Don't fear the stick! Why it rules to drive a manual transmission

There’s this popular internet meme that goes like this: the best anti-theft device you can get for your car is a manual transmission. It is an indictment of the current trend in car manufacturing and sales.

People are shying away so much from manual transmission cars and opting for automatics. Only a decade ago, if you want to have an automatic transmission option for your car, you will have to pony up the dough for it.

These days, automatics are available even on entry-level models. We’ve written an article in the past about this situation, and we estimate that only a quarter of all cars on the road today are equipped with stick shifts, while the rest have gone automatic.

Automatics make up almost 75% of all cars sold in the Philippines. 

I don’t see any reason why this trend will not continue. Thanks to technological advancements to transmission technology, the drawbacks of buying an automatic over a manual have been minimized, if not totally eliminated.

Those who defend manual transmissions say that it offers more versatility by giving you the ability to shift on your own and hunt for power throughout the rev range. They also say you can save more fuel with manual transmissions thanks to less moving parts and less friction. But why are people still going for the “matics”? Let's check out with Philkotse.com right now!

1. Fear the Gear

Manuals have always been the norm for the longest time, especially in the Philippines. It has practically become a right of passage for any person aspiring to drive the family car while having your dad scream at you as he rides shotgun because you're burning away the vehicle’s clutch lining.

There is no denying that manual transmissions entail a particular learning curve before you master the skill.

Getting your dad to scream at you as you ruin the family car is a right of passage

That’s right, I call driving a manual a skill, especially with the fact that I know a fair amount of people who have driver’s licenses and can drive stick. But considering that Metro Manila traffic is already hellish with crazy drivers all around (and absurd stop-and-go traffic to deal with), why would you stress yourself out with driving a manual?

Insert expletive against Manila traffic here

It all starts with this “fear” many people have, of driving a clutch-actuated machine that's worth an arm and a leg, which presumably belongs to your dad, weighs more than two tons and is capable of killing not just you but everyone else!

I know this fear, because to this day, I admit that I still have it; every single time I get behind the wheel, I always feel anxious about all of those things I mentioned. But let me finish this paragraph by saying that in spite of all this, I still feel that driving a manual is the best feeling in the world.

>>> Read more: How to overcome the fear of driving in the Philippines?

2. Pros of doing it yourself

As the old cliché goes, if you want something done right, it's best that you do it yourself; this rings true in driving as well. If you learn to conquer your fear of driving a manual transmission, you will find that many of the benefits outweigh the anxieties.

First of all, manual transmissions are known to give better fuel economy. Advanced automatics such as dual-clutch transmissions and CVTs claim otherwise, but experience has taught me that this is not always the case. Car transmissions are complicated contraptions involving interconnected elements such as gears, belts, and compression. But compared to automatic transmissions, manual gearboxes are fairly simple, thus requiring much less moving parts and minimal (if any) computer control.

Your engine works on the principle of stress and multiple controlled combustions in the engine. Keeping things simple and light with a manual transmission reduces the complication and stress on the engine, giving the car a fuel economy edge over automatics. Fight me in the comments section below if you disagree.

Nothing beats rowing through your own gears

Simplicity also benefits manual transmissions in terms of maintenance, as they are much easier to repair and replace than automatics. I have an old jalopy of a car that has seen better days; one time, I lost all power to the front wheels, only to discover that my manual transmission was busted.

Horror stories of expensive repairs crept into my mind, as I remembered our old family car which whose automatic transmission failed completely, costing us an arm and a leg. I headed over to my trusted mechanic and he replaced the gearbox and drivetrain, for a fraction of the cost it would have taken to repair an automatic! Another bonus is that parts for a manual transmission are much easier to find as well.

With the proliferation of new automatic transmission technologies and segmentation such as CVT, dual-clutch, and even automated manual transmissions, each carmaker now has its own proprietary tech, making it harder for parts to come by. In contrast, manual transmissions are pretty standardized across all brands. If your manual-equipped car refuses to start, just run, push, and pop the clutch while shifting into second gear!

3. The #Feels of Driving Stick

The most important part of driving a manual, however, cannot be quantified by statistics or numbers; it's all in the #feels. Nothing beats the rush of bringing your car close to redline, popping the clutch at the last minute to move on to the next few gears, heel-and-toeing as you downshift to overtake the vehicle in front of you.

Control is and will forever be the manual transmission’s selling point in the automotive market. Going downhill, engine braking and listening to your engine purr and growl on-demand, and watching as the horizon comes closer and closer, the emotions involved in driving a manual are just overwhelming.

Once you've mastered the art of driving a manual, you can do almost anything

Coming from driving a manual and moving to an automatic, I’ve come to realize that so much of the fear I've had whenever I drove a manual was more about my heart and soul waking up to the raw feeling of knowing that, “I’m doing this! The car is moving because of me and that is scary!” The driving stick can be stressful at times, but maybe we just tend to confuse fear with emotion and excitement whenever we take the wheel. Not to diss anyone who drives an automatic, but if you want to feel alive, drive manual.

>>> Check out: Ending the controversial debate: Automatic or Manual Transmission?

4. The long road ahead

At the end of the day, the general public will still want to drive an automatic, and I can see why: the ease, the convenience, the relative safety. Why drive around with three pedals when you can manage with two? Car companies, in turn, will end up releasing more models equipped with automatics.

Some say that the manual transmission is on the verge of dying in the mainstream car market, but that's not about to happen yet. We'll still find manual transmission cars plying our roads, and they will live on for as long as people don't lose sight of the excitement of driving. Save the manuals!

Don't fear driving manual transmissions!

Check out Philkotse.com for all available manual transmission cars for sale with the best price and certified sellers in the Philippines.