Is knowing how to drive stick in America still essential?
#1
2024 Honda Civic Type R
Thread Starter
Is knowing how to drive stick in America still essential?
(CNN) -- When Linda Waterhouse was 16, she went out with a friend who had too much to drink and couldn't drive home. If her friend's car had been an automatic, there wouldn't have been a problem -- but it had a manual transmission.
Luckily, Waterhouse had driven a tractor before, giving her some familiarity with stick-shift driving. She wrestled the car into second gear and managed to drive them home.
Now a mother of three girls, Waterhouse and her husband have already taught two of their daughters to "drive stick."
"You never know when you're going to need the skill," she said.
The ability to drive a car with a manual transmission has long been considered an essential skill, especially for young drivers. Yet decades after Waterhouse's impromptu introduction to stick shifts, changes in the makeup of the automobile and American consumer habits mean mastering the manual may no longer be a practical necessity.
Downshifting: Thinning of manual herd
In the earliest days of the automobile industry, cars came with only one type of transmission: the manual.
After General Motors released the first automatic transmission -- the 1940 Oldsmobile Hydra-Matic -- automobile manufacturers swiftly moved away from manuals. By 1957, 82.7% of American-made cars were equipped with automatic transmissions, according to "Ward's 1958 Automotive Yearbook."
Though manuals have accounted for about 4% of American car sales in recent years, experts were surprised to see the percentage jump almost 3% in the first quarter of 2012, according to a report by Edmunds.com.
The percentages may seem small, but with nearly 12.8 million cars sold in the U.S. last year, those sales add up to more than a half million manuals.
Some manufacturers have inferred that the 6.98% "take rate," or percentage of total cars bought, signifies a manual comeback in the consumer market.
Despite earlier worry about appealing to millennials, Cristi Landry, Chevrolet's small car marketing manager, said General Motors believes there's a future for manuals in the U.S. consumer market. The company has gone so far as to create mechanisms meant to make manuals more appealing to drive, like the rollback-ready Hill Start Assist feature.
Upshifting: comeback or blip?
Chris Terry, a product communications representative for Ford Motors, said that while he's not so sure manuals are making a comeback with average consumers, he believes some people will always want them.
"Most people are just interested in getting from A to B," Terry said.
People who purchase manuals, Terry said, either love the act of driving or are enticed by manuals' historically lower price tag. (Some small cars like the Chevrolet Sonic, however, are more expensive as manuals.)
"Manual transmissions are considered common novelty. In the rest of the world, it just isn't so," Terry said.
If automatics become cheaper in other countries, this may change, he said.
Despite the uptick in manual take rates, not everyone is convinced manuals are making a comeback.
"The U.S. market has been moving away from manuals over the past couple of decades," said Steve Yaeger, Nissan's technology and motorsports communications manager. "We do not see a change in that trend in the foreseeable future."
Nissan, which only offered manual transmissions in 10 of its 19 models in 2011, had an overall manual take rate of 2.1% last year. Just over half of manual sales came from two cars -- the Z Coupe and the Frontier pickup truck.
"It might look like there's a stick-shift revival under way in 2012, but we're not so sure," Edmunds.com Features Editor Carroll Lachnit said. "Fewer manual transmission cars on the road will mean, eventually, that there will be fewer parents or friends who know how to drive them, and so fewer teachers for the next generation."
Pumping the brakes on hype
Manuals, when driven correctly, have traditionally been more fuel efficient than other transmission types, but new transmissions and improvements to automatics have rendered this moot in some models. The automatic Ford Focus gets slightly better gas mileage than its manual counterpart; moreover, new options like continuously variable, dual-clutch and semi-automatic transmissions with paddle shifters, while expensive, can make up for their price tag with fuel efficiency.
"Almost all the high-mpg cars you see advertised on TV, whether they're hybrids or a Chevy Cruze, get their best mileage with one of these other types of transmissions," Cars.com Managing Editor David Thomas said.
It's important to remember that gas prices, while high, have been high for the past few years -- and manual take rates haven't skyrocketed in that period of time.
Where are manuals' advantages?
For some consumers with children, technological advancements in other transmissions are outshined by perceived experiential benefits of the manual.
Margaret Menotti, an account manager in Boston, is wary of teaching new drivers in automatic cars.
"We made both of our children learn to drive on a stick," Menotti said. "And it's still the only thing they drive."
Menotti said the prevalence of manuals overseas was a major factor in her decision.
"It takes time and practice, but it's worth it," said Christina Menotti, Margaret's daughter. "Once it clicks you don't even think about it."
