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The Last 5-Speed Manual In the US Is Gone (thedrive.com) 185

Posted by BeauHD from the end-of-an-era dept.
According to Automotive News (paywalled), the $17,190 base-model Nissan Versa S -- the last U.S.-market production car with a five-speed manual -- is ending production. A Nissan spokesperson told Auto News that the company is "trimming the fat" to focus on models with the strongest business performance -- and the manual Versa S didn't make the cut. The Drive reports: Looks like Nissan is trying to create as much savings as possible to handle the 25% tariff on cars imported from Mexico. [...] When you go to Nissan's site and check out the Versa, the first thing you see under its name is "Get the Nissan you want free from new tariffs." So if Nissan is going to eat the additional tariff cost for customers, it can't be manufacturing cars that won't sell well. And manuals reportedly only accounted for 5% of Versa sales in 2024.

As the manual Versa dies, it brings the five-speed manual transmission down with it. What was once a common drivetrain configuration is now a memory -- when the last stick-shift Versa leaves a Nissan lot, there won't be any new five-speed manual vehicles for sale in the United States. Only six-speed and a few seven-speed manuals will remain. [...] Killing the manual Versa won't be a big sales hit, since barely any customers wanted it, but it will end Nissan's ability to market a sub-$18,000 car.
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The Last 5-Speed Manual In the US Is Gone More

The Last 5-Speed Manual In the US Is Gone

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  • The '25 Tacoma still has a manual transmission option. It's only a very specific trim though.

  • The Mazda3 is available as a 6 speed manual if you are still looking for a fun manual car in general.

    Funny thing though, now manuals are typically only available with premium trim levels aimed at enthusiasts, whereas before the cheapest version of a car was the version with the manual transmission.

    • They found out the best way to upsell you is not to offer a base model. (And make sure the government doesn't let anyone else, either.)

      You look at the lineup of a company like Ford, you can see they've abandoned the entire low-cost segment of the market - whole categories of vehicles cut, forget trim levels.

      • A and B class cars were not really profitable in the USA. Marketing had this great idea that if a young person bought a new B class and liked it they'd go on to buy profitable bigger cars from the same manufacturer. Hmm, well it's a great story, but turns out it wasn't true.

        • Marketing had this great idea that if a young person bought a new B class and liked it they'd go on to buy profitable bigger cars from the same manufacturer. Hmm, well it's a great story, but turns out it wasn't true.

          It used to be true. People would stick with one brand for multiple purchases. What happened?

    • now manuals are typically only available with premium trim levels aimed at enthusiasts

      Case in point: Honda Civic Si and Civic Type R.

      • Yes, I love my Civic 5-speed--with cruise control, and navigation, and sunroof, and power everything. I have no interest in a base-model car to get a manual transmission. In particular, I have to have cruise control. And surprisingly, this feature works quite well with a manual transmission! But of course, it won't down shift for you.

        • Wait, Honda doesn't offer cruise as an option on base cars? Weird. My '08 Versa with a 6 speed is as base as it gets except that it has cruise control. It even has manual windows.

          I guess they went back to a 5 speed because the 6 wasn't selling and it just cost them more to make, but I really enjoy the 6 with my MR18. And if this engine dies I expect to swap in a MR20. Apparently it drops in and the ECU learns it. There's no visible signs of the swap, either, so you can still smog.

  • Bye Bye Cheap Cars (Score:4, Insightful)

    by dohzer ( 867770 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2025 @09:22PM (#65426019)

    it will end Nissan's ability to market a sub-$18,000 car.

    I've got a sneaking suspicion that other factors are about to prevent them selling cars for that price in the US, so it doesn't really matter.

    • Cash for clunkers took a lot of cheap cars off the road and drove up used prices. Covid didn’t help things and further drove up used prices.

    • it will end Nissan's ability to market a sub-$18,000 car.

      I've got a sneaking suspicion that other factors are about to prevent them selling cars for that price in the US, so it doesn't really matter.

      * looks at American-made car lots overflowing with 2024 models *

      * looks at foreign-made car lots overflowing with 2024 models *

      I’ve got a sneaking suspicion America no longer understands what selling cars means. No one is buying plastic shitboxes of any flavor at those prices.

  • Do you really say "5 speed" instead of "5 gears" in the US? That sounds pretty odd ...

    • >"Do you really say "5 speed" instead of "5 gears" in the US? That sounds pretty odd ..."

      I have never heard a 5 speed transmission called a "5 gear" transmission in the US. And I was born here and lived my whole life year and owned a 5 speed CRX Si. So why would that be odd?

