one of the reason you will see more manual in germany, is that if you do your driving licence with an automatic, you are only allowed to drive automatic. If you do it with a manual car (which 99% do), you are allowed do drive both, as auto is considered easy once you know manual. That is one of the main reason why nearly no driving school has or will have electric cars, even tho they would be a perfect fit... they are all automatic

One sentence answer: Manuals are way more fun to drive. :)

For me manual is like automatic. My muscle memory just does the shifting and breaking for me.

- Superior vehicle control ( engine braking etc) - Cheap and easy to maintain - Keeps you engaged in driving so you don’t get distracted - It’s loaaaads of fun!!

1 - manuals are cheaper: a small hatchback costs from 10k to 15k and the auto box is a 3k extra 2 - everyone knows how to drive a manual because everyone has their license done on a manual car 3 - it’s fun! 4 - during decades automatics were shit in European roads, sluggish and slow. It’s ok on big open roads, not so much in narrow city roads… the stigma that autos are shitty remains…

I think a key reason missed is the "enjoyment" factor of being in control of a machine. There are people who just use cars as a tool to get from one place to another, but there are people who want a bit of enjoyment out of even a mundane journey, even if they don't realise it. People like pushing buttons, people like turning dials, people like being in control. Having automation do the job takes away some of the enjoyment. You may ask why the difference between North America and the rest of the world? My answer would be that North American roads are tedious and boring. Speed limits are relatively slow compared with Europe, and that makes driving more boring. It also means you have less need for progressively going through multiple gears, because the speed limits are so slow you end up maxing out at a low gear, so not very fulfilling. America also has a fetish for stop signs and the infamous four-way stop. This is a big deal. Start stop driving is less pleasant with a manual. If in Europe we were forced by law to stop and start at every intersection I'm sure we would have switched to automatics sooner. Instead, junctions mostly have a system of priority and give way (yield) which means often traffic can travel through somewhere between a second gear crawl and full speed. If I lived in America, I would have an automatic, as the road infrastructure makes it a better choice. But I don't, and in anything other than stop-start traffic congestion, changing gear makes a journey that little bit more engaging.

I believe the main reason for driving manual is: because you can. Once you acquire a skill, you feel good and somehow proud of yourself for continuing using and affining it (it can take years of practice to be able to execute perfectly smooth shifts quickly and consistently). Especially knowing there are people around the world that don't possess that specific skill ;)

Yes Karleem you have missed a reason. Manual is more involving to drive. Thats why Porsches didn't have cruise control while other brands did. If you enjoy driving you want to be involved. For typical American their 2 hour commute each way all on straight roads daily is tiring and already inconvenient enough. but for us Europeans our 30 minute commute through bends and corners is much more fun with manual where you get to do the decision making and get rewarder for it.

Why I prefer manual: 1. "Direct" engine feel and response. No torque converter that takes forever to lockup. 2. Control over Shift Points. No gear hunting. No "WTF were the engineers thinking?" when I listen to the cars strange upshift points, and no surprise downshifts or refusing to downshift when you try to accelerate harder. 3. Gives me something to focus on while driving. Nicer things about manual: 1. You can push start a manual. 2. Manuals are typically more reliable than their automatic counterpart if driven properly/not abused, although a clutch replacement will be necessary sooner or later if driven enough. 3. No need to disconnect driveshaft if you want to tow a manual behind another vehicle. 4. Engine off coasting if you want to and even find a good enough time and place. 5. Could be an anti theft device. Things that suck about manual: 1. The clutch replacement if it happens to you while you own the car. 2. The gear ratios can be a hindrance (more so on newer models trying to meet EPA standards) 3. Rev hang on newer models 4. Not as consistent as automatic.

In the UK (and I think most of Europe), there are a distinction between manual (full) or automatic licenses with the former you're licensed to drive any car while the latter restricts you to an automatic so most people would choose to learn in a manual as it means you can drive both when you pass.

