Things to ponder tonight - Manual transmission SUVs?

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce) 10/06/2013 at 22:00 • Filed to: None

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I'm looking at new/slightly used cars to buy next year and I had a thought that came to mind. I was walking downtown and I noticed that a kia sorrento was equipped with a manual transmission. This baffled and delighted me to see. But then I got to thinking - When equipped with a manual, do they start to make sense? Not the sorrento, obviously, but an actually good SUV.

Hear me out for a second. Think about this - manual transmission equipped cars typically go for *less* when they aren't a high performance model. Manual transmission equipped ford fusions (and ESPECIALLY the mercury milan) go for dirt. In my searches, a manual transmission equipped 2012 tiguan with 10-15k miles is around 18-19,000 dollars. A similar GTI will go for an extra 2k. Yes it will be the sportier car. Yes it will handle better. But no one will suspect a tiguan to dust you at the lights. Oh and we can't forget perennial whipping boy favorites - the BMW X3 and X5......Both of which can come with a naturally aspirated inline 6 and a manual transmission.

I'm not seriously saying I'd have the SUVs over their car-based counterparts as is. What I'm saying is if you were to modify them and up their power and handling, would you rock one? Not just drive it, but be proud of it? Those tiguans are looking mighty tempting when that 2.0L turbocharged lump can pump out well near 300hp with about 1500-2000$ investment....hmmmm.....That sounds an awful lot like the amount you save by getting it over a GTI. And the X3 and X5 would just be hilarious to modify and take to autocrosses and track days. The cayenne GTS in first generation form packed well over 400hp, a sportier suspension, and a 6-speed manual from the factory. It's much more expensive than the rest but if I had the funds....I'd rock the shit out of it. If I could be hunting down BMWs and Z-cars in a cayenne on a road course I would consider it worth every penny.

So I ask the rest of Oppo - Would you be there with me in a manual equipped SUV? If so, what kind? CR-V (Maaaaaaad VTEC potential here)? Juke Nismo? Old-school suburban? Xterra?

Nibby > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:02

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Manual Ford Bronco. /thread

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Nibby 10/06/2013 at 22:03

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This should interest you

dogisbadob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:05

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An Escape or Tribute? Maybe a Mitsubishi SUV of some sort? Those are the recent SUV's that come to mind besides the CRV

Possibly a PT Cruiser, if it counts.

J. Walter Weatherman > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:06

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I've owned two manual SUVs, a 2006 Xterra and a 1977 Land Cruiser. Both were brilliant. I really wish more SUVs were available with a manual.

Timothy Burke > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:07

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I'm led to believe the Hyundai Santa Fe with a manual is a really great car. But I've never had the chance to drive one.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > dogisbadob 10/06/2013 at 22:08

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I know a few people who had Escape manuals. Not bad little trucklets.

A PT cruiser is a neon hatchback. Not an SUV. Ditto the jeep Patriot/compass based on the caliber.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:10

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Whats wrong with the Sorento?

Anon > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:13

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I would love a manual in one of those v10 tdi diesel Tourags!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 10/06/2013 at 22:13

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It is a korean SUV. My recent experience with korean SUVs has led me to believe that they are inferior to all other SUVs in every conceivable way. I have not driven the sorento, but the sportage is a massive pile of shit. Full stop. Zero redeemable qualities. Nothing I want in an SUV and everything I hate. The borrago wasn't as atrocious but still crappy.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Timothy Burke 10/06/2013 at 22:15

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I'm led to believe that korean SUVs are cruel and unusual punishment from my experiences driving them. I've also found out that only really shitty people tend to own them. I got suddenly kicked out from a landlord that fled the state afterwards and was homeless in grand rapids for a week. She drove a santa fe. One of my close female friends had an ex that stalked her and abused her when they were together. He also drove a santa fe.

