Autos used to be more expensive/less efficient. Called "slush boxes". Great for wide open american highways. Manuals used to just be the base option, its why they're called a "Standard transmission" to older folks.
Europe maintained manuals because they used to provide better fuel economy because you'd get two more gears and optimize yourself rather than letting hydraulic valve computers figure it out. The main crowd for autos in europe were older folks or disabled folks, so manuals maintained popularity as a signal you weren't old.
Additionally, if you like machines, mechanics, operating machines and contraptions, etc, the manual transmission is very enjoyable.
It's hard to explain to someone who's already apathetic about cars/mechanical things but there's a deeply satisfying sensation with feeling the engine connected to the wheels through the controls. Need to pass a truck kicking up rocks? clutch-in, blip of gas, shift down, catch the revs before they fall, clutch-out, gas down.
It's a ritual basically, few rituals make sense. Personally i love controlling the machine and getting better at controlling it.
I don't get the video-game controller ad-on. Nerds like to say EVs don't need transmissions due to instant torque but its BS and electric motors have efficiency ranges just like gas motors. You can attach a traditional manual transmission to an electric motor and operate it nearly exactly the same. The efficiency difference would be equivalent to a roof rack causing drag.
automatics are like golf carts. some people love golf carts. one pedal faster, one pedal slower. that's about all americans are expected to know in order to get a license and start running over pedestrians in the all new 2024 Chevy Gargantoid XLT.
manual gearing lets one use engine breaking to reduce friction on the break pads, chose the level of acceleration/torque based on their current situation, and just generally be more in control of the vehicle which is major when dealing with inclines.
they got rid of 99% of economy manuals for the american market, because a manual won't let the driver shove triple decker bacon cheeseburgers into their bespittled and foamy maw while blowing through a red light and jumping the curb cut in front of Chuck E. Cheese.
And in racing nobody has used a stick shift and a clutch in at least a decade - paddle shifters can give you a perfect up or down shift every single time at the push of a button without taking your hands off the wheel, so why risk making a mistake by messing around with a clutch? Even fast motorcycles have hopped on this train (unlike with other car advancements where they took decades to adopt it), making the clutch basically only used when you're doing specific off-road things.
But I like shifting anyway. It makes driving more fun, which is also the reason why I switched to a motorcycle for my commutes, because that's more fun than any car could be.
Manual is only better for racing (shifting based on conditions more than just rpm, and weight) and for looking cool.
I like having the option to sit at higher RPM if I expect to need it in the next few seconds. If I'm stuck in the right lane of a packed highway and there's an onramp ahead where people are going to merge like idiots. If I'm about to pass somebody. Autos can't read your mind, so they will always have a nonzero delay starting once you put the pedal to the floor.
Of course this is not relevant to 99% of drive time and paddle shifters do much the same thing. Unfortunately cheap cars don't come with them (or with an option to change the RPM at a certain speed with a CVT, which I think is a terrible wasted opportunity). Electric motors have different transmission needs altogether so I think putting a stick shift on one is stupid.
The automatics and CVTs in cheap cars sold in EU and worldwide markets are trash and more expensive, so no one wants them. It's why manual is more popular in those cars.
currently the cheapest car one can get with the cheapest trim package in the US is a little manual (Nissan Versa S). it's the last of the gas sipping manuals here, and apparently it's like pulling teeth to get the dealership to actually sell one, because they try to upsell to the autos/CVTs, which are all junk. all the other manuals are "performance" models for people to crash into each other with at car meets.
I prefer having more to do while driving. It's like listening to music while cleaning or studying. Driving gets really boring most of the time, needing to shift helps keep it interesting.
I'll never understand people's obsession with manual. Why is it even so popular in Europe just drive an automatic whats the problem?
Oooh my car must be marginally more complicated to drive cos it makes me feel special. Get in your oversized go kart and shut up.
Edit: I diagnose you all with terminal car brain, its untreatable sorry
Autos used to be more expensive/less efficient. Called "slush boxes". Great for wide open american highways. Manuals used to just be the base option, its why they're called a "Standard transmission" to older folks.