Engine brake and having an actual clutch is the key.

Cars with small engines are more fun to drive when manual. Plus manual transmissions last forever if shifted well. Manual transmission gives a bit of a extra control to driver. These small cars can be quite quick with manuals. Very good fun to drive. Small curvy roads and small manual gearbox cars are perfect

An Italian friend of mine told me: We Italians want to be in control. We would like to dominate the vehicle. That's why we prefer manual transmission. What was surprising was hearing this from a woman.

Another reason is clutch control is a safety feature. When you skid on ice or aquaplane you use the clutch to gain control more easily and safely. Can't do that in an automatic! The rest was very well summed up!

Americans tend to spend far more time in slow/mid speed highway traffic in long rush hour commutes. Without other good travel options, driving is a daily necessity, a chore. I think this is why Americans seek to automate the driving task more and more. It’s no coincidence that self driving car development is mostly happening in the US.

If you drive in winter conditions with ice and snow on the roads, especially in the mountains, then a manual transmission gives you much better control of the car.

When you live in the mountains or in a region with a lot of snow manuals are very useful sometimes. For example when you are stuck in snow your chances of getting out is much higher when you start in the second gear, because your wheels will have less torque.

It's also just fun. I drive a car that's 'a little sporty and faster' but not fast by any means. But it's so much fun to turn onto the highway and instead of shifting up just to keep in in 2nd and 3rd to 7000RPM. It's fun accaleration and the engine is singing, but i'm only breaking the speed limit by 20kmh by the time i hit the limiter in 3rd, but you're having fun like you're doing 100 over. I don't do that often, but sometimes you have a shitty day, you see the corner for the onramp, turn up the music, floor it in 2nd, turn the wheel and hear the engine screeming in the background. And then you put it in 5th, turn on cruise and casually drive in the right lane till you get home.

There’s a couple I think you’ve missed. It’s a point of pride. Driving an automatic is seen to be for old women and fat businessmen. It’s not very fair but there’s a stigma. Like it’s not “proper” driving. Another reason is the roads. Winding narrow roads are fun to drive on in a manual. An automatic (unless it’s a super car) just isn’t as fun. And the second car issue. If a household has multiple cars, they all need to be the same because switching between manual an automatic frequently is horrible. And driving long distance, you sit in top gear most of the time anyway so manual is a relaxing drive like an automatic once you’re on the open road.

Hi, I am from Hungary, I'm 16 years old. The reason I clicked on this video, I was really excited about how other people think about from other countries having this widely spread manual transmission using in Europe. I am also interested in car things, even in the deepest part of them, I guess maybe because I am learning as a mehcatronical engineer :D You're awesome man, don't stop doing these videos! :D Greetings from Hungary

What I like about a manual is that it gives your gearbox foresight. An automatic gearbox doesn't know I'm about to floor it to accelerate form 80 to 130 to get away from behind a truck. I shift back to 4th or 3rd gear (depending on car), rev it back up, and then instantly have maximum acceleration. An automatic will have an amount of delay because it isn't probing my brain and I have no way to tell it what I am about to do. This might be what you meant with getting more out of weak cars, but I always do it not just with weak cars.

You missed probably the most important reason, at least for this Canadian: cars with manual transmissions are more fun to drive. I’m mystified by how car-crazy North Americans eschew this fun feature. My last car, a Jetta, had the best automatic transmission I have ever driven with, nonetheless, I was so happy when I traded it in for my 6-gear Civic.

At around 7:50 you said driving manual makes you more of a disciplined driver. I like how you brought that up. Because USA and Canada has the least disciplined drivers, and I think a big reason is because they don’t drive manual. I’ve noticed MUCH better driving habits with people that drive manuals than automatics

Also in the Netherlands, there are 2 different driver licenses for cars. If you have an manual drivers license you're allowed to drive in both cars, but if you got an automatic license, you're not allowed to drive in manual cars.

