What’s Up in the Forums: Does Anybody Want a Manual Lexus?
Forum member asks the burning question that we all want answered.
Unless you’ve been asleep over the last decade or so, you already know that the manual transmission is dying a slow and painful death. These days, the lack of manual options is rather alarming to us old school enthusiasts. But it’s hard to justify a row-you-own gearbox when modern autoboxes are so darn fast. That doesn’t change our love for shifting our own gears, however. And it made forum member Aron9000 wonder, does anybody actually prefer a manual Lexus? Or any kind of car with a manual?
In the old days, we could lay claim to the fact that well driven stick shift cars accelerated faster than their automatic brethren. Once we lost that distinction, we just held on to the notion that manuals were more fun to drive. It makes sense, because you’re actually in control – not some computer. This makes cars with less power or power in the higher rev range more enjoyable because you can keep them in the sweet spot of power delivery.
But not everyone agrees that the manual transmission still has a place in most cars. Count mmarshall among them.
“The only vehicle I’ve driven recently where I thought a conventional manual was truly fitting was the new Mazda Miata. The Miata (and maybe its new Fiat Spyder twin) represent what is arguably the best pure-driving experience in the American market. But the Miata’s interior is so tight for tall persons (though better then it used to be) that using the clutch pedal sometimes requires a large or bulky left leg to be angled around the left side of the steering wheel.”
For SW15LS, driving a manual on a daily basis is probably more trouble than it’s worth.
“If I’m driving a car for the set purpose of enjoying driving specifically on a fun road with no need to ever take a phone call, etc…then yes I prefer it.
If I’m driving any other time (which is 99.99% of the time) then no lol. Would I drive just for enjoyment more if I had a sporty fun manual car? Maybe.”
Everybody hates driving a stick in traffic, but as LowFast points out, it’s what we used to do all the time.
“Traffic is always the argument against the manual transmission, but truthfully once you get used to it I do not find it to be a big deal. Back in the day I used to sit in traffic an hour each way every day in my modded Integra GSR with a very heavy ACT race clutch and lightweight flywheel. It took a bit more effort than typical but was still not a big deal to me. Of course I am not someone who uses my phone while driving, eat while driving, etc., traffic or not. And now days with hands free, you can take calls over blue tooth without any physical contact with your phone. I believe manual transmission make better overall drivers, because you have to actually pay a little bit of attention to the car and what you are doing.”
And since a lot of younger folks don’t even know how to drive a stick these days, as Oldmanb777 points out, a manual can be an effective deterrent of theft.
“YES, I prefer to control the engine myself YES!!!!!!!!!! Best anti theft device you can have, a manual transmission!”
All in all, it’s pretty clear that most Club Lexus Enthusiasts still have love for manual transmissions. Even if they don’t want to get stuck in traffic with one. But even that fond affection might not be enough to make them go out and actually buy a manual Lexus. At least not as a prime method of transportation, anyway.
