New cars with manual transmission
It's getting so hard to find cars with manual transmission. I'm looking for a new 2014 or 2015 car with leather seats and manual transmission. There are some Crossovers which only have the base model with manual, thus no leather seats:
- Mitsubishi Outlander Sport
- Mazda CX-5 Sport
- Nissan Juke Nismo
- Volkswagen Tiguan
Then there some cars that are smaller than what I'm looking for:
- Hyundai Elantra GT
- Kia Forte5 SX
- Mini Countryman/Paceman
Then there are a few luxury cars:
- Cadillac ATS
- Audi A4
- Acura TSX/ILX
- BMW 3-series
Subaru has a few with manual transmission too (WRX or low-end of some other models)
Any other manual transmissions out there worth a look? Particularly on the luxury or smaller SUV side of things.
Best Answer
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clachnit
Member Posts: 35
Hi, churwitz:
You're right: Pairing leather with a manual transmission does narrow things down. I used Edmunds car finder to see what else might come up. I found the 2014 Cadillac CTS-V wagon--not sure that's big enough for your purposes.
Our editors like it:
Pros
Stunning acceleration; superb handling; surprisingly comfortable ride; generous cargo space; distinctive appearance; reasonable price tag.Cons
Standard front seats lack support; low roof line impedes backseat access and rear visibility; lousy fuel economy with automatic transmission.Another option is the base Porsche Cayenne, which comes with a 6-speed manual; leather seating is an option. I had a chance to drive a Cayenne off-road recently at Porsche Sport Driving School, and it's really quite an amazing -- if pricey -- car.
If you haven't used the car finder already, you can set the price range in the first column and "transmission-manual" in the last. (You can also use the center columns to set make and type--but they seem a little funky this morning.)
One thing to note: the finder considers automated manual transmissions, such as you'll find in BMW and Porsche, to be manuals, so you have to sort a little further to find the true manuals. But the Cayenne I noted is an actual 6-speed.
Good luck with your search!
--Carroll Lachnit, features editor, Edmunds.com
7
Answers
One other thing to note is that there may not be too many manual equipped cars on the dealer lots. It may take some searching around but stick with it (no pun intended
My pick of the list would be the Acura TSX. It is soon to be replaced by the TLX (keep that in mind if this is an issue for you) but this means the dealer may be more willing to negotiate to get rid of the existing stock. This car is a nice blend of price, luxury, fuel economy and reliability.
Good luck!
Ron Montoya, Consumer Advice Editor
Hey, rm2008: churwitz found the Acura TSX without any help from me! Great point about its value as an outgoing model!
We've had nothing but manuals in our house since 1979. having to learn to drive a stick really made the kids good drivers as they had to pay attention to what's happening with the car and not just "step and go". I don't know that manuals will ever go away, but I bet the kids will have a harder time finding them down the road!