![]() ![]() For many car enthusiasts the manual will always be better. Some driving schools no longer teach how to drive a manual and the “art” of the perfect gear shift is not as strong as it was. Today more and more people are driving vehicles with automatic transmissions. Luckily today the “option” for an automatic transmission is often built into the price of the vehicle. When automatic transmissions were brand new the cost for one could be as much as an additional $1,000 or more. In fact, it used to be less expensive for car shoppers to purchase a vehicle with a manual transmission. Not only is making and selling only one type of transmission cheaper for automakers, customers are more likely to be happy because they are getting great fuel economy. That said, if automakers could have things a certain way most would prefer to only make and sell automatic transmissions. In addition, automatic vehicles are typically more fuel efficient and don’t require as much coordination as manual vehicles. Then again, there are those that prefer not having to shift gears constantly. For drivers who are comfortable with driving a manual, many have a hard time going back to an automatic. There is a level of control and involvement with manuals that makes shifting so much more engaging than automatic transmissions. Many die-hard car enthusiasts love stick shifts mainly because of how much fun manual transmissions are to drive. So why do people buy cars with manual transmissions? There are a few parts to this answer. Okay, so it’s probably not as old as time, but it’s a good one. Just, y'know.get the stick.Ah, the age-old question. Still, if you're looking to find a good all-around performance car that's made for both street and track use but is also fairly usable in the day-to-day grind, the Mustang Mach 1 is very much worthy of consideration. That lip spoiler requires extra care when mounting driveways and gas station ramps, and the rear "plus-two" seats are so dramatically shaped by their cushions and tricky to access, you'll probably wind up throwing far fewer things back there than you think you will when you're trying to sell your partner on the car's versatility at the dealership. Keen eyes will notice the nearly 50-pony bump versus the previous-generation M cars, but that’s not the only power boost available for 2021 the Competition package adds an extra 30. While it not be as wild or impractical as some of the other cars of similar price and performance - your base-model Caymans and Corvettes and so forth - living with a Mustang does remain a tad less utilitarian than, say, a Honda Accord. Both the BMW M3 and M4 start out with the same 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine that’s been turbocharged to deliver 473 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque. Still, the seats are great on long hauls, the digital instrument panel remains one of the best in the business. If you're expecting an interior commensurate with a $53,000-plus car from Mercedes or Acura, well, you'll likely be a tad disappointed - but the money is going towards the go-fast bits, not the frippery. Pretty much like any other Mustang inside: a blend of retro design cues and modern screens, with comfortable seats and easy-to-use controls surrounded by lots of black plastic. I just wish my left leg had had more to do. If there's one car that deserves to have its engine wound out through a manual transmission even if it compromises overall performance in the name of driving fun, it's an eight-cylinder 'Stang.Īfter a long weekend of driving to (and around) the empty winding roads of the Adirondacks and back again, I can decisively say the Mach 1 is indeed a delightful machine to whip around - not just straight-line fast, but a well-rounded performance machine. But the Mach 1's manual gearbox is sourced from the excellent Shelby GT350, which has gone off into that good night for the 2021 model year. Sure, the automatic received its fair share of changes for Mustang Mach 1 duty: the torque converter has been upgraded and reprogrammed for more aggressive operations, and there's a second air-to-oil cooler. My otherwise-wonderfully-specced tester would be arriving with a 10-speed automatic sending power to the rear wheels, not the six-speed manual that comes standard. Chances are the manual transmission won't be with us much longer. When Ford's PR folks sent over the window sticker for the Mustang Mach 1 that was set to be dropped off at my first door, the first thing I did was check to see what sort of gearbox it had. Before we start, a moment of silence for the stick-shift-equipped models we've lost recently. ![]()
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