The manual transmission was once the default, with automatics seen as a luxury or convenience option. Eventually, the tide shifted because the great unwashed wanted autos. Manuals are still hanging on in the market, but they’re getting thin on the ground. Today we’re going to look at the manuals that are still available in the […]
Meanwhile, here I am in the UK, just spent 3 months finding a used car for an affordable price with automatic transmission. The UK has 2 stages of full licence, Full and Automatic, full you can drive both manual and automatic, Automatic…well, enough said. I’m Canadian, got my licence in Canada. When I exchanged it for a UK licence I was stuck with an Automatic licence as Canada doesn’t differentiate on their licences and I couldn’t prove that I had tested on a manual transmission car. I also couldn’t be bothered to retake the driving test in a manual car. Tests are still in backlog from the pandemic as well, so it’d be probably a 6 month wait where I am before I could actually take the test.
All this to say, manual transmission is alive and well in the UK.
I lived in Germany for a couple years, about a decade and a half ago, and was hard-pressed to find automatic cars anywhere. My German neighbors all told me there was no point in paying for that “luxury” when the standard manual cars do just fine. So I guess that drives home the point that us Americans are lazy and willing to pay more for the convenience.
I exclusively drive stick-shift, so it was great to have options in Germany (and most of the EU I traveled through), but moving back to America made it difficult to find manual cars. I didn’t realize the 5-speed manuals were going out of style. I actually drive a 6-speed right now, the first I’ve ever owned, but it’s a touring edition so I thought it was just part of the upgrade. Didn’t realize 6-speed is standard for almost all manuals in the US now.
If I could afford the time to go and get upgraded to a manual licence it would make purchasing a car way cheaper. And I also find manual more engaging to drive.
That’s standard in the US too, except almost no one tests with a manual car. Why make the test harder on yourself? They don’t test how well you understand your own vehicle, just that you can drive it safely on public roads while recognizing signs and performing good driver’s etiquette. Might as well test with an automatic and have less things to focus on during the test.
Once you earn your license, then you can take the time to figure out how to drive a manual with the help of a friend/family member. That is, if you even care to learn. Most Americans don’t drive stick, and many never learn how.
I drive manuals exclusively. It’s a good way to ensure your car never gets stolen in the US. Most people can’t drive them, so you’re almost guaranteed to never lose your car.
I suppose it makes sense in a country where almost nobody drives manual. In my home country (Iceland), you can only get a license if you learn how to drive stick shift. Probably because manual is way more common in Iceland than the US.
Yep. I did both of my tests on manual vehicles, one a VW hatch and the other an old farm truck, simply because it’s what I had available. Under the UK/EU system I guess I would have an extra endorsement, but it makes absolutely no difference in Canada.
Yep, the manual test is significantly harder, so everyone tests on automatic, but drives manual if that’s what they want. At least in BC where I’m from.
Meanwhile, here I am in the UK, just spent 3 months finding a used car for an affordable price with automatic transmission. The UK has 2 stages of full licence, Full and Automatic, full you can drive both manual and automatic, Automatic…well, enough said. I’m Canadian, got my licence in Canada. When I exchanged it for a UK licence I was stuck with an Automatic licence as Canada doesn’t differentiate on their licences and I couldn’t prove that I had tested on a manual transmission car. I also couldn’t be bothered to retake the driving test in a manual car. Tests are still in backlog from the pandemic as well, so it’d be probably a 6 month wait where I am before I could actually take the test.
All this to say, manual transmission is alive and well in the UK.
I lived in Germany for a couple years, about a decade and a half ago, and was hard-pressed to find automatic cars anywhere. My German neighbors all told me there was no point in paying for that “luxury” when the standard manual cars do just fine. So I guess that drives home the point that us Americans are lazy and willing to pay more for the convenience.
I exclusively drive stick-shift, so it was great to have options in Germany (and most of the EU I traveled through), but moving back to America made it difficult to find manual cars. I didn’t realize the 5-speed manuals were going out of style. I actually drive a 6-speed right now, the first I’ve ever owned, but it’s a touring edition so I thought it was just part of the upgrade. Didn’t realize 6-speed is standard for almost all manuals in the US now.
If I could afford the time to go and get upgraded to a manual licence it would make purchasing a car way cheaper. And I also find manual more engaging to drive.
Wait so you could take your license on either a manual or automatic and the Canadian system gives you the same license? That’s strange.
That’s standard in the US too, except almost no one tests with a manual car. Why make the test harder on yourself? They don’t test how well you understand your own vehicle, just that you can drive it safely on public roads while recognizing signs and performing good driver’s etiquette. Might as well test with an automatic and have less things to focus on during the test.
Once you earn your license, then you can take the time to figure out how to drive a manual with the help of a friend/family member. That is, if you even care to learn. Most Americans don’t drive stick, and many never learn how.
I drive manuals exclusively. It’s a good way to ensure your car never gets stolen in the US. Most people can’t drive them, so you’re almost guaranteed to never lose your car.
I suppose it makes sense in a country where almost nobody drives manual. In my home country (Iceland), you can only get a license if you learn how to drive stick shift. Probably because manual is way more common in Iceland than the US.
Yep. I did both of my tests on manual vehicles, one a VW hatch and the other an old farm truck, simply because it’s what I had available. Under the UK/EU system I guess I would have an extra endorsement, but it makes absolutely no difference in Canada.
Yep, the manual test is significantly harder, so everyone tests on automatic, but drives manual if that’s what they want. At least in BC where I’m from.