The Transporter > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:19

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If the SUV in question actually is good, then you're going to want to do with it what God intended you to do with an SUV: take it off road. And if you're crawling over rocks, then torque converters are king. Manuals don't automatically (no pun intended) make everything better.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Anon 10/06/2013 at 22:20

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Everyone would. It would be like the second coming combined with half-life 3 launching while all the dallas cowboy cheerleaders were cheering you on topless and serving you perfectly done steak.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > The Transporter 10/06/2013 at 22:23

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Correct. Which is why I never once mentioned going off road. I did mention track use. I also mentioned stop-light drag races. I am getting at the WTF angle here. No one is surprised when a GTI blasts off with some turbo blowoff sounds and a flaming backfire. Everyone would lose their shit if a stock looking tiguan did it.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:23

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Try some more Korean cars, like the: Kia Sorrento, and Soul, and The Hyundai Santa Fe.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 10/06/2013 at 22:25

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Tried the soul and I explained in another comment that some of the worst people I have ever met all drove Santa Fes. And no, I don't mean "they don't like me" I mean one abused his girlfriend and another was a landlord for the house I rented a bedroom in for a month and suddenly kicked me out and had all my stuff on the front lawn (including food in my fridge) and then skipped town.

The soul was ironically named as I found it to be soul-less.

dogisbadob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:29

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Yeah, but the same can be said about most if not all of those crossovers

dieselwagon > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:30

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An SUV only makes sense in manual. I assume you're American so I would suggest a manual pickup dual cab truck with a canopy for the same functionality. Land Cruiser is the only way to go though in the SUV world but you'd be looking at an old one. It's a shame there arn't more good options, you're very restricted in the US sadly. I share your dislike for most Korean vehicles.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:31

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What do you drive now?

Leadbull > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:31

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I drive a Hyundai Tucson MT.

It's capable enough and it does most everything I need it to, especially with 4WD. I mean, I'm not trying to hit the trails or go rock crawling with it of course, but it handles snow and light offroading situations just fine. And the Manual definitely enhances the experience, especially since the auto option would be a crappy 4 speed.

But it's a hand-me-down car I've been driving since high school. So would I actually buy one? With my own money? Instead of a wagon?

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No

The Transporter > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:32

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I can see a pickup doing well at stoplight racing if you get the right one, but a tuned automatic will be better for drag racing anyway. But an SUV for track duty? All I can see in my head right now is a facepalming Captain Picard. Yeah, you'll get a lot of WTF looks for trying to do that, but not for the reasons you think.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > dogisbadob 10/06/2013 at 22:33

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The difference is the pt-cruiser has no raised ride height at all. The tiguan, escape, outlander, equinox, and others all have some extra ground clearance to make it easier to get into and out of (not to go off-road, let's be honest). Plus this gives them a certain look due to that extra height. Compare the front of the PT and the front of the forester or tiguan. All are heavily based on their car platform equivalents but the PT cruiser slopes upward from its lowest point. The other two don't.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 10/06/2013 at 22:37

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A 98 jetta and a 91 audi. Both of which are infinitely better than what I test drove and what I was forced to rent when traveling for work.

I also test drove the veloster and found it lacking but I do want a genesis. The sonata isn't bad either, just not my thing. The forte "Koup" was a turd. Low quality materials everywhere on a boring ride. The Sportage is just full of bad decisions. Most uncomfortable seat I've ever seen since it was bolstered like a "sport" seat....in a low-powered CVT equipped small SUV. Also had terrible throttle and brake response.

Anon > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:37

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Don't forget that the finished new Acura NSX would be doing donuts around you the entire time.

dogisbadob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:39

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Oh wow, I thought all of them had a raised ride height/ground clearance!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > The Transporter 10/06/2013 at 22:41

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I've autocrossed in stranger things. If I ruffle the feathers of people taking it way too far, then it's all worth it. I saw a guy trailer in his automatic, four cylinder fiero.....On slicks......And it was smoking something fierce....Yet he talked like it was the fastest thing on four wheels. So I know there will always be someone worse.