I was on a road trip with my dad in Spain, we had a rental seat Ibiza (automatic), we tried to overtake a truck, lets just say it was so painful... By the time the car decided to drop down a gear to get better acceleration and then shifted back into the next gear, we had already lost the overtaking opportunity... That's kind of when I realised why I wouldn't want to buy an automatic car... You just have a lot more control over little things like that with a manual

When dutch people start taking lessons for their drivers license they have a choice to get a license for a manual car or an automatic. When you passed your exam for an manual license you can drive an automatic as well. Because there are a lot of (second hand / used) cars that have a manual transmission many people choose to take a manual license and a manual car and stick to it.

Even though i knew i was going to get an automatic as a first car, i learnt manual because all my friends were. It almost felt like you learn manual to be normal and not lesser.

Here in the Philippine Manuals are still one of the best selling vehicles, since most roads that you can find in our country are hilly or sometimes mountainous, having a manual transmission helps your to control which gear is capable of climbing the hill. Also since most of the vehicle available in PH are small displacement vehicles having a manual means you can force the vehicle to give extra boost in horsepower when you needed to like what you said in the video.

As someone used to driving a 105hp Manual VW Golf Sportwagon , I was disappointed by the 405hp Ford Expedition. Felt pretty disconnected and never had power available within 5 seconds of pushing the throttle

Another reason is that with a manual it is easier to slow down a little bit: just decrease the pressure on your gas pedal a bit. Simple. Automatic cars tend to 'press forward' more, so you'll have to break more often which also involves moving your feet to another pedal. I remember one traffic jam in the US where I thought "in a manual car this crawling speed would be easier to maintain than in this automatic car". And then there is overtaking. In a manual you can gear down in anticipation of a safe moment for an overtake, and then you'll have the extra power available instantly, without having to wait for the kickdown effect. Of course, in relaxed traffic this is not so important.

A ''Rear Wheel Drive'' with a ''Manual'' transmission is the best combination. You feel like the ''King of the Road''.

Don't forget that in most of the rest of the world you are required lessons to be allowed to drive, so people actually learn how to use a manual transmission from the very beginning.

My dad drives an automatic car and my mom drives a manual and whenever my mom drives my dad's car he tells her every time "Keep your left food off the pedals", so I can definitely say most people who drive a manual are very used to it.

So here are my two cents. So in the past, in Europe, most cars and their engines were quite small and low-power. You had a family car with 80hp. That'd just barely be enough. An old-style automatic would not only be much more expensive to buy, and would waste a lot of that power, but it'd also have fewer gears. They also wasted a lot of fuel. The car I'm driving right now burns 10 litres of fuel and gets to 100km/h in 11s - a manual version of that same car with that same engine burns 20% less fuel and gets to 100km/h in 9s. In the states where engines were huge you could get away with a 3-speed automatic but brute-forcing it with all that torque, in Europe you couldn't. Many luxury cars here had automatics even 50 years ago, just not most cars which were besically all economy-oriented. Nowadays, when automatics are often just as good or better, most people buy automatics. Often I don't even see an option for a manual unless it's the cheapes car/cheapest trim level.

as a fan of the manual, I was blessed to live in Romania in a mountain region so that I can have fun with it . Rev matches, heel toes, left foot breaking , fun , and in a manual I feel more in tune with the car, I know what it can give me, so I feel safer

As a French driver, another reason I prefer a manual is that you can start it just by pushing if the battery run out of juice, you can’t do that with an automatic and need cable.

You can start a manual transmission car by moving it: 2nd gear, release the clutch sudddenly. You can also spare the brakes (avoid overheating) on long descents in the mountains; the rule: on descent select the gear you would use to ascend; the higher rpm the more braking.

A year back, my dad bought his first ever automatic vehicle. He wanted a certain type of car, but the manual options of that car had an annoying quirk, which made them undesireable for him. I asked him a month ago, what does he think of automatics now. He said that it has helped with the long work trips, where he has to often be on a call for most of the trip, but outside of that, driving has become boring for him.

