As the automotive industry is constantly evolving. Unfortunately, this also means a lot of things that people love about cars are slowly starting to fade. The gasoline engine is an obvious one, but there's another piece of the puzzle that's eclipsing with the arrival of more and more advanced cars; the manual transmission.
There's no getting around the fact that the manual transmission is getting completely phased out, as automakers are making better and better use of automatic transmissions and the tech that goes with that. While there still may be hope for the stick shift, back when manual transmissions were more common, there were actually quite a few unexpected cars that were available with stick shifts.
10 Porsche Cayenne GTS
Controversial though the first generation Cayenne's styling may have been, it was one of the cars that saved Porsche from certain death, the other being the Boxster. Despite being a big, practical SUV, the Cayenne was still unmistakably a Porsche, something that was evident in the way it drove. You could even turn it into an epic off-roading rig.
Many agree that the best of the Cayenne bunch was the GTS. The GTS is available nowadays as well, but this is where it got started, and it was an absolute blast. The 4.8-liter V8 under the hood made 405 hp, and amazingly enough, it could be paired with a classic 6-speed manual transmission with three pedals. Unfortunately, this variant is quite rare.
9 Mazda Mazda5/Premacy
It's pretty much universally agreed that minivans are uncool. They're designed with one goal in mind; to carry as much stuff and as many people as possible, save the style and the dynamics for later. But, Mazda challenged this preconception with the Premacy minivan, called the Mazda5 in other parts of the world.
Even though it was a practical minivan with seven seats, sliding rear doors, and unmistakable minivan proportions, the 5/Premacy was actually really good fun to drive. In Europe, as far as dynamics were concerned, the 5's only rival was the Ford S-Max. Not only that, but it was available with a manual transmission, unlike basically every minivan on sale at the time.
8 Toyota Previa
Ever heard of a minivan having a loyal cult following? Well, the Toyota Previa probably has the most loyal one. This egg-shaped minivan first appeared in 1990, and it was known as the Estima on its home turf in Japan.
The Previa was weird no matter which way you look at it. Aside from the obvious exterior styling, the Previa was mid-engined. Not rear mid-engined like a lot of supercars, but quite literally mid-engined; the engine was between the front seats. It was also available with a supercharged engine, AWD, and obviously, a 5-speed manual transmission. The stick shift was sadly only reserved for the base engine.
7 Jaguar X-Type
The X-Type was one of the by-products of Jaguar's rejuvenation back in the 2000s, and it was a compact premium sedan designed to compete with the likes of BMW's 3 Series and Mercedes' C-Class. The X-Type is mostly known for the fact that it's based on the Ford Mondeo, something everyone loved to make fun of.
Even then, the X-Type was still a pretty compelling offering. It was offered with a variety of engines, AWD was an option and most importantly, it could be purchased with a manual transmission. There was a 5-speed in the base engines, and a 6-speed was available in the more powerful lumps.
6 Porsche Panamera
First appearing in 2009, Porsche's first attempt at a big luxury sedan was certainly polarizing. A lot of people were very critical of its exterior styling but praised the luxury and the very Porsche handling and speed. Even though this is a big luxury sedan, it was still available with a manual transmission.
Only the earliest Panameras came with a 6-speed manual, and it was extremely, extremely rare. It was only available in a select few markets, and it could only be paired with a rear-wheel drive, gasoline-powered Panamera. Many people considered the manual Panamera a modern-day 928.
5 Dodge Caravan/Chrysler Voyager
Where the Renault Espace revolutionized the family car in Europe, the Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country did the very same thing in North America, and it's now what most people think of when they hear the word "minivan."
The first generation Caravan arrived in the mid-1980s, and it was available with a 4-speed manual transmission, though later generations quickly dropped in favor of a more convenient automatic. The fourth-generation Caravan and Town & Country were sold in Europe as the Voyager, and they were also available with manual transmissions, assuming the diesel engine was opted for.
4 BMW X5 (E53)
The luxury SUV market was slowly starting to heat up by the 2000s. Not to be outdone, the Bavarians threw their hat into the ring with their first-ever SUV; the BMW X5. Once again, the styling wasn't to everyone's taste, but it was a great luxury SUV with tons of practicality and tons of handling prowess.
Obviously, an SUV like this is well-suited to an automatic transmission. But, some of the X5's smaller engines could actually be paired with a 6-speed manual, adding a little bit of three-pedal action to your big practical SUV. Manual X5s are now rare, but it was still a great option, and this was the only X5 generation to offer it.
3 Toyota FJ Cruiser
If there's ever a time when Toyota should bring back this adorable off-roader SUV, it's right now. The FJ Cruiser first hit the scene in 2006 in LHD markets. It was a compact, cool-looking SUV with a big off-road focus, and an exterior design that hearkened back to the original FJ40 Land Cruiser, hence the name.
While a typical 5-speed automatic was available on the FJ, a slick 6-speed manual was also offered. It gets even better, as the 6-speed manual was only available on the 4WD models. The automatic, paired with a transfer case was still available on the 4WD model, but it was still a great option to have.
2 Volkswagen Passat W8
Before the ill-fated Phaeton, Volkswagen conjured up the even more ill-fated Passat W8. Even though it might not seem like it, this unicorn was billed as VW's entry into the luxury sedan market. As well as tons of equipment and a surprisingly luxurious interior, the Passat W8 was all about the engine.
The Passat W8 uses one of the strangest and most unorthodox powerplants ever manufactured. The engine displaced 4.0 liters and had its cylinders arranged in a W configuration, meaning they were closer to one another than they would be in a typical V8. This is the only Volkswagen Group vehicle to ever have this engine, and it brought along a very juicy exhaust note and maintenance headaches left, right and center. Oh, and it could be paired with a 6-speed manual transmission as well.
1 Chevrolet Astro
Quite possibly one of the coolest vans ever made, right up there with the VW Bus, the Chevrolet Astro was marketed as a different approach to the van formula. It was the vehicle that kicked off the vanning (#vanlife nowadays) movement, and it could be had as a cargo van and a passenger van as well.
Most of them were converted into, well, conversion vans with bedding and furniture. Being based on a truck platform, the Astro van was very durable. If you had one, you were the coolest person on the block. If your dad had one? You were the coolest kid on the block. The earliest Astros were available with 4-speed manuals, whereas the later ones could be had with a 5-speed, adding to the coolness.