      • So why would that be odd?
        Because it is not proper english?

        You have a gear box with 5 gears, but call the car a "5 speed", do you not think that is odd?

        • Re:interesting ... (Score:5, Informative)

          by markdavis ( 642305 ) on Wednesday June 04, 2025 @01:55AM (#65426369)

          >"You have a gear box with 5 gears, but call the car a "5 speed", do you not think that is odd?"

          Yes, I do think it is somewhat odd that we say it. Sorry, I misread what you were saying :) I thought you said it would be *unusual* to hear one say "5 speed" in the US, but here it is normal. The fact we say it, though, is odd, but, technically, all transmissions have a lot more than 5 or 6 gears in them. So there is that. So it comes down to having 5 or 6 engine-to-wheel "speed ratios" or "speeds" available for selection.

          Oh, it applies to bicycles, too. We say "15 speed bike", not "15 gear bike". So at least we are consistent.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ledow ( 319597 )

      This is common in all English (he says, as a Brit).

      It's called a five-speed gearbox. But you often apply that to the whole car.

      Don't just trust me. Jeremy Clarkson (famed UK "car-expert") and team say it all the time on Top Gear if you want to go look.

      "If you're cooking lamb, make sure it's 5-speed, preferably 6-speed"

  • Manual is better (Score:3)

    by RitchCraft ( 6454710 ) on Tuesday June 03, 2025 @11:56PM (#65426195)

    I learned to use a manual transmission when I was 8 years old on my grandfather's Ford 8N tractor. From there it was on to the Olivers and Masseys and then the 1962 Ford farm pickup. My first car was a 1973 Gremlin beater with a three speed manual. I had to push start that thing a few times, can only do that with a manual. My adult kids think I'm some kind of wizard when I hop into a car with a manual and just drive it. Manuals are better. The require you to concentrate more when you drive. They get better gas mileage. Manual cars typically cost less too. Sad to see them going.

    • Manuel shift fuel efficiency is not better than modern automatic transmissions (It’s been this way for many years). Couple citations to get you started.

      https://www.edmunds.com/fuel-e... [edmunds.com]

      https://www.motorbiscuit.com/w... [motorbiscuit.com]

      • it's not just that simple.

        In a simple test, like start from a stop light, accelerate to some speed, go some measured distance, then decelerate to a stop, an automatic will certainly shift more efficiently than a human driver and a manual transmission... BUT such tests are not the real world, AND "efficiency" is NOT the only thing that matters, nor is one person's definition of the word "efficiency" a universal thing. While they're certainly not the same thing, these arguments are remarkably related to argum

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        One big reason is manuals are usually restricted to 6 speeds, which is 5 plus overdrive. Automatics are coming with 8 or more gear ratios they can engage, which means they have way more gear ratios to choose from.

        This results in a manual transmission where the engine is running inefficiently near the shift points because the next gear is too tall for the engine, while the current gear is too short and the engine has to rev fast.

        Basically, the manual has to have 6 ratios whilst the automatic can have 8 to 10

    • My first car was a 2001 Prius with an eCVT. Nowadays I drive an EV. I don't really have a concept of gears, much less changing them. I have rented a few traditional automatically over the years. It does feel weird to have those fixed setpoints.

      I will likely never learn to drive stick, mostly because I see no need. But I doubt having the extra task of manually shifting actually makes one more attentive to the road. IMO, declines in driver attention have been caused mainly by cell phones in the late 1990s to

    • No, they are not. And increasing workload for no good reason is definitely not something positive.

  • Knowing there are six and seven-speed stick shifts still being made and sold makes this a non-story. Five-speeds should have died off with the concept of overdrive. Nissan was merely being cheap and not wanting to spend a single dime on putting in another gear for the last couple of decades (six-speeds are easily that old. I had one).

    Sure hope next week we don’t find out someone is still making three-speed autos.

    • My fifth speed is an overdrive.

      • My fifth speed is an overdrive.

        Top gears usually are, but I guess the question is would it have benefited far more from a sixth by now?

        Always Dunnit-disway, is sometimes greeted by Long Overdoo with a slap to to face, because of that bitch Stubborn Ness.

    • Five-speeds should have died off with the concept of overdrive.

      Five speed transmissions were mostly giving you more than four speeds specifically in order to give you an overdrive. So, very much no.

  • ..and will be for years

    In the rest of the world what is replacing manual cars are EV's not Automatics

    • In the rest of the world what is replacing manual cars are EV's not Automatics

      Automatics have been outselling manuals in Europe for years now.

  • Everyone keeps complaining that everything is too expensive, but almost no one is buying the low cost options anymore.

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