The Dwindling List of Manual Cars You Can Buy New

Once the standard for all cars, the list of cars available with a manual transmission is shrinking, but still bigger than you think.

byDave Bartosiak|
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The list of cars with manual transmission is dwindling, much to the chagrin of purists across the globe. There is something magical about rowing through the gears of a manual, controlling the power delivery via the clutch, and interacting with the car using both feet. However, technology in automatic transmissions has come a long way and I’m not only talking about the dual-clutch systems like Porche’s PDK. Even in the Corvette, the automatic is faster in a straight line than the available manual.

In a world with traction control, stability control, lane-departure assist, and a thousand other driver-assist technologies I could mention, the old-school standard transmission is going the way of the dodo. But have faith my friends, there are still several auto manufacturers offering up a more analogue solution in this digital world. 

The fun, sporty cars all seem to still have that manual availability. Yes, you can still get a 911 in a manual, you just can’t get the higher-end trims that way. Plenty of zippy cars are on this list like the Mini Coopers and Mazda MX-5 Miata. As for variety, it appears that BMW has the most robust offering with several classes featuring the manual option.

Thanks to Joel Stocksdale of Autoblog for putting together this exhaustive list:

  • Audi A4 (Quattro models only), A5 Coupe (All models)
  • BMW 230i Coupe (RWD only), M240i (RWD only), 320i Sedan (RWD only),330i Sedan (RWD only), 340i Sedan, 430i Coupe (RWD only), 440i Coupe, 430i Gran Coupe (RWD only), M2, M3, M4, M6 Gran Coupe
  • Cadillac ATS (I4 RWD only), ATS-V
  • Chevrolet Camaro, Colorado (Base I4 RWD only), Corvette, Cruze (2018, all trims/engines except Premier), Sonic, Spark
  • Dodge Challenger (V8 only, except Demon)
  • Fiat 124 Spider, 500, 500X (Pop FWD only)
  • Ford Fiesta (All trims/engines except Titanium), Focus sedan (S, SE I3), Focus Hatchback (ST, RS), Mustang
  • Genesis G70 (I4 RWD only)
  • Honda Accord (Sport 1.5L/2.0L), Civic sedan/coupe (LX, EX-T, Si), Civic hatchback (LX, Sport, Type R), Fit, HR-V (LX FWD, EX FWD)
  • Hyundai Accent (SE), Elantra (SE, Sport), Elantra GT, Veloster (2018, Base, Turbo R-Spec, Turbo), Veloster (2019, Base, Turbo R-Spec, Turbo Ultimate, N)
  • Jaguar F-Type (340- and 380-hp V6 RWD only)
  • Jeep Compass (Sport, Latitude, all drivetrains), Renegade (Sport, Latitude, Altitude, all drivetrains), Wrangler JK, Wrangler JL (V6)
  • Kia Forte (LX only), Forte5 (SX only), Rio (LX only), Soul (Base only)
  • Lotus Evora
  • Mazda3, Mazda6 (Sport only), MX-5 Miata
  • Mini Cooper Clubman, Cooper Countryman (All trims/powertrains except S FWD and PHEV), Cooper Hardtop, Cooper Convertible
  • Mitsubishi Mirage (ES only), Outlander Sport (ES only)
  • Nissan 370Z, Frontier (King Cab: S RWD, SV RWD; Crew Cab: S RWD, SV 4WD, Pro-4X), Sentra (S, Nismo Audi A4 (Quattro models only), A5 Coupe (All models)
  • Porsche 718 Boxster, 718 Cayman, 911 (except Turbo S Exclusive, GT3 RS, GT2 RS)
  • Subaru BRZ, Crosstrek (Base and Premium), Impreza (Base only), Forester (2018, Base 2.5L and Premium 2.5L only), WRX/STI
  • Toyota 86, Corolla sedan (SE only), Corolla iM/hatchback, Tacoma (TRD Sport: Access Cab, Double Cab; TRD Off-Road: Double Cab; TRD Pro), iA/sedan, hatchback (L 3-door only)
  • Volkswagen Golf (S, SE, S SportWagen, S 4Motion SportWagen, S Alltrack, SE Alltrack, all GTI, all Golf R), Jetta (2018, 1.4L only), GLI (2018),(2019, S only)
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