Automatic transmissions are faster, more efficient, and honestly make a lot of sense for most people’s daily commutes. But there’s something special about rowing your own gears that no dual-clutch system can replicate, no matter how quick the shifts are.
The manual transmission is becoming an endangered species in the automotive world, with fewer options available each year. Yet enthusiasts continue to vote with their wallets when manuals are offered, often creating waitlists for stick-shift variants of popular performance cars.
Here are twelve fantastic cars that would be even more engaging, more connected, and yes, cooler, if they came with a proper three-pedal setup.
Audi RS3
The RS3 is an absolute riot with its 401-horsepower turbocharged five-cylinder engine that sounds like nothing else on the road. That distinctive warble and pop on overrun is addictive, but it’s all channeled through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic that, while lightning quick, feels a bit too clinical for a car this characterful.
Imagine being able to hold gears longer to maximize that incredible soundtrack, or perfectly rev-matching downshifts into a tight corner. The Quattro all-wheel-drive system is brilliant, but a manual would add that extra layer of driver involvement that makes you feel like you’re truly orchestrating the performance. At around $60,000, buyers are paying serious money for driving thrills, and a manual option would deliver that in spades.
It’s the kind of car that begs you to take the long way home, and a stick shift would make every commute feel like an event.
Mercedes-AMG C63
The new C63 has ditched the beloved V8 for a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid setup making 671 horsepower, which is genuinely impressive from a technical standpoint. But here’s the thing — all that power and performance feels somewhat disconnected when it’s only available through a nine-speed automatic transmission.
AMG has always been about drama and emotion, and a manual transmission would add a visceral quality that even the most sophisticated automatic can’t match. The car is already nose-heavy with all the hybrid hardware up front, so giving drivers more control through a manual could help them better manage weight transfer and feel more connected to what the chassis is doing. Starting around $85,000, this is a serious investment in a performance sedan, and enthusiasts would gladly sacrifice a few tenths at the drag strip for a more engaging driving experience.
Sometimes the journey matters more than the lap time.
Lexus IS 500 F Sport Performance
The IS 500 is a love letter to naturally aspirated V8 engines, packing the glorious 5.0-liter unit from the LC and RC F into the compact IS sedan. With 472 horsepower and that incredible high-revving character, it’s one of the last holdouts against turbocharging in this segment.
The eight-speed automatic is smooth and reliable, but imagine pairing that responsive, free-revving V8 with a manual transmission where you could really work it through the rev range. This car is all about preserving driving purity in an era of forced induction and electrification, and a manual would be the perfect complement to that philosophy. At around $62,000, it’s positioned as the thinking enthusiast’s choice, and offering a stick shift would cement its status as a modern classic.
Plus, Lexus reliability with a manual V8 sedan? That’s a recipe for something truly special.
BMW M3/M4 Competition
The standard M3 and M4 still offer a six-speed manual, which is fantastic, but the Competition models with their extra 37 horsepower and upgraded suspension are automatic-only. Ugh! Those additional 503 horses and the more aggressive chassis setup would be even more thrilling with direct gear control at your fingertips.
Yes, the eight-speed automatic is incredibly fast and perfectly suited to the car’s dual personality as both daily driver and track weapon. But there’s something about manually shifting a high-revving inline-six through a satisfying gearbox that defines the M car experience for many enthusiasts. Starting at around $79,000 for the Competition, these are expensive toys, and buyers at this level often prioritize engagement over outright speed.
BMW has proven they can build an excellent manual transmission for these cars: why not extend that option to the top-tier variants?
Genesis G70 3.3T
The G70 3.3T used to offer a manual transmission, making it a unicorn among luxury sport sedans, but that option has sadly disappeared from the lineup. With 368 horsepower from its twin-turbo V6 and sharp handling dynamics, this Korean sport sedan punches well above its weight class.
The eight-speed automatic is competent and smooth, perfectly fine for a luxury car, but the G70 is trying to be more than just another luxury sedan—it wants to be a driver’s car. Bringing back the manual would differentiate it in a crowded segment and give buyers a compelling reason to choose it over the German competition. Priced around $52,000, it’s already a value proposition compared to rivals, and a manual would make it irresistible to a dedicated group of enthusiasts.
Sometimes the best way to stand out is to offer what nobody else will.
Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio
The Giulia Quadrifoglio is one of the most entertaining sport sedans on the market, with its 505-horsepower twin-turbo V6 and near-perfect weight distribution. It handles like a scalpel and sounds absolutely glorious, especially with the optional Akrapovic exhaust system.
The eight-speed automatic is quick and well-programmed, but Alfa Romeo is a brand built on passion and emotion, not just statistics. A manual transmission would align perfectly with the brand’s heritage and the car’s overall character as the choice for drivers who value feel over convenience. At around $82,000, Quadrifoglio buyers are already choosing heart over head—might as well give them the full romantic experience.
The ZF-sourced automatic works fine, but imagine the enthusiast buzz if Alfa offered a manual option in this Italian stallion.
