The Future Of The Manual Transmission

Tried to find a manual Fit but there aren't any in town. The automatic was gutless.
 
We drove a 2.4l Matrix Friday. Nippononly called his Matrix shifter "TOTALLY uninspiring" last month, but we were impressed. The shifter position looked odd since it seems to hang off the dash instead of living on the floor, but it felt very natural.
 
Today we drove a 5 speed Scion xD and a 6 speed Nissan Versa. The 6 speed almost felt like overkill.
 
Next up would be a 1.8l Matrix or Vibe. The MAZDA3 isn't on the list because of the poor crash test results unless my wife rethinks that.
 
I drove a friend's manual ECHO for an hour a year ago, and tooled around in a Miata for 10 minutes one day last summer so shifting drive time has been very limited since we owned a stick ten years ago. It took about a minute to readjust.

Replies to this message:
• isellhondas (Oct 26, 2008 2:10 pm)
  • steve_ (Oct 26, 2008 5:15 pm)
    • p0926 (Oct 28, 2008 8:01 am) and 1 more...

Replying to: steve_ (Oct 26, 2008 1:43 pm)

Replies to this message:
• steve_ (Oct 26, 2008 5:15 pm)
  • p0926 (Oct 28, 2008 8:01 am)
    • steve_ (Oct 28, 2008 1:27 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (Oct 26, 2008 2:10 pm)

Well, counting my wife, that makes two.people. We were both surprised that the test drive route took us on the interstate.
 
The other interesting thing about hitting three dealers this weekend (for literally the first time since 1999), was how good every sales guy we had was. All of them knew their product, none of them was pushy, and only one guy bothered to write down driver's license info. The Honda guy didn't even ask to see our licenses.

Replies to this message:
• p0926 (Oct 28, 2008 8:01 am)
  • steve_ (Oct 28, 2008 1:27 pm)

Replying to: steve_ (Oct 26, 2008 5:15 pm)

The Honda guy didn't even ask to see our licenses.
 
Seniors are considered a very low liability risk

Replies to this message:
• steve_ (Oct 28, 2008 1:27 pm)

Replying to: p0926 (Oct 28, 2008 8:01 am)

I kept my AARP card well hid.
 
(American Automotive Racing Party)

3-pedal cars are on the rise!
 

Replies to this message:
• nippononly (Nov 08, 2008 10:20 am)
  • plekto (Nov 09, 2008 10:08 am)
    • boaz47 (Nov 09, 2008 12:33 pm)
    • andys120 (Nov 09, 2008 2:13 pm) and 4 more...

Replying to: steve_ (Nov 08, 2008 10:14 am)

Woo hoo! That's the kind of news I like! Of course, there are a few caveats in there:
 
1. Some people still buy them for performance, hence the high take rate on Mustangs and the new Camaro pre-orders.
 
2. You HAVE to buy the manual in some models to get the special high-fuel-economy trim. The new Cobalt XFE is that way, and of course the news item itself was spurred by the high level of interest that GM is suddenly seeing in manuals.
 
3. This is still fairly discouraging, given that it comes from Hurst:
Nate Shelton, chairman of Hurst Performance Vehicles, doesn't disagree about stick shift's long-term potential, but says the brand has new life based on fond memories. "I think manual transmissions are probably not long-lived," he says. The shifter's appeal is mostly "buying them because of their nostalgia factor."
 
I still say the manual will hang around in many sporty applications for the next 40 years (which is all I care about), especially among small-engined applications. And I bet it has at least 20 years to go in small commute cars. There, I am putting some hard numbers on it!

Replies to this message:
• plekto (Nov 09, 2008 10:08 am)
  • boaz47 (Nov 09, 2008 12:33 pm)
  • andys120 (Nov 09, 2008 2:13 pm)
    • boaz47 (Nov 09, 2008 3:31 pm) and 3 more...

Replying to: nippononly (Nov 08, 2008 10:20 am)

Replies to this message:
• boaz47 (Nov 09, 2008 12:33 pm)
• andys120 (Nov 09, 2008 2:13 pm)
  • boaz47 (Nov 09, 2008 3:31 pm)
    • plekto (Nov 10, 2008 8:09 am) and 1 more...

Replying to: plekto (Nov 09, 2008 10:08 am)