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Perhaps that was the objective.
Maybe not.
the dude defines manual transmission correctly but prefers an automatic .
"Hyundai has dropped the standard five-speed manual transmission in the base Tucson. All versions of the 2014 Tucson get the six-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai has also added an optional all-wheel-drive model to the base 2014 Tucson trim level. The 2014 Hyundai Tucson is on sale now."
2014 Hyundai Tucson Gets Price Increase, Drops Five-Speed Manual Transmission
I'm sure 0.05% of them were bought with a manual.
Looks like my next car may NOT be a Soob, if all the manuals are gone by then. I'm so sad - it seemed like they might be one of the few to keep the faith. I sure hope the BRZ and WRX continue to offer manuals, but I won't be buying a WRX unless they bring back the 5-door hatch (different topic there, I know). Thing is, they already went CVT-only with the new Forester turbo, so why not the next WRX as well?? :-( :-(
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The 500 comes with a 4 year/50,000 mile warranty, versus 3 years/36,000 typically for this class. No problems so far.
I was influenced to some extent by my neighbor, a car guy, who cross shopped the MINI and 500, and concluded that the Fiat's more compliant ride was easier to live with, day after day. Also, besides costing more, the MINI is also higher maintenance.
I mention this because I know you like small cars.
In Normal mode the gas pedal was way too unresponsive for my tastes, and it felt like the steering was better in sport mode too.
Ultimately, the distance to the nearest dealer and the firmer ride of the Mini, which I actually prefer, led me away from the 500. But I still love the look and look forward to seeing them on the street. :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Little background. This is my bosses car and he offered to lend it to me for a week to see if I wanted to buy it. It is a '95 with only 26,000 miles. He usually keeps in in storage and gets it out for the summers. I wonder if it just needs new tranny oil. He has probably never changed that - given the mileage.
BTW it is a hoot to drive. Reminds me of a Triumph Spitfire I drove some in high school. Sure is a chore to get in and out, but that adds to the experience.
How's that Fiat 500 in a crosswind? Sandman says it's a handful for him.
the Fiat is certainly cheaper than the Mini. A loaded MINI can bust $30K!
match-rev is very cool, though.
"Six speeds? .....oh, well... I have SEVEN"
top gear rpm at 60 mph is just about 1,100 rpm. 6,600 rpm = 360 mph theoretical max speed
6th gear is about 1,300 rpm for a 305 max speed.
5th gear is about 1,900 rpm for a 208 max speed.
My money is on 5th gear as 6th and 7th are clearly too tall get get the revs up where the power is.
My second choice would have been a Fiesta, which impressed me when I rented one in AZ.
As an aside, the current 500 was introduced in Europe for the 2007 model year, so it's a proven design. I read that Fiat is in the process of deciding whether the next new 500 will be roughly the same size as the current one, to satisfy European tastes and most other markets, or larger, which is apparently what Americans would prefer. I would vote for keeping it the same size, since there are far more choices in larger vehicles than there are in sub-compacts.
And lower maintenance too, would be my guess. The MINI would win in the subjective "fun-to-drive" attribute.
Also, do not -- DO NOT - mash the gas, unless all wheels are pointed straight forward.... geez...
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They are crazy - the 5-door is by far the best-selling WRX trim. And certainly the one I would want.
And no 7-speed manual - too bad! ;-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
The stick shift has steadily lost ground to automatic transmissions and now makes up about four per cent of new vehicles sales in the U.S. - down from eight per cent in 2003, said Jeremy Acevedo, auto analyst at Edmunds.com."
While manual cars are more common on European roads, they are on track to become virtually extinct in North America over the next 15 to 20 years."
Standard fans shift on (windsorstar.com)
Granted, automatic trannies are getting better and better, but it saddens me to see how restrictive manual offerings have become. I love the fact that you can still get a fully loaded Fiesta with a MT, and, last I looked, you can do the same for a Focus, but few others offer such versatility. If that stays the case, I may be driving Fords for a long, long time.
As long as it is always 15 years away I am fine with it.
In the few manual shift models left out there from American or Japanese manufacturers, you are forced to choose the sport model or the cheapest stripped model to get the stick. The sport model with the hard suspension and big rims won't be the cup of tea of very many people, and so the popularity of the stick will wane even more... :-(
I am actually mildly intrigued to see how long Ford sticks it out offering the ST trims on these cars with only a manual for the transmission choice. I am betting it won't be long, more's the pity. I will have to get one while the getting is good (if I don't renew my relationship with the Civic SI - also available ONLY with a stick - once more).
I am still slightly hopeful that VW will continue to bring manual shifters to the U.S. because they sell so many in Europe, but even with them we see now the Americanization of their line with the Passat designed and built in America, and with very limited manual availability.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
So one question might be: why would (any) an oem offer an M/T if no one buys them? The other way to look at it would be: IF the majority of Porsche owners 75% + buy A/T's. They would be dumb to have projected incorrectly to have say 26% M/T's.
..."Michael Schätzle, project manager of the new 911, said so in an interview with Automobile, citing sales figures that say 78 percent of the seventh-generation 911 sold with the PDK dual-clutch automatic."...
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2012/02/porsche-911-manual-transmission-phase- d-out-maybe.html
..."While he doesn’t see a future for the stick-shift 911, Schätzle also doesn’t forecast total extinction for the manual transmission anytime soon. He believes budget-minded European customers will keep the demand for cheap, stick-shift economy cars high. Perhaps that’s little consolation for enthusiasts in America, where manuals are most popular in pricier sports cars, but at least we have this: despite his role in 911 development, Schätzle is adamant that his prediction isn’t the official word. “This is a personal opinion,” he said. “No decision has been made.”"...
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/porsche-engineer-predicts-manual-transmission-91- - 1-could-die-by-2020-111057.html
The writing is on the wall that manual offerings will only continue to decline, but that's what people want, right?! LOL :sick:
Defacto and INDEED.
There has to be a demand for any oem to produce them.
Another is despite lower costs to produce M/T's: A/T's. CVT's, DSG's, etc. can and DO charge a premium, even as the majority specify them as non standard but STANDARD (majority) equipment. Indeed that might be the real utility of offering a M/T, aka standard transmission.
and the Shelby GT 500, of course. Sharp car!
and sat in a Focus ST.
so out of the 6-8 cars in the showroom, of the 4 I actually looked at, 3 were sticks! Only the Fusion was a 2 pedaler.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
but yeah, they tend to be rare for in stock, and you have to do some hunting usually. Or just order what you want and wait for it to come in (if you can invest the time!)
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
(Fwiw, the cruze LS gets the same mpg as the sonic, and not that much more $, and is way bigger, and has a dreamy shifter/6-speed, super-easy clutch.).
my GF rented a Fiat 500 for a week - hated it!
it felt like a toy, felt unsafe driving. (she is not a 'car person' so it was surprising to see such a strong/negative reaction...)
btw, she's 5' 8"and drives a camry now instead.
another friend of mine is very interested in the fiat 500, not sure if he rented one yet however. he's 5'4" and his daily-driver is the little/sporty scion .
They sound like fun to me (not the automatic).
I'll probably only put a couple of thousand miles a year on it so it should last me 20+ years. Very happy. I'll have a nice MT as long as I want one. Cleared out a space in the garage for it yesterday.
Getting in is very interesting. Squat down on your left leg till your but is barely off the ground then slide over. Much easier with the top down - just stand in and plop down. All adds to the charm. Really feels like a time machine - real knobs and buttons and you actually open the door with the key.
Miatas are tight. I would have to modify the seat to own one.