Why i drive a manual car; 1) cheaper 2) maintenance is easier 3) i can control if i wanna be fuel efficient or just fast 4) it's fun shifting gears :)

I’m an old guy. I learned to drive on a VW Beetle ( 1964 ). To this day when walking down the street I find myself checking out the transmissions. Since moving to Southern Europe I’ve noticed the vast majority of cars have manual transmissions.

My reasons: I always have had a manual, it’s more controllable in the turns especially downhill (the engine isn’t downshifting as soon as you leave the foot from the gas forcing you to hit the brakes): this also saves the brake pads. Plus it’s cheaper.

Switched to automatic a few years ago. Highway and city driving is much more comfortable now. I only miss my tiny manual Yaris when I'm driving on rural roads (aka rally mode driving... :) )

Manual forever! You have more control on your car, on mountains you really need the manual feel to use the engine break in your advantage, also starting from ramps it's more great to use manual. I feel so lazy if i'm running an automatic.

It just feels nice to have more control over the car imo.

For me, its being connected to the machine.. yeah sounds weird but in my 52 yrs of driving, I only owned an auto for 3 days and got rid of it. Also all my cars were small sporty cars and I enjoy the nimble feeling of there handling. Of course in Cali, we could mod however we like so suspensions mods were always the first thing. the sense of being "attached" to the machine when hitting an apex at double the limit feels awesome .(even if its only 45mph..lol) But I also understand that this is changing and its inevitable. .

I haven't driven an automatic for any length of time but as someone who drives a manual, when I finally got a car with cruise control (I know, imagine not having a car with cruise control!) and I enabled it on the highway, I immediately noticed I became a less attentive driver. I didn't have to check my speed anymore, checked my speed relative to other cars less frequently and while this seems trivial, essentially it enabled me to zone out by "just keeping the car in the lane" as it were. I wouldn't be surprised if automatic transmissions, especially in the more dangerous stop-and-go traffic of cities/interchanges, lead to less attentive drivers. That said, I can definitely appreciate the preference of not spending an hour in traffic in a manual.

Manual gives you the feeling that you're actually driving something.

Mike my father has allways said _"You can't drive if you can't stick shift"_

For me it’s about control. I like automatic gearboxes, but manual gearboxes are more so a connection of yourselves, instead of a different thing. I like the contact with the clutch, I like the way I move the shifter, everything. Saying this as a 20-year-old with lots of experience in cars due to my job, I’ve driven lots of cars (50+). When I want to drive sporty, I drive sporty and ruin every fuel usage the car can calculate. When I want to drive slowly and carefully, I can do that too.

My first car was a Fiat punto petrol with manual transmission and without EPS, now I can take any car and I don't have problems to drive them. I prefer manual transmission because it's more immersive driving experience and I don't like having my right arm doing nothing.

The main reason at least for me is, a manual car is cheaper to buy and is less of a hassle, a manual is almost bullet proof

I live in the UK and the real reason that we like manual transmission is that it's what most of us learn to drive in. If you pass your driving test in a car with automatic transmission, you can only drive an automatic. If you pass your test in a manual, you can legally drive any car on the roads. Automatic transmission is seen as something for people who lack the skills to drive properly. Manual transmission is good in snow or mud, as you can start off in second gear and slip your clutch to get moving without wheel spinning. You can also use your gears to help slow down when there's snow on the roads.

I love my 2016 Challenger RT+ with a 6 speed manual transmission. It's so much fun to drive!!

If everyone went back and had to learn with no driver aids ABS, power steering etc etc then there would be a lot more competent drivers on the roads. Too many aids make every one feel safe and the worlds greatest driver till the automation fails or hit the limit and shit gets real.

What a great video, thank you so much!

I am a taxi driver in the US. All taxis are automatics. It's 12 hour shifts. The job would be so much less boring with a manual car. I am so glad to get in my manual when driving home.