Many parents also falsely believe that having their children drive manuals will keep them safer because it's more difficult to text or talk on the phone while driving. But neither is impossible, and you can't control other drivers on the road.
Multiple federal and state transportation agencies stated accident logs do not differentiate between transmission types.
Lessons from the brains of driving instructors
While there remain parents who want their kids to drive stick, most driving schools consider such requests anomalous, Lachnit of Edmunds.com said.
"Chances are at some point they are going to be exposed to a car with a standard manual transmission," added Robert Lindsay of The Driver Training Group, a driving school based in Washington state. "Depending on where the teen lives and the types of cars they are allotted to drive, it is relevant and necessary for some and not others. Our teens tell us unless there is a direct need, they can learn later in life."
Lindsay said no more than 15% of his school's students come from families owning manuals and that fewer students actually drive them. Overall, the school gets only about two or three manual training requests a month.
"I think the old school thought is, 'I learned on a stick back in the day, so my kid should,'" Lindsay said, "but that doesn't mean it's right. Those that are into cars are much more likely to want to learn."
His school starts all of its students in cars with automatic transmissions if they do not request otherwise, and does not keep a manual car in its fleet, he said.
Ken Stout, president of DriveTeam Inc. in Independence, Ohio, recently purchased a six-speed manual Mini Cooper for his fleet after finding out some students wanted to learn to drive it.
"I don't know how many of (the students) just want to drive a Mini Cooper and how many of them actually want to learn to drive manual as a life skill, though," Stout said.
Drive Team's manual student population has held steady at 15% for the last five years, and parents usually are the ones who ask for their children to learn manual rather than the children themselves, Stout said.
Still, Lindsay and Stout concur with those who think learning manuals can make a student a better driver than those who simply drive automatics. Stout added that the desire has to be there.
"It's wonderful for them to learn it," Stout said, "but you have to want that. You have to want to play golf to go take a golf lesson."
He's not so sure that matters to all parents, as some seem disinclined to make their children the independent drivers they should be.
"I've got parents asking me why we teach their kids to parallel park when the car does it for you," he said.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/19/us/man...html?hpt=us_t4
Luckily, Waterhouse had driven a tractor before, giving her some familiarity with stick-shift driving. She wrestled the car into second gear and managed to drive them home.
Now a mother of three girls, Waterhouse and her husband have already taught two of their daughters to "drive stick."
"You never know when you're going to need the skill," she said.
The ability to drive a car with a manual transmission has long been considered an essential skill, especially for young drivers. Yet decades after Waterhouse's impromptu introduction to stick shifts, changes in the makeup of the automobile and American consumer habits mean mastering the manual may no longer be a practical necessity.
Downshifting: Thinning of manual herd
In the earliest days of the automobile industry, cars came with only one type of transmission: the manual.
After General Motors released the first automatic transmission -- the 1940 Oldsmobile Hydra-Matic -- automobile manufacturers swiftly moved away from manuals. By 1957, 82.7% of American-made cars were equipped with automatic transmissions, according to "Ward's 1958 Automotive Yearbook."
Though manuals have accounted for about 4% of American car sales in recent years, experts were surprised to see the percentage jump almost 3% in the first quarter of 2012, according to a report by Edmunds.com.
The percentages may seem small, but with nearly 12.8 million cars sold in the U.S. last year, those sales add up to more than a half million manuals.
Some manufacturers have inferred that the 6.98% "take rate," or percentage of total cars bought, signifies a manual comeback in the consumer market.
Despite earlier worry about appealing to millennials, Cristi Landry, Chevrolet's small car marketing manager, said General Motors believes there's a future for manuals in the U.S. consumer market. The company has gone so far as to create mechanisms meant to make manuals more appealing to drive, like the rollback-ready Hill Start Assist feature.
Upshifting: comeback or blip?
Chris Terry, a product communications representative for Ford Motors, said that while he's not so sure manuals are making a comeback with average consumers, he believes some people will always want them.
"Most people are just interested in getting from A to B," Terry said.
People who purchase manuals, Terry said, either love the act of driving or are enticed by manuals' historically lower price tag. (Some small cars like the Chevrolet Sonic, however, are more expensive as manuals.)
"Manual transmissions are considered common novelty. In the rest of the world, it just isn't so," Terry said.
If automatics become cheaper in other countries, this may change, he said.
Despite the uptick in manual take rates, not everyone is convinced manuals are making a comeback.
