MadScientistMatt wrote: I think you can get an Ecoboost Fusion with a stick, although it's a bit of a unicorn.
IIRC, it was just for the 1.5l EcoBoost Fusion. Not exactly a "fun" car. More of an economy version of a sedan.
Ironically, the Focus ST motor is the same 2.0l as in the Fusion- so it would not have been that hard to put a package together. Perhaps in the Mondeo, it exists.
alfadriver wrote: FWIW, it's not an emissions thing. Manuals are not that hard to deal with. BTDT.
It may be a fuel economy / CAFE thing though. IIRC, the EPA fuel economy test for manuals still specifies shifting at certain road speeds regardless of the gearing of the car. That's what led to GM doing the 1-4 skip shift thing, as the tests were returning far worse than real-world mpg otherwise.
Regal GS, everyone forgets about it. Nice, kind of sleeper styling, 276hp turbo 2.0L and a stick shift. I love those cars, don't think they got enough credit. Could also be had in AWD trim but only with an auto.
Because nobody wants them. You don't count.
I'll be the second one to point out the manual trans in the last generation Acura TL. Big, comfy cruiser, sporty enough to not be boring, Honda reliable, reasonable highway fuel economy, and it will probably run fine on regular gas giving up a bit of power. I might even know a guy in TX casually looking to sell one.
In reply to Klayfish:
Couldn't agree more. 5 shoulder belts, manual and rwd is the unicorn of all unicorns. Can't really have three cars in the driveway.
Give me a P71 with a factory 5spd and I'll be quiet! Other than that it's a BMW or a later crew cab with a manual. Not exactly sporty.
I've had the same challenge, that's why I'm running an '06 RAV and my '01 Mustang GT. The Mustang only seats two in back, but gives me the manual I want some of the time, and the RAV4 will haul 3 kids and gives me the automatic I want some of the time. It's not ideal to have two vehicles for a single person/purpose, but it's about the best compromise I've found. My commute can be brutal with a manual at times. With two older cars, they're still cheaper than a single newer car, and I have a backup if one needs to be fixed. It's also allowed me to park the Mustang in the winter, although I'm thinking of driving it sparingly this year and just keeping it washed well. Earlier this year, I drove the Mustang every single day, and didn't touch the RAV4 unless I was towing. My Mustang has been down lately, so I've driven the RAV4 exclusively for the past 5 weeks. Can't wait to get the Mustang fixed and back on the road, though!
The Accord Sport with a V6/6spd manual in a sedan is something I could definitely get behind. My tendency at this point in life is more on the family sedan side than the sport side, but that's a compromise I could live with. I've seriously considered the 4cyl/manual Accord Sport sedan as an option, but I've also thought about just getting the CVT Auto. My wife prefers and automatic, so it makes a car infinitely more practical in our fleet. Happy wife, happy life!
NickD wrote: Regal GS, everyone forgets about it. Nice, kind of sleeper styling, 276hp turbo 2.0L and a stick shift. I love those cars, don't think they got enough credit. Could also be had in AWD trim but only with an auto.
They also come with a terrifying amount of wheel hop. I rode in one for a dragstrip pass with PZeros on it. Driver dropped the clutch at 3k rpm and it felt like the front end was being repeatedly picked up a couple feet by a forklift and dropped.
rslifkin wrote:NickD wrote: Regal GS, everyone forgets about it. Nice, kind of sleeper styling, 276hp turbo 2.0L and a stick shift. I love those cars, don't think they got enough credit. Could also be had in AWD trim but only with an auto.They also come with a terrifying amount of wheel hop. I rode in one for a dragstrip pass with PZeros on it. Driver dropped the clutch at 3k rpm and it felt like the front end was being repeatedly picked up a couple feet by a forklift and dropped.
Really? Interesting. I never holeshot one, just hustled them along twisty back roads.
Sonic wrote: I'll be the second one to point out the manual trans in the last generation Acura TL. Big, comfy cruiser, sporty enough to not be boring, Honda reliable, reasonable highway fuel economy, and it will probably run fine on regular gas giving up a bit of power. I might even know a guy in TX casually looking to sell one.
I had completely forgotten they sold the last gen TL with a manual. Definitely one to think about when the time comes. I agree, it would certainly check a ton of my needs/wants. Wow, they sure keep their value, they aren't cheap. Not buying anything right this minute anyway...no real rush.
Yeah, there are SO many great choices if I wanted an automatic. At the end of the day, if I have to compromise I could do that. I'd have to convince the wife to let me get an NA Miata or something to go along with it to satisfy my gear rowing itch. I don't want an auto as my one and only car, just wouldn't make me happy.
rslifkin wrote:alfadriver wrote: FWIW, it's not an emissions thing. Manuals are not that hard to deal with. BTDT.It may be a fuel economy / CAFE thing though. IIRC, the EPA fuel economy test for manuals still specifies shifting at certain road speeds regardless of the gearing of the car. That's what led to GM doing the 1-4 skip shift thing, as the tests were returning far worse than real-world mpg otherwise.
The system doesn't require a specific shift schedule- it's just easier to do it that way. GM's 1-4 skip is actually a demonstration of that- as they had to go out and prove that the customers would be ok with that. But the alternative is to go out, get a bunch of drivers, record their pattern, and then use that. As well as put in a shift indicator light.
The odd thing about gearing- that's all dictated by no-downshift tip in performance. Where an automatic can unlock the trans and/or downshift- manuals are not. I used to think it was a requirement here- but then you see that every OEM has gearing that shows exactly the same thing. So that's why you see top gear for a manual spinning faster than top gear for an auto. (and part of the reason autos have very much closed the gap on fuel economy).
