19 hours Ago By [email protected] (Shane Schmid)
The manual gearbox, four on the floor, and stick shift are all terms used to describe a dying breed of automobile. According to CarMax , more than 25% of vehicles sold in 1995 included a manual transmission, but by 2020, the overall percentage had plummeted to just 2.4%.
A 2022 U.S. News and World Report study, via The Wall Street Journal , discovered that as few as 18% of Americans can even drive a manual car.
Unfortunately for those unfamiliar, there are many benefits to owning a vehicle with a stick shift, most notably a more tactile connection between driver and engine. Manuals can be more fun, because they offer a greater amount of control over performance, particularly in potent sports cars. Sadly, the automotive industry is offering fewer stick shift enabled vehicles each year, and the following are some of the latest casualties to the encroaching monopoly of automatic transmissions.
Worse still, driving a stick shift transmission has been made easier with modern cars . Originally launching in 1959, the idea of the MINI automobile was to capture as much functionality and fuel efficiency as possible into a budget-friendly compact car. The Mini Cooper was reintroduced in early 2002 by automaker BMW after acquiring the brand.
This compact car is most known for its quirky but unique looks, and sporty maneuverability, ideal for zipping around congested metro areas. And over the years there has been an option for either an automatic or manual transmission, until now. For 2025, Mini debuted the fourth generation of Cooper's with some notable changes, including a single seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission option.
The standard 2-door model offers 161 horsepower from under the hood, and can manage zero-to-60 mph in a snappy 7.4 seconds. The Cooper S features a bit more muscle, generating 201 horsepower with a 2.
0-liter turbocharged inline-four engine and a Go-Kart driving mode, which prevents the transmission from shifting as quickly, allowing you to get some higher revs. We got a closer look with our 2025 MINI Cooper S Convertible first drive and found the top-down experience a delight. However, we did note that the back seats may be a bit uncomfortable for taller folks.
In 2020, Jeep unveiled the Gladiator, which blends the versatility of a pickup, with the off-road prowess and style queues from the iconic Wrangler. Although this model is hardly the automaker's first pickup truck, nor is it even the first Gladiator, as Jeep offered it previously from the early '60s through the late '80s. But, even if the concept isn't completely new, engineers did design the new Gladiator from scratch, instead of simply cobbling together some kind of Frankenstein mixture of existing parts.
The 2025 comes equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine, four-wheel drive, heavy-duty axles, an available 4.10 axle ratio, and a beefed-up rugged suspension system, among many other features.
Unfortunately, the one notable absence in the lineup was the previous year's six-speed manual transmission. In its place, you'll only find an eight-speed automatic, which could be a benefit, depending on what type of off-roading you plan on doing. While a manual transmission can help slow the vehicle on steep downgrades, an automatic can more easily maintain slower speeds with more precise maneuvers like rock-crawling.
However, this unique vehicle now starts at over $38,000 for the four-wheel drive sport, leading some to look into cheaper alternatives to the Jeep Gladiator . German automaker Volkswagen debuted the first Jetta in 1979, a compact and efficient sedan of the time, that appealed to drivers looking to save money. The Jetta has since spanned several decades, sold in excess of 17 million units across the globe, and is in its seventh generation.
The latest iteration of this sporty compact sedan shares a platform with the Golf, which is widely considered one of the major catalysts for the creation of the hot hatch genre. The 2025 Volkswagen Jetta comes equipped with a 1.5-liter turbo inline-4 engine that pushes out 158 horsepower.
However, gone is the option for a six-speed manual transmission, now replaced by an eight-speed automatic. The removal of a stick shift option is especially disappointing, given our 2023 Volkswagen Jetta Sport review , where we found the clutch and shifter so well implemented and accessible. This iteration of the Jetta is likely an ideal car for those learning to drive a manual transmission .
Fortunately, during our 2025 VW Jetta GLI review, we discovered that the 6-speed manual is still alive and well at Volkswagen. Unfortunately, the Jetta GLI starts at $32,715, which is more than $10,000 over the standard Jetta. The Kia Forte launched in 2010 as an affordable compact sedan with an available fuel economy package.
While there were always several trim choices in the lineup, it wasn't until 2020 that the GT version showed up. Sporting a 1.6-liter turbo inline-4 engine, the budget-friendly sedan could generate 201 horsepower and was offered with a 6-speed manual transmission.
When we got behind the wheel for our 2024 Kia Forte GT review , we smiled at the potent punch of the turbo engine, but felt the exterior could've been more exciting. Enter 2025, and the Forte is out, with the K4 attempting to fill its shoes. We observed during our 2025 Kia K4 first drive , that while this new sedan is eye-catching, it's also larger and heavier than the Forte, forcing us to conclude the available turbo engine upgrade is certainly worth it.
The GT-Line trim, which includes a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, generates 190 horsepower and includes paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Unfortunately, unlike last year's Forte GT, the top performance K4 trim only offers an eight-speed automatic and starts around $3,000 higher than its predecessor.
From humble beginnings in the early '70s as a budget compact, the Honda Civic has been going strong ever since. Now in its 11th generation, the Civic sold more than 242,000 units in 2024 alone. The 2025 Civic Hatchback comes with three trim options, two of which include hybrid powertrains.
The Sport, the only non-hybrid model, comes equipped with an inline-4 engine that outputs 150 horsepower. For 2025, the Hatchback includes either a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with paddle shifters, or an electronic continuously variable transmission (E-CVT) for the hybrid offerings. Our 2025 Honda Civic Hatchback hybrid first drive showcased that even without a stick-shift, the automaker continues to produce compact cars that offer an entertaining experience behind the wheel.
In terms of the now discontinued manual transmission, one expert review noted that the clutch felt just right, and it enabled seamless shifting, that along with nimble handling, made the Civic Hatchback a joy to drive. However, the 2024 model was admittedly pricier than many of its competitors. Fortunately, you can still opt for the Civic Si or Civic Type R, that come packed with a six-speed manual configuration.
Although, with a starting price of $45,895, the Civic Type R is a harder hit to your wallet, and perhaps an unnecessary one. Our 2025 Honda Civic Si review found that its brawny output and superb gearbox made it just the right amount of fun, with less sticker shock than the more expensive Type R at $30,250 MSRP..
