual.
Like its rivals the Ford Mustang and the Chevy Camaro, the Dodge Challenger is still offered with a manual gearbox. Several versions of Mopar’s muscle car come standard with a six-speed manual, including those equipped with the 375-hp 5.7-liter V-8, 485-hp 6.4-liter V-8, and the more than 700-hp supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 of the top-dog Challenger SRT Hellcat.
Though the Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 is dead and the Shelby GT500 is only available with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, you can still get a stick in every other version of Ford’s pony car, be it a fastback coupe or a convertible. A six-speed manual is available with the potent turbo-four and optional 5.0-liter V-8.
The 11th-generation Honda Civic continues to save the manual, even if it limits the availability of the transmission to a select few trims. Notably, the Civic sedan offers the gearbox strictly in its sportiest form: the 200-hp turbocharged Civic Si.
That said, the Civic hatchback lets buyers row their own gears in the more run-of-the-mill Sport and Sport Touring guises. The former features a 158-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, while the latter includes a 180-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter I-4.
Unlike its naturally aspirated stablemates, the turbocharged Hyundai Elantra N Line and N continue to offer a manual transmission option. The Elantra N Line starts at a smidge more than $26,000 and pairs its six-speed stick to a 201-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter I-4. The racier Elantra N, meanwhile, stickers for just under $33,000 and relies on a 276-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder for motivation.
Hyundai cuts the Veloster model line down to one lone trim: the high-powered Veloster N. This is fine by us, as the 275-hp hatch was always the pick of the Veloster litter. As before, the Veloster N comes standard with a six-speed stick.
Kia only offers the Forte sedan with a stick in its high-end GT form. The top-line trim is the most powerful Forte variant thanks to its 201-hp turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine.
Mazda doesn’t offer its smallest sedan with a stick, however, the Mazda 3 hatchback is still available with one. A six-speed manual is standard in the hatch with the Premium trim level and front-wheel drive. It’s paired with a 186-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder. Cars ordered with all-wheel drive or the 250-hp turbocharged engine are automatic only.
The fourth-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata remains resolutely faithful to the rear-wheel-drive sports car’s original format, which includes a manual transmission. Regardless of roof choice (cloth or power-folding hardtop), a six-speed manual is offered across the board.
Mini still offers a three-pedal option in the Cooper and more powerful Cooper S versions of its two- and four-door Hardtop and two-door Convertible models. This includes the hotter John Cooper Works model, too.
Mini limits the Clubman’s six-speed stick to the car’s 189-hp Cooper S trim. While we’d love the brand to offer the 302-hp John Cooper Works model with a row-it-yourself transmission, we’re happy Mini continues to offer its compact wagon with the option to manually swap cogs—even if it’s limited to the least powerful Clubman that Mini sells on our shores.
The three-cylinder-powered subcompact Mitsubishi Mirage continues to come standard with a five-speed manual transmission in both its hatchback and sedan forms, the latter of which bears the name Mirage G4.
The Nissan Versa sedan remains one of the most budget-friendly new cars you can buy, and you can get it with a five-speed manual. Unfortunately, it’s only available on the base S trim.
Subaru customers can still option an Impreza with a stick, making the model one of the few compact offerings to still offer such a gearbox. The Impreza sedan limits the five-speed gearbox strictly to its base trim, however, the hatchback offers the row-it-yourself transmission in both base and higher-end Sport guises.
While the latest Subaru WRX’s top-of-the-line GT trim forgoes a manual transmission entirely, the model’s lower-spec trims all offer a six-speed manual transmission. With standard all-wheel-drive and a heady 271 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.4-liter flat-four engine, the sub-$31,000 WRX remains one of the better deals in the sport compact sedan segment.
Co-developed with Subaru, the Toyota GR86 is a mechanical twin to the BRZ. Like that model, the GR86 is a 10Best winner and comes standard with a six-speed stick.
Volkswagen may no longer sell the run-of-the-mill Golf on our shores, but it continues to send the higher-powered Golf GTI and Golf R our way. Even better, both continue to sell with a six-speed manual transmission. The former packs 241 horsepower, which it sends to the front wheels. The latter offers 315 horses and all-wheel drive.
Opt for the Volkswagen Jetta in S or Sport form and the German automaker offers its sedan with a six-speed manual attached to its 158-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. Need more grunt? Then the sportier Jetta GLI’s 228-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter I-4 and standard six-speed stick may just whet your appetite for horsepower.
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