I love the manual transmission but I don’t see the point in buying one

The #SaveTheManuals movement has been rather successful in the automotive world. Case in point, Porsche brought back the 6-speed manual transmission option in their 991.2 generation Porsche GT3 following public woes.

I love driving cars with three pedals and a stick – regardless of power and performance. It gives you an additional layer of engagement and connection with the car which more often than not equates to ‘fun driving’.

Rowing through the gears yourself is not just an exercise for your left foot, but also a mental workout. When to depress the clutch, which gear to engage, how much throttle to blip to get that perfect downshift – all that happens in a fraction of a millisecond.

This cognitive process amplifies the thrill of driving and gives the driver additional control (engine braking, clutch kicking) over their car. All of which many enthusiasts would pay handsome money for.

Henry Catchpole of Carfection on Why Manuals Matter.

This analogue sensation of rowing through the gears with both hands and feet can never be replicated an automatic transmission. But no matter how appealing (and frankly tempting) a manual car is, I don’t see the point in owning one.

Hold your pitchforks comrades and hear me out. A manual transmission, while more fun to drive, is slower than an automatic transmission – particularly the dual-clutch type transmissions. For this reason alone, is enough for me to find the manual transmission obsolete both on a drag strip and race track.

On the public roads, if you’re like me whose daily commute involves driving to the heart of Kuala Lumpur during peak hours, a manual transmission just doesn’t make sense. It’s just adding unnecessary inconvenience (and stress) to your life.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for #SaveTheManuals but I just really don’t see the point in splurging on one just to be able to take it out for that Sunday morning drive that happens once in a blue moon. Maybe I have not reached that age of content or maybe I just don’t have the patience to live with one. Either way, I’ll stick to a good automatic transmission for now.