No stick for Altima anymore. They stopped quite awhile ago. Only paddle shifters on V6 models now. Maxima hasn't been available with three pedals for a few years also.
I know its too slow for you but I think new manual trans Mazda 6 is a slam dunk.
Chevy SS. Large sedan, LS power, manual transmission...
92dxman wrote: I know its too slow for you but I think new manual trans Mazda 6 is a slam dunk.
I thought that would be the case for me--but after driving the Accord and 6 back to back I preferred the Accord. All the reviews of the 6 are great, it's supposed to be a drivers car for practical dads. But, I didn't find it to be much, if at all, better than the Accord. I prefer the interior and exterior styling of the Accord, the visibility out of the back of the Accord is way better, and the Honda dealerships were dealing on the Accord but Mazda dealerships were firm at sticker. This was a $4-5k difference in buy in. For me, the Honda was a slam dunk over the 6. That's not the result I was expecting when I started shopping.
dj06482 wrote: My wife prefers and automatic, so it makes a car infinitely more practical in our fleet. Happy wife, happy life!
My wife prefers a manual, so I'm screwed!
Why are there so few sticks available today? Easy, "People only have two (2) hands! So with one hand on the wheel and holding a cigarette and the other on the phone what do you shift with?" Other people, with Blue-tooth, might also be spotted with a cola and the wheel in one hand. And a Big Mac in the other.
BTW: The quote above was from the 19 year old son of a friend of mine. His dad offered him his choice of three very nice mid '90's cars (a Miata, a BMW, & a Volvo) in the their garage to drive if the 19 year old would only learn to drive and get his driver's license!!
The son said if his dad would buy a car of any era with an automatic for him to drive, he'd learn to drive and get his license. Without an automatic this 19 year old boy considered driving to be too much of a hassle!!???
Speaking of young boys/men: At least around here if a younger driver is traveling at or above the speed limit it is almost always being driven by a girl/woman! That's a huge change from when I was a young driver.
Let's face it, new car ads & 90% or more of those ads are all about the electronic gadgets inside the car. Which I find hilarious because most of these gadgets are already obsolete by the time the car is offered for sale. Only a very few new car ads even talk about how a car drives! 
BTW: My almost brand new Mazda 3 has a 6-speed stick. But they are getting hard to find on a lot!
I don't know if you consider the Mazda3 hatchback large enough for family needs, but I found myself lusting for one after driving a 2017 one recently.
Suspension is sporty enough, 6 spd was firm and well defined, acceleration was not too bad, cargo capacity was sufficient for a family, ergonomics was excellent, interior was roomy and nicely detailed. Included a few extras standard like better struts and bluetooth capable.
It was a great car for 95% of my family needs, and met enough of my driving pleasure that I could be content driving it daily.
when I got rid of my Volvo 850.. it took me two weeks to sell it. nobody wanted a car that size with a 5 speed
Chevy SS
'06-'07 Accord had the V6/6spd sedan
Rupert wrote: Why are there so few sticks available today? Easy, "People only have two (2) hands! So with one hand on the wheel and holding a cigarette and the other on the phone what do you shift with?" Other people, with Blue-tooth, might also be spotted with a cola and the wheel in one hand. And a Big Mac in the other.
I can drive a stick in city traffic with a scalding hot coffee in my right and a sammich in my left. Now that we have EZPass I don't even need a cupholder for the bridges.
I agree about the commercials though... people buy what they are told to buy. NO commercials tell them driving a stick is cool. So until whatever name hipsters are called next year ... find it to be an authentic way to live life it shall remain the domain of our fringe element, Europeans and two legged men.
alfadriver wrote: FWIW, it's not an emissions thing. Manuals are not that hard to deal with. BTDT.
This surprises me, actually - for whatever reason I thought the rpm drop between shifts produced too much of decel emissions (based on the old paradigm that cars polluted most on decel and at idle), and that in the ever tightening fleet requirements for everything on the manufacturers, the quick easy way would be to limit the number of manual cars sold.
The shrinking of manuals probably has more to do with demographics though, as most people still prefer to get in and drive it without much effort (i.e. shifting gears...). One conversation I had was "it'd fun to have something like your Miata, but I can't drive a manual." Hint: It's not that hard to learn....
Makes me wonder how many of the new Miata's will be with slush boxes.
In reply to OldGray320i:
Many cars will misfire on decels, which is where the real peak in emissions comes from. But most will calibrate the engine to avoid doing that. And one can also turn the fuel off during the shift- and while there is a spike in O2 in the cats- it's not long enough to really set the cat system lean.
Idles- I'm not sure whey they got a bad rap. The only issue there is that it's so cool that the catalysts can cool down. But other than that- it's easy to deal with.
For carbed cars, for sure- those are two bad areas. So little control....
chaparral wrote: Do you want my Mazdaspeed6?
Details?
docwyte wrote: Chevy SS. Large sedan, LS power, manual transmission...
Ah yes, I forgot about the SS. Definitely fits the bill...in about 5 years when depreciation kills their value. Right now, they're $40k+, double my budget. 
But great call, it's exactly the idea I'm looking for.
1kris06 wrote:chaparral wrote: Do you want my Mazdaspeed6?Details?
'07, 143k miles, Velocity Red Mica, body 7/10, no rust, mechanically intact, full service history, $7000/bo FOB suburban Detroit.
You'll need to log in to post.
