Why A Manual Transmission Isn' t Always Best CarBuzz News Features New Cars Used Cars Sell My Car Shopping Tools Car Reviews Car Finder Compare Cars Best Cars Car Dealerships Used Car Reviews Car Advice Home Features Why A Manual Transmission Isn' t Always Best
Why A Manual Transmission Isn' t Always Best
May. 05, 2018 9:30 AM ET by Jared Rosenholtz Opinion / 35 Comments We absolutely love manuals, but there are some circumstances when they aren't always best. Prepare to get your pitchforks and torches, because we have an unpopular opinion to share - manual transmissions are NOT always the best option. There are plenty of cars on the market that are better with an automatic transmission and there are many cars that would be worse if they were offered with a manual. However, instead of focusing on specific cars, we wanted to hone in on why some cars are simply better with two pedals. We still love driving a stick, but here are five reasons why sometimes an automatic is simply the better option. Porsche Limits Options
Since buyers in the US rarely opt for a manual transmission, automakers that still offer it have to make certain concessions to keep costs down. This usually involves limiting the options that can be combined with the manual. Take the new Genesis G70 for example. It will be available with a six-speed manual instead of the eight-speed automatic, but only on the 252-horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder model. The more powerful 365 hp 3.3-liter twin-turbo V6 will be automatic only. Although we love rowing our own gears, sometimes sacrificing power for a manual transmission isn't worth it. Genesis Automatics Shift Faster
Manual transmissions used to hold the advantage in speed, but automatics and dual-clutches are now much faster. Enthusiasts who love to set the fastest times around a race track or down a drag strip are opting for the slower car if they buy the manual. Some enthusiasts may be willing to sacrifice a few tenths of a second for the pleasure of driving a manual, but the performance divide is only increasing as automatics continue to get better. Chevrolet Chevrolet Good Luck Finding One
One of the worst aspects of buying a manual transmission in today's market is simply finding one. Go down to your local BMW dealership and you'll be lucky to find a single manual car on the lot. If you do manage to find the car you are looking for, it is almost never exactly how you want to option it, so you have to wait and order one from the factory. Sometimes you can get lucky and find the one manual car that has been sitting on the lot waiting for a buyer, but these opportunities are becoming rare. No Adaptive Cruise Control
Driving a manual transmission comes with several sacrifices such as comfort in traffic, and fuel economy. One of the more recent disadvantages to a manual transmission is the inability to use adaptive cruise control to its full potential. When we reviewed the Volkswagen Golf R in Los Angeles, we were happy to have sampled the six-speed DSG instead of the six-speed manual. While the manual can still use adaptive cruise control, it can't bring the car all the way down to a stop, which is a huge benefit of adaptive cruise control. Automatics Can Be More Fun
Enthusiasts remain dedicated to the manual transmission because it is more fun that driving an automatic. However, we don't think this is always the case. As with automatic transmissions, there are both good and bad manual transmissions on the market. The manual in the 911 GT3 is pretty darn good, but the manual in the Hyundai Elantra isn't anything to write home about. Manual diehards can whine all they want, but we bet the majority of them would rather drive an automatic Camaro ZL1 instead of a manual Toyota Corolla. Sometimes a manual transmission just feels mushy and uninspiring, which is why automatics are sometimes better. Chevrolet Join The Discussion
Show Comments (35) Gallery
11 Photos Tags: #Genesis News #Engine #Opinion Related Cars
Genesis G70 Jared Rosenholtz Editor-at-Large After graduating with an MBA, Jared pursued his love of cars by becoming an automotive journalist. An internship with CarBuzz grew into his current position as Editor At Large. Jared now spends most of his time evaluating new vehicles and chasing the latest news stories in the automotive industry. When he’s not attending Cars & Coffee events on the weekend, Jared loves to watch NFL football and cruise around with the top down in his German convertible. Contact Jared @Carsnbites @jar_rosenholtz LoginSign Up Home News Features Car Reviews Car Advice 2021 CarBuzz Awards New Cars Used Cars Future Cars Compare Cars Sell My Car Car Dealerships Buy Here Pay Here Used Car Reviews Popular Tags Cars # Video # TOP # Spy Shots # Reveal # Rumor # Auto Show # Supercar # Tuning # Car Culture # Industry News # Motorsport Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Make Acura Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Audi Bentley BMW Bollinger Bugatti Buick Cadillac Caterham Chevrolet Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Fisker Ford Genesis GMC Hennessey Honda Hyundai Infiniti Jaguar Jeep Karma Kia Koenigsegg Lamborghini Land Rover Lexus Lincoln Lordstown Lotus Lucid Motors Maserati Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Mini Mitsubishi Nissan Pagani Polestar Porsche Ram Rimac Rivian Rolls-Royce Spyker Subaru Tesla Toyota Volkswagen Volvo By Car Type SUVs Crossovers Sedans Coupes Trucks Sports Cars Wagons Vans Hatchbacks Convertibles Small Cars Luxury Cars Electric Cars Hybrid Cars Future Cars By Price Up to $15K $15K - $25K $25K - $35K $35K - $45K $45K - $55K $55K - $75K $75K - $100K $100K - $200K $200K - $300K Above $300K Back To Top