Plus it wouldn;t be a track exclusive vehicle, just a different DD than my current lineup that I could enjoy doing something fun in on occasion.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > dogisbadob 10/06/2013 at 22:42

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This is why the HHR is also not an "SUV" in my book - it's the wagon version of the cobalt.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:44

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Wait for the new Forte Koup. I will totally agree that the old one was trash. Also what year Soul did you drive? I know that the 2010-2011 with the 4 speed auto was boring, but the 2012-2013 with the 6 speed auto is a much better drive.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:45

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Also, the Sportage has a 6 Speed auto, not a CVT. (I might be a little too obsessed with the Hyundai-Kia product line)

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 10/06/2013 at 22:50

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It was a 2012 with the "dual-clutch" 6-speed. It had the biggest delay between shift input and actual shifting that you can get away with while still saying it was "dual clutch" with a straight face. I'm not a pro-shifter by any means but I could row my jetta's 5-speed faster despite the sloppy feel. It would be no contest in my audi.

I'm not trying to be negative, I am just a difficult person to please. I also don't have kids so when your typical passenger load is a single person and occasionally three friends, you don't focus much on practicality.

dogisbadob > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:51

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And of course the PT is a Neon wagon, the Matrix is a Corolla wagon—but I still consider them to be crossovers since they are pretty tall

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 10/06/2013 at 22:55

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Wow....I was trying to be kind and assuming the reason why it held revs so high was because it was a CVT. Then the transmission is just as bad as everything else on that thing. Ooooo random side note - the Sportage's fuel tank didn;t want to let the gas pump go all the way up to full so when I returned it I had to pay a fee for not filling it up all the way. Maybe it was just that station, but my jetta goes to full just fine from their pumps.....If you work for Hyundai/Kia then I feel sorry for you. Improving that lineup is not an easy job.

Disclaimer - The sportage I rag on was the car I had to drive for a couple hundred miles when my flight got canceled. I was not in a good mood when I drove it and I had to be on the highway for about 6 hours. I am VERY familiar with those god awful seats and engine drone from that day. I longed for the simple seat in my jetta when I returned for the drive home from the airport. It was the best drive home ever.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > dogisbadob 10/06/2013 at 22:56

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They might be classified that way too depending on what government agency you go through. But it's just semantics. I guess this post is aimed at just raised versions of car platforms.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 22:57

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I understand where you are coming from. Hopefully you will find something that you like soon enough.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 10/06/2013 at 22:59

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Maybe you should check out a manual equipped Mazda CX-5. I have ridden in an automatic model, and thought it was a very nice car.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > m-b-w loves his SUBAROO 10/06/2013 at 23:00

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Tell any salespeople (assuming you work for a dealership but if you don't then tell any you know) that they should not oversell any dual clutch as "better" than a manual right now. Unless you're looking for a high performance car, it probably isn't. Ford's dual clutch in their economy cars isn't amazing either. They are jerkier and slower than a proper manual in city driving where you aren't working up and down the rev range. A clutch pedal helps a ton for keeping you smooth around town.

m-b-w loves his SUBAROO > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 23:07

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Not a salesman. Just a 16 year old who has been obsessed with cars since I knew what they were.

BugEyedBimmer - back in the Saddle Dakota Leather > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 23:10

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For pure sporting potential, I'd say the Tiguan for the reasons you mentioned. The big problem with it though is that, like most available MT SUVs, it doesn't come with the AWD/MT combo as an option. For that reason it ties with the MT/4WD/V6 Xterra in my book.

Victorious Secret > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 23:23

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The only one worth buying is the GTS because its the only one built with that specific purpose in mind.

The X5 and X3 are pigs to drive full stop, RWD and manual doesn't save them unless you go full retard right to the X5M in which case...you win crazy awesome person of the year award.

HammerheadFistpunch > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/06/2013 at 23:38

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Trouble with manual suv's is that its tough to find one with awd/4wd anymore, usually just the FWD models, so whats the point? Granted, I've owned 4 of them, but man its getting harder to find.

cherokee

rodeo

rav4

forester xt

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/07/2013 at 00:39

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I am looking for them.

Tiguan is only manual gearbox with FWD it seems.

Forester is the only affordable manual CUV, and not the turbo since SH generation in 2009. Maybe base-model Outback 2.5... but that might as well be a Forester. Recent H6 Subarus are ALL automatics.

