Manuals Comprise 20 Percent Of All New USDM Models Available For Sale

Cameron Aubernon
by Cameron Aubernon

Enjoy rowing your own instead of allowing Skynet to do the shifting? If you’re in the United States, your manual transmission options are few.

Jalopnik‘s commentariat-driven Oppositelock recently compiled a list of every vehicle sold in the U.S. that has a manual transmission. Of note, nearly every subcompact and compact model gives the right to shift to the driver, including the Chevrolet Sonic, Fiat 500, Ford Fiesta, Mitsubishi Mirage, Nissan Versa and Kia Soul.

Among the midsizers, only five have manuals: Buick Regal, Honda Accord, Mazda6, and Volkswagen CC and Passat. SUVs, crossovers and trucks didn’t do so well, either, with most offerings found among Jeep, Mazda, Subaru and Mitsubishi models, and only one big truck — the Ram HD — standing with the mid-size pickups in the manual game.

Finally, quite a few sports cars landed on the row-row-your-car list, including the Audi R8, Chevrolet Corvette, Dodge Viper, Mazda MX5 Miata and Porsche 911, while a handful of luxury models — Cadillac’s ATS and Infiniti’s Q60 among them — threw down for the cause.

In total, 50 of 265 models sold in the U.S. come with manuals, making up 20 percent of the market in 2015. Most of the automakers offer them on 30 to 40 percent of their vehicles, while Mazda, Jeep, Subaru, Mitsubishi and Volkswagen offer one on over 50 percent of their respective lineups.

Cameron Aubernon
Cameron Aubernon

Seattle-based writer, blogger, and photographer for many a publication. Born in Louisville. Raised in Kansas. Where I lay my head is home.

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  • 210delray 210delray on Feb 27, 2015

    I don't think manual transmission cars have to be crash tested separately, but they definitely require separate emissions and fuel economy testing. I really wanted to get a car with a 6-speed manual (the Scion FR-S was very tempting when it first came out). But...I recently purchased 2 new cars with CVTs, so I'm holding on to my 1998 Nissan Frontier with 5-speed manual as long as possible!

  • Kevin Jaeger Kevin Jaeger on Feb 28, 2015

    Like many things when it comes to automotive tastes, this angst about disappearing manual transmissions should come with a disclaimer that we're only talking about the American market. Americans don't buy manuals and the government mandates expensive emission testing of every drivetrain combo so manufacturers stop offering them - in the US. There's no shortage of manuals - even from American manufacturers. They're just not for sale in the US. You can buy your Fusion wagon with a manual transmission - it's just called a Moneo Estate. You can even get a Ford Edge with a manual. You'll just have to buy it outside America.

    • See 3 previous
    • Ptschett Ptschett on Mar 02, 2015

      @danio3834 I enjoyed 4.5 years with my 2010 Challenger R/T (27F, 6-speed manual), but not enough for me to specify the same transmission again for my very-nearly-here 2015 Challenger R/T (28B, 8-speed automatic). I honestly have found a stick-shift in a car to be tremendously over-rated after owning a motorcycle.

  • Tjh8402 Tjh8402 on Feb 28, 2015

    This list has a big asterick on it - namely that some of these are only available in select trims and packages. The Versa Note is only available as a no options stripper - and by stripper I mean no cruise control. Cadillac will only sell you a manual with the 2.0t, not the 3.6. The Civic EX sedan is auto only. If you want a V6 with a MT in an Accord, be ready to forgo 2 doors. Kudos to Ford and Mazda for generally letting manual proliferate. When I was car shopping in Fall 2011, I looked at the then new 2012 Focuses and Mazda 3 skyactives. At the time, neither would sell their respecitve top trimiline (Focus Titanium or Mazda 3i Grand Touring) with a stick. Both dealerships told me they couldn't even make it work as a special order. I bought something else (a used BMW). The next year both changed their offerings. Glad I didn't compromise, I would've been kicking myself.

  • Focal Focal on Mar 02, 2015

    I will enjoy my manuals until the end. I currently drive a RWD 328i because the AWD version was auto only. The one or two days a year where the snow is too much, I take public transit. Small price to pay. I put my money where it's still offered. Have since I started to drive from my '68 Civic to the REALLY good '92 Camry, '97 Jetta GLX VR6, '01 Jetta 1.8T, '04 BMW 545i, '13 BMW 328i and soon Porsche Cayman GT4 (deposit placed). I'm less of a purist when it comes to N.A. or Turbo, but looking forward to keeping the GT4 for eternity and trust that I can still get a 3 series or a VW in a 6MT for at least one more generation of cars.

    • Banker43 Banker43 on Mar 02, 2015

      Focal, I was disappointed about the auto-only 328 X-drive too, so I looked at the 2014 A4 Quattro with the six-speed manual. This upstate NY winter has been rough. Drifting the A4 in the snow is about the only good to come out of it! Value vs the 328 was pretty good, too. No regrets.

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