For me, it was always the manual transmission. Growing up during the 1990s, both mom and dad drove a car with a stick. Actually, come to think of it, that was also the case for my grandparents, as well as my aunts and uncles. At least, on my dad’s side. Blame our French blood, transferred to us from my grandparents immigrating to Canada after World War II. I never really had many opportunities to ride shotgun with an automatic transmission as a kid.
It therefore came as a natural evolution to pick a stick shift ride as my first car, a 1991 Honda Civic Si. Fun fact: I actually bought the Civic before even obtaining my driver’s license at the age of 17. While the Si remained parked at Dad’s until I could legally drive it, I had high hopes my father would teach me how to drive stick on his then-new Kia Sephia.
Don’t laugh. Dad was going through a midlife crisis at the time and had just gotten out of a divorce with my mom. Thankfully, a Dodge Stealth R/T Twin Turbo was added to his fleet not long after.
Anyway, Dad had very little patience for this sort of stuff, so after I stalled his Kia twice, he immediately stopped the ordeal and told me to go get a course to drive manual, a course I’d pay for with my hard-earned summer job money. That was dad’s way of educating, I guess. But once I got out of that course, I never looked back. Each time I had a chance to drive stick, that was the transmission I’d flock to. Today, at 42, I remain attracted to it. Here are five reasons why driving a stick has made me better at driving cars.
To provide the most accurate and up-to-date information, this article uses data sourced from various trusted sources and the manufacturer, as well as the author’s personal experience.
Alertness
Requiring Drivers’ Undivided Attention To Operate
Because operating a manual transmission requires a lot more attention, concentration, and synchronization than driving an automatic, you’re instantly more alert behind the wheel. There’s just never a dull moment when driving stick, because, well, if you decide to laze it out on one of the transmission sequence’s key movements, you’re either going to break the car or crash it.
In a world where drivers seem to become less interested in the actual act of driving, with numerous distractions like smartphones taking our attention away from what’s actually going on, the manual transmission is one of the last organic tools we have left to keep drivers alert and engaged. Good luck trying to pick up your phone while driving a manually-equipped car (don’t do it!). For me, the extra alertness I get from a manual gearbox automatically makes me a better, more focused driver. What’s interesting here is that it’s the car itself, the machine, that’s essentially forcing you to keep your focus.
Control
Giving Drivers More Say In The Machine’s Actions
This one is similar to alertness. But since you’re operating the car’s core mechanical components yourself, it means you’re also more in control of the machine. Of course, when driving on a closed race circuit, it’s often said that an automatic transmission will lead to quicker lap times. That’s because today’s automatics shift so fast that they eliminate the time it takes you to depress the clutch, change gears manually, and release the clutch a second time. Yes, some manual drivers have proven to be faster than some automatic drivers, but that’s just due to a difference in skill and speed. In practice, an automatic is always faster, easier, and less intimidating to operate on a track.
Yet, when it comes down to pure control, especially when driving the very fast and powerful stuff, I’d still rather use three pedals and a stick. Simply because I feel more in control, and less as if an extra layer of technology was fitted between me and the beast. This feeling of being more in control of the car instantly increases my level of confidence, which in turn makes me a better, safer driver. It’s the same story when driving a car in winter, through a robust blizzard. I much prefer driving a manually-equipped car and, if possible, without any traction management systems. Why? I control every part of the car, and I feel I have much more freedom to also control it out of danger.
More Fuel-Efficient
Being Able To Tailor Your Experience
This might reveal my age, but although new cars do a fantastic job of using their automatic transmissions to improve a car’s overall fuel economy through gimmicky drive modes, there was a time when shifting for yourself was actually more fuel-efficient than going with the slushbox options.
And, frankly, it’s still very much the case. At least, if you know how to properly operate the stick. I once saved a full MPG after driving two different Honda Civics, one with a stick, the other with the automatic, during a comparison test back when I worked for The Car Guide. Again, this brings us back to control and awareness. When you actually stop to pay attention to the way the engine’s RPMs go up and down the gauge cluster, how your application of the throttle pedal moves the car around, or how leaving the car in a given gear will actually help it burn less fuel, I realized over time that a manual transmission gives me a lot more flexibility in that regard.
I’m Active And Alive Behind The Wheel
Putting The Human Element Back At The Helm
Because I’m so alert and in control of my car when driving a manual, this means that I’m actually doing something while driving. With cars becoming more and more automated, it’s becoming increasingly rare to sit inside an automobile that asks you to do more than simply hold onto the steering wheel.
For instance, when driving stick, you need to pay attention to your clutch’s friction point. Throttle inputs, compressing during deceleration, as well as finding the right gear for the task. All of that means you’re actively driving the car. You’re moving your feet and hands, and actively using your brain to synchronize them all. This leads to a driver that’s more awake, more alive, and always active. I personally love cars that put me at the center of the action, as if I’m actually doing something instead of just acting as a sack of meat that’s hitching a ride. Manual cars give me that.
It’s Just More Fun This Way
Driving Stands For More Than Just Transportation
Finally, and more importantly, a manual transmission is simply more fun. Perhaps for the reasons listed above, or because it allows the car to feel more alive and awake. No matter the true reason, any automotive enthusiast will tell you that driving stick is not about speed, but about how it makes you feel behind the wheel.
There’s an organic, mechanical simplicity to this technology that, while highly inefficient from a manufacturing standpoint due to the added mechanical parts required to build it, simply adds to a car’s character. This is especially true of small, lightweight sports cars like the Mazda MX-5 Miata, or the Subaru BRZ/Toyota GR86 twins. When they’re fitted with a manual, I feel connected with those cars, and those cars feel connected with me. Ask me where I’d want to be on a warm summer’s day to let off some steam, and chances are I’ll tell you out there in the open road, behind the wheel of a manually-equipped sports car. Because when I’m a happy driver, I also happen to be a better driver.