Volkswagen Golf R
The Golf R is a brilliant all-around performance hatchback with 315 horsepower, all-wheel drive, and genuine everyday practicality. The seven-speed DSG is wickedly fast and perfectly suited to launching the car like a rocket ship from every stoplight.
But the Golf has always been about accessible performance—a car that’s special without being precious about it. A manual transmission would make it feel more playful and less clinical, turning it into a hot hatch in the truest sense rather than a junior supercar. Starting at around $45,000, it’s priced competitively, and a manual option would likely find plenty of takers among VW faithful who remember when the GTI was all about the stick shift.
The DSG is impressive, but sometimes you want to feel like you’re driving a hot hatch, not programming one.
Porsche Macan
Hear us out on this one: yes, it’s a crossover, and yes, crossovers aren’t typically manual transmission territory. But the Macan, especially in GTS or Turbo form, drives more like a hot hatch on stilts than a traditional SUV. With up to 434 horsepower and Porsche’s legendary chassis tuning, it’s genuinely fun to hustle down a back road.
The PDK dual-clutch transmission is brilliant, but Porsche has proven with the 911 that they can make a manual work even in their fastest, most focused cars. A manual Macan would be delightfully absurd in the best possible way — a challenge to the idea that utility vehicles can’t be driver’s cars. Starting around $88,000, buyers are already paying Porsche prices for something more engaging than a typical luxury crossover.
Give them something truly unique to talk about at cars and coffee.
Audi RS6 Avant
The RS6 Avant is the ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing — a 591-horsepower twin-turbo V8 wagon that can seat five and swallow a week’s worth of cargo. The eight-speed automatic suits its dual nature perfectly, providing seamless power delivery whether you’re cruising or attacking an on-ramp.
But imagine the cult following this thing would develop with a manual transmission option. It would be the ultimate enthusiast’s vehicle: impractical in its practicality, if that makes sense. At around $122,000, buyers are already choosing something special and rare in the American market where wagons are an endangered species. A manual would take it from rare to legendary, the kind of car people would travel across the country to buy and never sell.
Sometimes the coolest choice is the one nobody expects.
BMW X3 M/X4 M
These M-branded SUVs pack a serious punch with their 503-horsepower twin-turbo inline-six and track-ready chassis dynamics. They’re genuine performance vehicles that happen to have more cargo space and ride height than a traditional M car.
The eight-speed automatic is smooth and quick, handling the power delivery without drama. But here’s the thing: BMW M has always been about driver engagement above all else, and these SUVs have the performance to back up an even more engaging transmission option. Starting around $74,000, they’re serious money for serious performance, and a manual would attract buyers who want their performance SUV to feel special, not just fast.
It would be ridiculous, impractical, and absolutely brilliant — which is kind of the whole point of putting an M badge on a crossover in the first place.
Dodge Charger/Challenger Hellcat
The Hellcat lineup represented American muscle at its most unhinged, with supercharged 6.2-liter V8s pumping out 717 horsepower in standard form and even more in Redeye variants. These were cars that made you grin every time you squeezed the throttle, but they only came with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Sure, the TorqueFlite automatic could handle all that power and deliver brutal acceleration, but imagine the experience of manually rowing through gears with over 700 horses at your command. The Hellcat was always about excess and drama, and a manual transmission would have added another layer of visceral engagement to the experience. At around $72,000 for a Charger Hellcat, buyers were already choosing emotion over practicality.
While these muscle cars have now ended production, they remain a reminder that sometimes the most characterful engines deserve the most involving transmissions — a combination that would have been absolutely legendary.
Mercedes-AMG GT
The AMG GT is a proper supercar challenger with stunning looks and powerful twin-turbo V8 options ranging from 469 to 720 horsepower in various trims. The seven-speed and nine-speed dual-clutch transmissions are engineering marvels, perfectly suited to extracting every bit of performance from those mighty engines.
But Mercedes has never offered a manual in the AMG GT, and that feels like a missed opportunity for a car so clearly aimed at driving purists. Imagine a base GT with the 469-horsepower engine and a manual transmission — it would be a more affordable, more engaging entry point to the lineup. Starting around $99,000 for the base GT, it’s already competing with the Porsche 911, which still offers manual options in many variants.
A stick-shift AMG GT would be a statement that not all performance needs to be measured in milliseconds and tenths of seconds.
Conclusion
The manual transmission’s decline is understandable from a business perspective — most buyers genuinely prefer automatics, and modern automatics are objectively better in almost every measurable way. But cars aren’t just about measurable performance; they’re about emotion, connection, and the intangible joy of driving.
These twelve vehicles represent some of the finest performance and luxury machinery available today, each one excellent in its own right. Yet adding a manual transmission option would transform them from impressive machines into something more personal, more engaging, and ultimately more memorable. The enthusiasts who would choose these manual variants might be a small group, but they’re passionate, vocal, and willing to put their money where their mouth is.
In a world increasingly dominated by electric vehicles and autonomous driving, preserving the art of driving a manual transmission isn’t just nostalgia — it’s keeping alive a form of automotive expression that connects us directly to the machine and the road ahead.