"The U.S. market has been moving away from manuals over the past couple of decades," said Steve Yaeger, Nissan's technology and motorsports communications manager. "We do not see a change in that trend in the foreseeable future."
Nissan, which only offered manual transmissions in 10 of its 19 models in 2011, had an overall manual take rate of 2.1% last year. Just over half of manual sales came from two cars -- the Z Coupe and the Frontier pickup truck.
"It might look like there's a stick-shift revival under way in 2012, but we're not so sure," Edmunds.com Features Editor Carroll Lachnit said. "Fewer manual transmission cars on the road will mean, eventually, that there will be fewer parents or friends who know how to drive them, and so fewer teachers for the next generation."
Pumping the brakes on hype
Manuals, when driven correctly, have traditionally been more fuel efficient than other transmission types, but new transmissions and improvements to automatics have rendered this moot in some models. The automatic Ford Focus gets slightly better gas mileage than its manual counterpart; moreover, new options like continuously variable, dual-clutch and semi-automatic transmissions with paddle shifters, while expensive, can make up for their price tag with fuel efficiency.
"Almost all the high-mpg cars you see advertised on TV, whether they're hybrids or a Chevy Cruze, get their best mileage with one of these other types of transmissions," Cars.com Managing Editor David Thomas said.
It's important to remember that gas prices, while high, have been high for the past few years -- and manual take rates haven't skyrocketed in that period of time.
Where are manuals' advantages?
For some consumers with children, technological advancements in other transmissions are outshined by perceived experiential benefits of the manual.
Margaret Menotti, an account manager in Boston, is wary of teaching new drivers in automatic cars.
"We made both of our children learn to drive on a stick," Menotti said. "And it's still the only thing they drive."
Menotti said the prevalence of manuals overseas was a major factor in her decision.
"It takes time and practice, but it's worth it," said Christina Menotti, Margaret's daughter. "Once it clicks you don't even think about it."
Many parents also falsely believe that having their children drive manuals will keep them safer because it's more difficult to text or talk on the phone while driving. But neither is impossible, and you can't control other drivers on the road.
Multiple federal and state transportation agencies stated accident logs do not differentiate between transmission types.
Lessons from the brains of driving instructors
While there remain parents who want their kids to drive stick, most driving schools consider such requests anomalous, Lachnit of Edmunds.com said.
"Chances are at some point they are going to be exposed to a car with a standard manual transmission," added Robert Lindsay of The Driver Training Group, a driving school based in Washington state. "Depending on where the teen lives and the types of cars they are allotted to drive, it is relevant and necessary for some and not others. Our teens tell us unless there is a direct need, they can learn later in life."
Lindsay said no more than 15% of his school's students come from families owning manuals and that fewer students actually drive them. Overall, the school gets only about two or three manual training requests a month.
"I think the old school thought is, 'I learned on a stick back in the day, so my kid should,'" Lindsay said, "but that doesn't mean it's right. Those that are into cars are much more likely to want to learn."
His school starts all of its students in cars with automatic transmissions if they do not request otherwise, and does not keep a manual car in its fleet, he said.
Ken Stout, president of DriveTeam Inc. in Independence, Ohio, recently purchased a six-speed manual Mini Cooper for his fleet after finding out some students wanted to learn to drive it.
"I don't know how many of (the students) just want to drive a Mini Cooper and how many of them actually want to learn to drive manual as a life skill, though," Stout said.
Drive Team's manual student population has held steady at 15% for the last five years, and parents usually are the ones who ask for their children to learn manual rather than the children themselves, Stout said.
Still, Lindsay and Stout concur with those who think learning manuals can make a student a better driver than those who simply drive automatics. Stout added that the desire has to be there.
"It's wonderful for them to learn it," Stout said, "but you have to want that. You have to want to play golf to go take a golf lesson."
He's not so sure that matters to all parents, as some seem disinclined to make their children the independent drivers they should be.
"I've got parents asking me why we teach their kids to parallel park when the car does it for you," he said.
#2
Currently Post-Acura
I want to learn how to drive stick, but almost no one I know drives a manual. The only person who has a manual is my friend, in his '94 Ford Ranger. I did it once, and he said I wasn't bad (he said all my other friends sucked at it). But other than that truck, no car in my household or owned by my relatives is a manual. Although my friend suggested going to a dealer (like a VW) and test driving a manual to teach me on
#4
Depends on your age
As you get older most of the people you know will start buying automatics. The chances of needing to know how to drive stick at age 50 or so are low. Not to paint everyone with the same brush but once you're that age you probably have the sports car urge out of your system and just want something relaxing to drive, more so than when you were 20 at least.
