Over the past decade automotive manufacturers have exponentially furthered the technology in their cars. Improving interior quality, Bluetooth streaming, reverse cameras, parking sensors, more efficient engines making more power.... what’s there not to like? Not spoken for was the trend of auto manufacturers moving to solely automatic transmissions. We now see the majority of performance vehicles equipped with a 7-10 speed automatic transmission with paddle shifters, that without argument, is faster to operate than anyone working a clutch and manual transmission.

Now if these new high-tech automatic transmissions are faster and more efficient why is this a topic of discussion? Well if you’ve ever had the opportunity to learn how to drive a manual car, you may realize it’s a whole new driving experience! From the clutch to the shift gate, every manual car feels unique in its own way... and it’s arguably a far more engaging experience. Suddenly a 200hp manual car is more “alive” than a 400hp automatic. This is because an automatic essentially operates a portion of the vehicle for you, let’s consider it assisted driving. With a manual transmission your in full control of how your vehicle drives, it’s you and the car.

Along with being in full control comes the necessary learning curve any driving enthusiast should go through, a skill set that automatic has robbed from most drivers on the road today. Rev match downshifting, utilizing engine braking, clutch control, and understanding the power band of your car is often discounted if you’ve only ever driven automatic. That being said, modern automatic sports cars are fully capable of operating as a manual car does and you can learn a portion of this skill set, but with little to no risk of error and in a far less engaging manor.

Manual cars are becoming much less apparent from new auto manufacturers due to the obvious benefits of automatic transmissions, however there is no replacement for rowing through the gears on a windy road and listening to your engine sing. There is far more room for error but that’s exactly what makes the experience so special and makes your car your own. Anyone can get in your automatic sports car and drive it, but not everyone can drive your manual car quite like you can. Regardless if you’ve ever considered driving manual, think about it the next time you purchase a vehicle and you may find out why some drivers won’t have it any other way!