Being in control of a "machine", having to use pedals and "levers" simply gives me satisfaction, it makes me feel driving like a more "serious" thing. And I also think that a human that can switch gears well is always better than an auto because... he's a human. For example: if I see in front of me a steep road, I would gear down before I reach the climb in order to be prepared. An automatic can't do this, it can't predict what the road is going to be. But unfortunately the electric cars are going to throw away the problem of gears... 😥 Bye from 🇮🇹

A small addition to the pricing argument: in a lot of cases, the automatic simply isn't offered with the base or most popular engine. So if you want the auto, you'll have to move up to the more powerful engine, even if you don't need the power. This makes the price gap even bigger.

I feel the connection between the engine and my heart, thats why I drive manual.

You framed this video while you're driving! Awesome!

For me driving an automatic car always feels like playing a video game and choosing the easiest mode. Also I drive a 15 year old golf and my passenger have to roll the windows up and down manually. Only the front windows are electric:)

I love driving manual every time, except in traffic jam. Then constant shifting neutral to 1st and back is kinda tiring for my left leg.

It's amazing how some can't move a manual, and meanwhile I'm heal-and-toeing in a Sprinter Van

My Main reason to use a manual transmission is the sound of the engine while downshifting.. engine revs up and applies engine braking.. Oh man thats satisfaction everytime

Manual vehicles are excellent for private car owners with their cognitive skills in shape. Automatic shift eases the job of truck and bus drivers, and similar jobs . Me being a trucker. Auto cars are also good for grannies and disabled people

Here’s one for you! I’m a British truck driver and most European trucks (at a guess about 75/80%) are automatic.

As europenian driver that drives both i can say main reasons are: 1 - still more reliable 2 - no maintence needed (oil change) 3 - more affordable in every aspect 4 - better driving experience for an enthusiast (you are controlling your car, not vice versa)

Driving a manual means your are more in control of the car hence that extra bit of satisfaction. It is hard for people like me who grew up in the world where manual is dominating and we fell in love with manual cars when we were little. But when we come to the age, when we can finally, legally drive a car, manual is dying or worse. It like… I've lost my words, I don't know how to express that feeling, it's painful…

Finally a video about this topic. Having lived in China, Spain and the UK I have always found this to be very interesting. Living in Shanghai where the incomes are a lot higher, the only manual cars would be the Volkswagen Touran taxis and everything else would be automatics. In Spain, most of the cars are manuals. In the UK however, I was actually very surprised by the amount of automatics. Lots of very ordinary and even older cars from the 2000-2010 era such as Yaris's, Golf's, Skoda's are automatics when I would've expected them to be manuals.

You forgot one important reason: It's so much more fun to drive manual. When I talk about driving with friends they all talk about how much more fun manual is. Drove around 60k km in Australia with an automatic - yes, it way pretty convenient but I really missed my manual transmission. It's just a complete different experience. And - furthermore - I got so much more control over my car...manual all the way! But the things you were talking about are also true, but I think the "fun"-part, the "experience"-part is probably one of the most important ones, at least for europeans who like driving.

I'm living in the Netherlands and I have a two cars. One is a Renault Talisman (diesel automatic gearbox) as a main car for "transportation". My second car is a Peugeot 207cc convertible and that one is for fun and HAVE to be manual of course...:)

I just saw a video on Germany's legislation concerning vehicles which do not even have a driver any more. They stated that people who are born now will probably never need a driving licence because when they turn 18 there will only be self-driving cars. They stated 3 towns where there are trucks/buses without drivers along certain transport/commuter routes already.

For me the type of car also matters. When I drove small, light cars, I really enjoyed the manual. Lately I've switched to larger luxury cars and it just 'makes sense' to have an automatic, I definitely wouldn't want to change gears myself in these cars. At the same time, if I ever wanted something like an older sports car again I would go with a manual.