Almost every male friend I have drives stick.... so if we need a DD they'd better know how to drive a manual.
As you get older most of the people you know will start buying automatics. The chances of needing to know how to drive stick at age 50 or so are low. Not to paint everyone with the same brush but once you're that age you probably have the sports car urge out of your system and just want something relaxing to drive, more so than when you were 20 at least.
Almost every male friend I have drives stick.... so if we need a DD they'd better know how to drive a manual.
#5
Baller of Uni
I think you should have to take your drivers license test in a manual. So many people have no clue when it comes to a manual. When I was interviewing for a job at a dealership in high school the first question asked was "Can you drive a manual?"
#7
-Brandon
I think that knowing how to drive a manual is something everyone should know how to do. My drivers education class at school offers an after-school class where you could learn to drive a manual. It was not the same though because it was driving around a course, where I couldn't even get out of third gear. My friend drives an Audi TT 5-speed and I was able to take his out on an actual road and only stalled twice, both at a stop light.
Nowadays almost every car is an auto, and even sports cars are drifting away from manual trannys and gearing towards paddle-shifters (which are cool, but not the same).
Nowadays almost every car is an auto, and even sports cars are drifting away from manual trannys and gearing towards paddle-shifters (which are cool, but not the same).
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#8
Registered but harmless
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Age: 59
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No, it's no longer essential unless you are in the motor vehicle industry, racing or valet business.
Manual trans versions of cars are not stocked by many dealers. Some cars are now coming out with CVT only or CVT + conventional auto, not to mention PDK or other "automated manual" rather than a real manual trans. Properly-set up stick-shift cars are more fun-- I'd only get a manual in an MX-5 or Mustang GT, for example-- but increasingly rare, even in exotics, which have moved to automated manuals.
Manual trans versions of cars are not stocked by many dealers. Some cars are now coming out with CVT only or CVT + conventional auto, not to mention PDK or other "automated manual" rather than a real manual trans. Properly-set up stick-shift cars are more fun-- I'd only get a manual in an MX-5 or Mustang GT, for example-- but increasingly rare, even in exotics, which have moved to automated manuals.
#9
In the Mid-South meow
iTrader: (2)
As long as they continue to make manuals I will drive a manual.
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Sly Raskal (08-02-2012)
#10
The sizzle in the Steak
It's no longer essential.
#11
Senior Moderator
Cliffs? tl;dr it all.
On a similar point, I had a friend who stayed in Australia for 4 months and had to drive his buddy's car home from the bar one night. Of course it was manual, and of course they drive on the wrong side of the road.
On a similar point, I had a friend who stayed in Australia for 4 months and had to drive his buddy's car home from the bar one night. Of course it was manual, and of course they drive on the wrong side of the road.
#12
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Join Date: May 2003
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Well we own two cars with a manual. The CR-Z and the S2000.
I consider it an anti-theft deterrent
I consider it an anti-theft deterrent
The following 2 users liked this post by Ken1997TL:
Mr Marco (07-24-2012),
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#13
אני עומד עם ישראל
In the States it's not necessary. If you travel abroad you better know...
#14
Baller of Uni
I forget where I saw it, but I saw somewhere a guy got carjacked, dude couldn't drive a stick, so the guy whose car it was offered to drive him to where he was going. Guy drives him there, then the thief thanks him, then leaves. I want to say it was in St. Louis, but I can't seem to remember/find it. I'd have driven that sucker straight to the police station.
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justnspace (07-20-2012)
#17
Senior Moderator
As long as you aren't in a sports car with a short throw, there is really nothing to it. The more torque there is, the better too, but that starts to conflict with the shorter throws. A Cummins Turbo diesel is a 's best friend.
Although, one should always attempt their first take off in an empty space.
Although, one should always attempt their first take off in an empty space.
#19
Senior Moderator
Depends on if you like to or not.
#20
Turd Polisher
iTrader: (1)
I'm with SuperTrooper, as long as they're being produced I will buy.
I started driving stick shift about 2.5 years ago .. not going back to automatic unless my left leg is chopped off.
I started driving stick shift about 2.5 years ago .. not going back to automatic unless my left leg is chopped off.
#21
Instructor
It used to be that people chose sticks for performance. Sticks were always faster than their automatic counterparts. Now with DCT, I don't know where sticks are headed in the future. Sticks no longer hold an advantage in MPG either.
#22
Senior Moderator
We required both of our driving aged kids to learn to drive a manual tranny prior to getting a license. We will do the same with our 5 y/o daughter and 19 m/o son when the time comes. Period.