Europe maintained manuals because they used to provide better fuel economy because you'd get two more gears and optimize yourself rather than letting hydraulic valve computers figure it out. The main crowd for autos in europe were older folks or disabled folks, so manuals maintained popularity as a signal you weren't old.
Additionally, if you like machines, mechanics, operating machines and contraptions, etc, the manual transmission is very enjoyable.
It's hard to explain to someone who's already apathetic about cars/mechanical things but there's a deeply satisfying sensation with feeling the engine connected to the wheels through the controls. Need to pass a truck kicking up rocks? clutch-in, blip of gas, shift down, catch the revs before they fall, clutch-out, gas down.
It's a ritual basically, few rituals make sense. Personally i love controlling the machine and getting better at controlling it.
I don't get the video-game controller ad-on. Nerds like to say EVs don't need transmissions due to instant torque but its BS and electric motors have efficiency ranges just like gas motors. You can attach a traditional manual transmission to an electric motor and operate it nearly exactly the same. The efficiency difference would be equivalent to a roof rack causing drag.
Yeah just bolt the electronic motor to a manual transmission for the enthusiasts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=56W6_gXaZMQ
This group in Thailand tied three sorta budget electric motors together, glued on a sequential gearbox, and maintained the clutch.
automatics are like golf carts. some people love golf carts. one pedal faster, one pedal slower. that's about all americans are expected to know in order to get a license and start running over pedestrians in the all new 2024 Chevy Gargantoid XLT.
manual gearing lets one use engine breaking to reduce friction on the break pads, chose the level of acceleration/torque based on their current situation, and just generally be more in control of the vehicle which is major when dealing with inclines.
they got rid of 99% of economy manuals for the american market, because a manual won't let the driver shove triple decker bacon cheeseburgers into their bespittled and foamy maw while blowing through a red light and jumping the curb cut in front of Chuck E. Cheese.
In 3% of potential scenarios/ .0001% of your driving time - manual transmission used to be better than automatic.
That was in the 1980s.
Manual is only better for racing (shifting based on conditions more than just rpm, and weight) and for looking cool.
Every automatic transmission has options for extra torque mode for hauling.
And in racing nobody has used a stick shift and a clutch in at least a decade - paddle shifters can give you a perfect up or down shift every single time at the push of a button without taking your hands off the wheel, so why risk making a mistake by messing around with a clutch? Even fast motorcycles have hopped on this train (unlike with other car advancements where they took decades to adopt it), making the clutch basically only used when you're doing specific off-road things.
But I like shifting anyway. It makes driving more fun, which is also the reason why I switched to a motorcycle for my commutes, because that's more fun than any car could be.
That’s the valid reason! It’s fun!
It’s also why they are adding it to these cars. It’s fun. Even if it is very silly in context.
I like having the option to sit at higher RPM if I expect to need it in the next few seconds. If I'm stuck in the right lane of a packed highway and there's an onramp ahead where people are going to merge like idiots. If I'm about to pass somebody. Autos can't read your mind, so they will always have a nonzero delay starting once you put the pedal to the floor.
Of course this is not relevant to 99% of drive time and paddle shifters do much the same thing. Unfortunately cheap cars don't come with them (or with an option to change the RPM at a certain speed with a CVT, which I think is a terrible wasted opportunity). Electric motors have different transmission needs altogether so I think putting a stick shift on one is stupid.
The automatics and CVTs in cheap cars sold in EU and worldwide markets are trash and more expensive, so no one wants them. It's why manual is more popular in those cars.
currently the cheapest car one can get with the cheapest trim package in the US is a little manual (Nissan Versa S). it's the last of the gas sipping manuals here, and apparently it's like pulling teeth to get the dealership to actually sell one, because they try to upsell to the autos/CVTs, which are all junk. all the other manuals are "performance" models for people to crash into each other with at car meets.
Cheap Nissan CVTs 😬😬😬😬🥶🥶
They probably destroy themselves if the driver applies more than 50% throttle
I prefer having more to do while driving. It's like listening to music while cleaning or studying. Driving gets really boring most of the time, needing to shift helps keep it interesting.