Pundits say that if you want to truly confound a millennial, put him or her behind the wheel of a car with a manual transmission.
To be sure, not only is the number of cars, trucks and sport-utility vehicles available with a stick shift dwindling, few young drivers are learning how to shift for themselves these days. To help preserve what is fast becoming a lost art, classic-car insurer Hagerty is teaming up with the Skip Barber Racing School to teach young drivers, among other motoring skills, how to work a stick and a clutch.
The newly created Hagerty Driving Academy is conducting a series of 40 events nationwide at iconic racetracks that include Road Atlanta, Lime Rock Park, New Jersey Motorsports Park and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. In addition to mastering a manual, students will learn accident avoidance maneuvers, drive on an autocross course and spend time piloting a number of vintage vehicles. Click here for a schedule of upcoming events.
"Hardly anyone teaches driving a manual transmission anymore," says Hagerty CEO McKeel Hagerty. "But we think it's a fantastic skill for all drivers to have.
Unfortunately, fewer new vehicles are offering manual transmissions than ever. While 47 percent of all new vehicles offered a stick shift as recently as 2006, it's now at around 20 percent. Manual-shift models currently account for a slim 2 percent of the new-vehicle market.
While manual transmissions are a dying breed they're not dead yet. We found a considerable list of model lines that continue to offer a manual gearbox for 2019. As one might imagine, price-sensitive small cars and sporty cars - especially the Europeans (manuals are still relatively popular across the Atlantic) - are the most likely to include a stick-shift selection. Beyond that it's far slimmer pickings, with only two midsize sedans and zero full-size pickup trucks offering them this year.
And at that, they can be hard to find. A manual may limited to a particular engine or specific trim levels within a given vehicle line. What's more, dealers don't usually keep many manually equipped models in stock due to the lack of demand.
If you don't mind working a clutch, here are the vehicles you can still get with a manual transmission for the 2019 model year; if availability is restricted we've noted which trim levels are available with a stick:
Small Cars
- Chevrolet Sonic
- Chevrolet Spark
- Ford Fiesta
- Honda Civic Sedan (LX, Sport, Si)
- Honda Civic Hatchback (Sport, Type R)
- Honda Fit (LX, Sport, EX)
- Hyundai Accent (SE)
- Hyundai Elantra (SE, Sport)
- Hyundai Elantra GT
- Kia Forte (FE)
- Kia Soul (Base)
- Mini Cooper Clubman
- Mini Cooper Hardtop/Coupe/Convertible
- Mitsubishi Mirage (ES)
- Nissan Sentra (S, NISMO)
- Nissan Versa (S sedan)
- Subaru Impreza (2.0i, 2.0i Sport)
- Subaru WRX/STI
- Toyota Corolla (SE)
- Toyota Corolla Hatchback
- Toyota Yaris (L, LE)
- Volkswagen Golf/GTI/R/Sportwagen/Alltrack
- Volkswagen Jetta (S)
Midsize Cars
- Honda Accord (Sport, Sport 2.0T)
- Mazda6 (Sport)
Sporty Cars
- BMW 230i Coupe (RWD)
- BMW 430i Coupe (RWD)
- BMW 440i Coupe
- BMW M2 Coupe
- BMW M240i
- BMW M4
- BMW M6 Gran Coupe
- Cadillac ATS-V Coupe
- Chevrolet Camaro
- Chevrolet Corvette
- Dodge Challenger (R/T and Hellcat)
- Fiat 124 Spider
- Fiat 500
- Ford Mustang
- Genesis G70 (2.0-liter RWD)
- Honda Civic Coupe (Sport, Si)
- Hyundai Veloster (2.0, Turbo, Turbo R-Spec, N)
- Jaguar F-Type (Base V6 RWD, R-Dynamic RWD)
- Lotus Evora
- Mazda MX-5 Miata
- Nissan 370Z
- Porsche 718 Boxster
- Porsche 718 Cayman
- Porsche 911 (except Turbo, Turbo S, GT3 RS)
- Subaru BRZ
- Toyota 86
Sport-Utility Vehicles
- 500X (Pop FWD)
- Jeep Compass (Sport, 4WD Latitude)
- Jeep Wrangler (V6)
- Mini Cooper Countryman (except S FWD and SE AWD)
- Mitsubishi Outlander Sport (ES 2.0 FWD)
- Subaru Crosstrek (Base, Premium)
Midsize Pickup Trucks
- Chevrolet Colorado (Base/Work Truck 2.5-liter RWD Extended Cab)
- GMC Canyon (SL/Canyon 2.5-liter RWD Extended Cab)
- Nissan Frontier (King Cab: S RWD, SV RWD; Crew Cab: S RWD, SV 4WD, Pro-4X)
- Toyota Tacoma (SR V6, TRD, TRD Sport Double Cab 4WD)
By: www.forbes.com
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