I have done my driving license on manual (in Poland) and now I have AT car and I prefer it It's easier to use off-road, also easier to drive in the city etc. Many people say that once you drive automatic you would never go back to manual, I agree with it completely

No doubt the manual gearbox is the most fun to drive. I have a 2003 Mercedes C Class, C180 Kompressor with a 6 speed manual, very fun to drive, still going strong with 257k km on the clock😎🇿🇦🇿🇦

Joy of driving! Being in control. Even traction control, abs, etc take away a LOT os the fun.

Main reason would be for me is money. Automatic is aint cheap to repair, and I would really have to look hard for a mechanic who can actually repair the damn thing.

In my case, I prefer manual because I find it more fun to drive, I enjoy more on the road. Also, on trips it helps me pay more attention to the road because you have to be aware of the gears. I've driven new automatics and still prefer and keep my manual car. :P Greetings from 🇪🇸

I prefer driving cars with the manual transmissions because I love the the feel of the clutch and gear shifting. The United States needs more of them. The problems with the automatic transmission are the fluid when that gets dirty, especially when the cooling system goes out. I used to change automatic transmissions fluid, and the smell is strong when the fluid comes out of the transmission.

American who has grown up driving manual transmission cars here - My parents were in the Army and spent most of their time on Active Duty in Europe. Also, they were from Montana/Alabama and in the 80s, manuals were quite prominent as those states were rural and everyone basically had one. My first manual transmission was a 2005 Toyota Camry that I began driving in 2008. It was for all intents and purposes a fully loaded vehicle that just so happened to be a stick. I took my driving test in it and the instructor was so amazed I made the car move that she passed me even though I messed up the "reverse" part of the test. I lost it in 2013 to a drunk driver and picked up a 2014 Nissan Sentra. I spent a good solid year and a half without a car (bought the Sentra in 2015) because I wanted a manual and couldn't find one I liked. I managed to pick up the Sentra for just under 12k USD simply because I demanded they lower the price or I would walk. Besides, Americans don't drive sticks, right? lol I lost that Nissan last year and had to settle this year for an automatic and let me tell you: It has definitely made me a poorer driver. 1. It's less involved because you literally have an idle hand and foot. Kid you not, I drive my car with one hand and one day I found myself reaching for my phone. Bad American habits. 2. No speed control. Overtaking other cars is a pain because my CVT transmission won't shift when I need it to. 3. I recently took a 6 hour drive and on two separate occasions, I found myself falling asleep and collision detection had to save me. Never when I drove a manual did I almost hit someone from behind. It literally takes the task out of driving. I wish that Americans would bring back the option for manual in most cars, or at least let me special order it to my specifications since they don't sell well...

Driving a manual is a fun way to drive and it makes you more focused on driving. When I drive automatic, my mind gets a little numb and I tend to drive 20 mph higher than I would in a manual car.

Another reason is the roads. On a tight twisty road why would you leave it up to the car to decide which gear it thinks is best?

Amazing content. You got yourself a new sub!

The difference is that in Europe we DRIVE our cars and in North America and Japan people just simply ride along in there cars.

The biggest reason is the small engines. We have engines from 1.2l - 2.0l in the past as the most common engine. Those were mostly underpowered for automatic gearboxes, now that small engines have enough power and gearboxes are much better, the automatics are rapidly taking over car market. In the States, 1.5 diesel engine with 100hp is made fun of, it's a good car here

Hello Kerleem, very cool video. I always thought that the majority of cars in Germany were stick shift as well. Somebody pointed out in one of my videos, that now nearly half the cars in Germany are automatic. I’m not sure I believe that. I wanted to get automatic on my most recent car purchase, but it would’ve cost €3000 extra for the trim. So, I’m sticking with the stick shift. I like driving stick, except for that in Europe there’s a lot of stop and go in traffic. Then, I would have preferred to have automatic.