Xterra is the only one with transfer-case 4WD.

Cayenne VR6 is another AWD 6-speed, but less affordable than Forester. Like the BMWs... AWD + Manual versions are RARE.

Rangeys and Landies, Volvos, Mercs, Caddies, and most everything else, has gone all-automatic, all the time.

Mini offers All4 with manual gearboxes, but All4 barely qualifies as AWD, and is FWD most of the time, and all the time over 40MPH.

CRV used to, but not anymore, like RAV4. Honda Element still might offer a manual, but Real Time AWD is like Mini's All4.

Escape hasn't had a manual gearbox since VERY early in the previous generation, and like Jeep Patriot, and others, manuals are FWD only, usually base-model, and rare.

JEM > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/07/2013 at 09:52

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Well, I DD a '96 Cherokee with a 5 speed so my answer is going to be "yes" of course :-)

ThatWillBuffOut > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/07/2013 at 09:57

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I currently use a 2003 Chevy Tracker with a MT as my beater car. I do take it offroad and I prefer having a manual. I want to replace it with a 2005+ Nissan Xterra with a MT.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > ThatWillBuffOut 10/07/2013 at 09:59

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I keep forgetting the second-gen tracker is a thing that exists. I don't see many of the newer ones, just rusty and clapped out older ones.

ThatWillBuffOut > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/07/2013 at 10:13

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It's a pretty decent little SUV. 108,000 miles on it now. About 70,000 of that with me beating on it. It's been in the ditch (On accident, many times on purpose.), taken water in the intake, broken the IFS (Only 4 times!), master cylinder cracked, gears 2-4 chewed up and yet it still got me home every time. Sometimes much, much slower but it made it. Haha. Still gets 20-23 mpg as well. Well, now you've got me wanting to move back with my parents, I had so much money then. Haha.

GRawesome > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/07/2013 at 21:19

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What about a Wrangler? I had one with 4wd and a 5spd manual. Great car to drive and easy as pie to work on.
Need more space, you can get the 4-door unlimited.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > GRawesome 10/07/2013 at 21:28

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Great truck, not really an SUV. Plus I want more sleeper factor. Wranglers are not easy to disguise when you've built them for the street instead of dirt.

JohnPlayerSpecial > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/08/2013 at 00:03

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Unrelated- but what are those two slots for next to the hazard light switch on the Tiguan?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > JohnPlayerSpecial 10/08/2013 at 00:52

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No clue

Volvosaurus-Rex > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/08/2013 at 15:08

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Since all cars of the future will be some sort of SUV/CUV/Crossover, I welcome manual transmissions in SUVs. What I am afraid of is that manuals in SUVs aren't long for this world, as the people who want a manual will probably stick to sports cars and the like and people who want autos will be wondering why they still have to ask if it has a manual.

But the option to have kids, and have a car roomy enough to store them and their paraphenalia AND being able to drive a stick shift like a racecar?! I think a lot of Jalops would take that option.

dr861 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/08/2013 at 16:52

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Brain exploded.

DoubleU > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/08/2013 at 17:49

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A super clean Isuzu Trooper II (1st gen).

SpeedSix > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 10/08/2013 at 22:11

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I'll take a Mazda CX-5 please.

The same benefits of a Mazda 6 or Mazda 3 just wrapped in a slightly different package.

Hockeytime > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 04/19/2014 at 23:35

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So, I just ran into this thread while searching Google for... SUVs still made with MT. I don't buy anything but stick, and it's a complete pain to find decent ones anymore. Besides Jeep Wranglers (I drive a '97 these days), the only ones out there that I like right now are the Xterra, Subaru Forester, FJ Cruiser, and of course the Wranglers. Everything else I have looked at were only offered in smallest engine/2WD. The point of an SUV is to be able to handle multiple weather/road conditions, so I want AWD/4WD options. Oh, if you're looking at used SUVs with a stick, try hunting up Isuzu Trooper or Rodeo

Robaluga > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 04/25/2015 at 01:19

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I currently drive a Toyota RAV4 Convertible fwd 5 spd