Best Manual Transmission You Have Driven???

I really like my Porsche Cayman's transmission. The only problem is that it's really easy to go into reverse when you think you are going into first when stopped.

 

360 for me. s2000 was good but not on same level

 

1988 BMW M6

 

My favorite is our 1966 Lotus Elan. The 'snick-snick' mechanical feel and sound when shifting. That tiny short lever. All add to the joy of driving the best driving car ever. I also like our Lotus Elise. We don't have the problems that I've noted quite a few owners have had with the cables. Also of note is the joy of driving the long lever of a Lancia Fulvia. Very precise and deliberate with the distance you shift. (worst is our Porsche 914 with the 901 dogleg 5 speed.....take to long to list the poorness of that experience, after changing the bushings and making adjustments, I've gotten it to tolerable)

 

Dare I say Volvo 240 diesel?

 

1999 BMW M3

 

I bought a new 1980 Scirocco. The manual transmission was so bad I couldn't drive it. VW knew all about it. They rebuilt the transmission and it wound up being the best shifting of any car I've owned.

 

My daily driver is a manual transmission M4 and had the opportunity to drive an e36 M3 recently. I had driven these when they were new...all I can say is it wasn't as nostalgic as I was hoping for. Still good for sure, but I can understand why people do short-shifters on these.

 

S-2000, but I'm somewhat impartial.

 

U-Haul truck.

I was in college and had never driven a vehicle with a manual transmission. My dad gave me directions over a pay-phone and I made it happen. The agent had no more trucks available with an automatic transmission. They had no idea.

I always try to find a vehicle with a manual transmission.

 

Current Porsche 911R

 

I drive an old Audi A6 with a five speed manual. It's hard to miss a shift, and the clutch has good feel, but the throws are waaaaay too long, and the clutch pedal travel is quite long as well (accentuated by the engagement point being at the very top of the pedal travel). Gearing also isn't great, but it's still way more enjoyable than an automatic would be.

I got to briefly drive a first-gen Miata about two years ago (think it was a '94, but can't remember for sure), and it was probably the best car I've driven to date in terms of gearing, clutch feel/effort, and shifter feel/effort. The most memorable to date is probably a '99 Camaro Z28 with a six speed manual that my uncle used to daily drive. Goodness gracious, that thing was the polar opposite of my car. HEAVY shifter and throttle, and an unbelievably heavy clutch. The clutch in my Audi is not exactly light, but it feels like stepping on a wet sponge compared to the Z28. Anyone without lots of experience with a manual transmission might not even be able to make it out of their driveway due to how easy it was to stall. Fortunately the clutch pedal travel was pretty short (and my left leg was strong enough), so I was able to just feather it with my ankle, but I remember getting back in my Audi and having a hard time going through the gears because everything was so much lighter in it than in his Camaro. I did manage to keep it running the entire time I was behind the wheel though.

 

Absolutely the S2000 for me.

 

I really liked the 6sp in the C5 Z06. So much so I racked up 100k mi doing it without a single issue. The unit in the C6 ZR1 was almost as nice but clutch peddle was a little heavier around town. On track, both were awesome.

 

What is this thing you call a "pay phone?"

 

997S with short shift kit

 

At 2 grand a year...I call it “a cell”

 

I would say the Miata sourced unit in my Ginetta was my favorite for feel, and the S2000 is the best overall due to the close gear ratios and excellent action.


BT

 

S2000 & Gen 1 NSX. The OEM shifter and clutch combo on both are the finest in the world IMHO.

 

67 Corvette

 

B-series Honda transmission. The S2000 is pretty good too.

 

Zanardi NSX (driven two and oddly they are the only NSX’s I’ve driven.)
Caterham 7
Ferrari 430 manual

Interesting there are so many votes for the 550. Mine was high effort, and very agricultural. The shifting feel was almost the only thing I did not like about the car.

 

My top three list, from those I've actually driven for more than just a short period of time.

1) 2006 Porsche 997
2) 2004 Miata NB
3) 2013 BMW E93 M3

A lot of folks will say the S2000, and in my defense, I've not driven one for more than 5 or 10 miles, but they didn't really impress me. It shifted fine, but certainly no better than the Miata.

 

If a '67 Corvette is the best manual transmission you have ever driven, then it has to be the ONLY manual transmission you have driven!

 

Actually, no. Currently I have a couple gated Ferraris, a few early 911's, an E46 BMW,etc in the fleet. I also know how to set up the Corvette shifter-it is rifle bolt magic. Some prefer a more delicate shifter so their manicure isn't damaged-that wouldn't be me.