Hi! Nice video! Here for me in Belgium, In my daily driver (audi) I have a automatic gearbox for doing boring highway kilometres. In my “funcar” (BMW Z4) it’s a manual just for the amusement. I had drive lessons in s manual back in the days and they still doing that today.

Here in Germany I do not think that price has much to do with it. It is more the view on it. People (especially men) will think you are not able to drive a "real car", also people think that they are still slower and less effective (which good modern ones are obviously not). Also it is just nice to have that control over your car.

It is just habit, something you grow up with I guess. Same as with airco in the house, with which Americans cannot seem to do without but isn't that common in Europe either. For a long time automatic gearboxes were synonym with grandpa driving a car, it was not deemed "sporty". Personally I prefer the comfort of an automatic transmission, and think it helps safety because there is one thing less to worry about for the driver in an emergency situation.

I switched to an EV last year and one thing I regularly miss is the manual transmission. Simply because it is more fun to drive manually, except when sitting in traffic. I still keep driving manuals from time to time, mostly our family car when I visit them for a week or so and we move about. I haven't unlearned it yet, but I am getting a bit worse at it.

to be honest, getting most new cars with a manual transmission from VW, Skoda or Seat is really hard now, only the weakest engine will have a manual option if there even is an option for manual

Fun anecdote; when my mom got a new car (because the previous one was totaled, not her fault btw) the car she picked at the dealership happened to be an automatic. The salesperson even checked with her if she was aware of this, kind of like 'Are you sure you want an automatic?', almost assuming she would go 'Oh! Then I'll take another one'. Then when I told my uncle about her new car and how it was an automatic, his response was 'Oh? I didn't know she had trouble driving?', because to a lot of people here, driving an automatic means easy mode. Nowadays there's more automatics because of the increase in electric vehicles but before then, you weren't driving a 'real car' unless it was a manual

Manuals are also better in Europe because when you’re going down a hill or steep mountain which is common here you can actually use your engine brake, automatics just can’t do that and they end up overheating the brakes because they don’t stay in the lower gear.

Mate, you forgot about Australia while mentioning about USA/Canada’s preference for automatic 😀. Here carmakers are throwing out the manual. For example , Toyota Corolla - Australia’s top-selling passenger car - will no longer be available with a manual option from next month. Same case with Toyota Yaris also

Ah yes, Volvo, the quintessential luxury car

You're spot on with your thoughts! I'd add two more things: 1. The commute - Most people in Europe tend to walk/cycle/take public transport to work cause of restrictions, expensive parking, or just convenience. So the main selling point for an automatic, the constant shifting through start-stop traffic, is gone. 2. Engine braking - I've talked to people who drive an automatic and asked about how does engine braking work... They usually have a puzzled look on their face (maybe they're using it wrong). However I live in a mountainous region (The Balkans) and every trip is going to have a long stretch driving down a mountain, at which point I will shift the engine into an appropriate lower gear to slow me down, instead of setting the brakes on fire. I might be wrong on the last one, I've heard some more performance oriented cars have this as a function in their sport mode. But I'd love to hear if a normal, everyday Insignia/Mondeo/Passat automatic does this as well.

Manual transmission cars are much more enjoyable to drive. You can control much better the car, you feel better the machine. It's a pity that manual transmission cars are being phased out

Safe the manual! I love it especially in mountains it's fun to be in control

I drove stick for 20 years. I've replaced gearboxes, clutch plates, gear linkages, clutch cables - a clutch cable is a simple $20 job compared to a $2,000 job fixing an auto. Then I moved to Atlanta and said "Hell, no!" No way am I going to sit pumping a clutch 20 times a minute for 3 hours in an I-85 standstill. I'd rather pay the extra maintenance on my vehicle than to a surgeon to repair my left knee.

Well... You do kinda feel like Marty McFly with a manual transmission. That's what I feel. You have more than 200 hp, punching it up, you are glued to your seat and you cranck that baby up, pedal to the metal... Best feeling in the world.