#23
Def good to know how to drive stick you nvr know what situation u might get into. my only problem with standard is im a different person when driving. speed racer!!!!! Hence tickets. dnt know bout everyone else.
#25
Senior Moderator
I will be teaching my son how to drive stick in nine years, when he is eligible for a learner's permit. Even though he will most likely drive an automatic most of the time, you never know when you will have to drive stick.
That said, driving stick is no longer essential unless your job requires it, or you are a car enthusiast, just like the article says.
The most amazing statement in the article is that 80% of American cars were automatics by 1957. The MT has been on the ropes for almost 60 years and yet is still here.
That said, driving stick is no longer essential unless your job requires it, or you are a car enthusiast, just like the article says.
The most amazing statement in the article is that 80% of American cars were automatics by 1957. The MT has been on the ropes for almost 60 years and yet is still here.
#26
All About Trance
I love manuals and had only own an auto once. That was enough for me to want to get back in a manual again and will continue to seek out MT cars.
#29
Senior Moderator
All my family has ever owned growing up was manuals with exception to Legend #1. Everyone except me still has a manual too. While I enjoy the driving experience a manual can supply, I much more enjoy resting my left leg on my door every day at 5:00 while my wrist does all the work.
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Sly Raskal (08-02-2012)
#31
AZ Community Team
Not required in the states but much more fun to drive
#32
I got the Shifts
iTrader: (5)
I wanted to learn how to drive a stick so I put a manual trans in my car. I never looked back. I feel like laziness in American culture has created this automatic syndrome. as people look to save money, manual take rates will continue to grow.
Generational studies have shown that Gen Y buyers are swayed to manuals simply because they are cheaper. I feel like this article was a bit biased towards automatic, saying that automatic fuel efficiency would "pay for the cost of an auto" is the stupidest thing I have heard. It would take 5-7 years to break even on the cost of an auto.
Generational studies have shown that Gen Y buyers are swayed to manuals simply because they are cheaper. I feel like this article was a bit biased towards automatic, saying that automatic fuel efficiency would "pay for the cost of an auto" is the stupidest thing I have heard. It would take 5-7 years to break even on the cost of an auto.
#33
My first Avatar....
#35
Off roading in his
iTrader: (6)
I want to learn how to drive stick, but almost no one I know drives a manual. The only person who has a manual is my friend, in his '94 Ford Ranger. I did it once, and he said I wasn't bad (he said all my other friends sucked at it). But other than that truck, no car in my household or owned by my relatives is a manual. Although my friend suggested going to a dealer (like a VW) and test driving a manual to teach me on
The only time I tried a MT car was a supercharged CL, and it was a lot of fun, even though it was only in a parking lot.
#37
My first two cars I drove as a teenager were manuals and I loved driving them even though they weren't really too nice of cars..
I would have loved to find a TL-S as I just recently bought a base '08, but couldn't find one that met my requirements.
I would have loved to find a TL-S as I just recently bought a base '08, but couldn't find one that met my requirements.
#38
Senior Moderator
Exhibit A: The ILX.
Automakers understand that enthusiasts are the ones who want stick the most. So why not make them pay more? The 5AT base ILX is cheaper than the 6MT. Yes, the 6MT is paired with the 2.4 liter engine, but the fact is that Acura put together an ILX package specifically geared toward those who like to drive, and wants to make them pay for it. (This doesn't explain the inexplicable lack of Tech package, but that's another story for another thread.
I think this is the trend that will continue in 6MTs.
#39
Burning Brakes
If you want to DRIVE a car- manual transmission
If you want to RIDE your car- automatic transmission
With manual you not only get more of a feel for the car, but overall better feel for driving. Never owned and auto and never will, living in the UK now, RHD+manual is pretty sick lol there might be a toyota ft86 in my near future
If you want to RIDE your car- automatic transmission
With manual you not only get more of a feel for the car, but overall better feel for driving. Never owned and auto and never will, living in the UK now, RHD+manual is pretty sick lol there might be a toyota ft86 in my near future
#40
Senior Moderator
I suppose it likely depends on which manual tranny is being used as to whether or not it's cheaper. clearly an AV6 6MT is no cheaper than its 5AT counterpart but the Accord 4cyl 5MT is $800 cheaper than its 5AT counterpart.
But ; with the migration to 6MT transmissions, the 'manual is cheaper' arrangement is going the way of the Dodo.
But ; with the migration to 6MT transmissions, the 'manual is cheaper' arrangement is going the way of the Dodo.