Every new manual car you can buy in 2022

Still yearning for a car with a manual gearbox? If a used car isn't right for you, here's all the brand-new options still available to you

The automatic transmission has been Australia’s default for some time now, largely going against the grain of Europe and Asia thanks, in part, to the prevalence of local manufacturing providing slushbox Commodores and Falcons at affordable prices.

But now even the British and Europeans are swapping for autos, meaning the flow of manual cars is more restricted than ever.

There are still some on sale for the who want their three-pedal fix, from cheap-as-chips Kia Picantos to almost-irreplaceable Porsche 911s. There are even manufacturers adding manuals back into the mix, with Toyota engineering a new do-it-yourself shifter for the GR Supra. Exciting times.

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We’ve made this list, sorted by price bracket, to guide you through all the manual cars you can buy brand new in Australia right now.

There are some exceptions – fleet special utes, for example – that we’ve decided not to include. Only special, exciting variants of those commercial vehicles have made this list.

So, without further ado, we present to you, the definitive guide to the manual transmission in 2022. Let us know in the comments whether you still love changing your own gears.

JUMP AHEAD

• Manual cars under $30K
• Manual cars $30-60K
• Manual cars $60-120K
• Manual cars $120K+
• More reading

Manual cars under $30,000

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Like the idea of a new affordable car and are able to drive a manual transmission? This list is for those of us who don’t want to give up the third pedal or a whole wad of cash.

City cars with manual transmissions

Traditionally, all these cars were manuals only! And they were probably better that way to harness the small, revvy motors that the four-speed automatics do not excel at.

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Small SUVs with manual transmissions

You can still buy manual small SUVs, believe it or not. This list is generally full of price-leading base models, though the Mazda CX-3’s sweet shifter is available across a satisfyingly broad range.

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Small cars with manual transmissions

Only two choices here, seriously? It’s quite incredible they’ve all disappeared – including the VW Golf – but seemingly, it’s in the name of safety. It’s harder to calibrate AEB and must-have adaptive cruise for manuals, and that’s why we see this class disappear.

The Whichcar pick: Mazda makes a really sweet six-speed manual, and combined with a revvy petrol engine the Mazda 3 Evolve sedan is a surprisingly premium feeling car for the money that really engages the driver.

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Manual cars for $30,000-60,000

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This is a mix of truly great drivers cars and regular vehicles for those who like to row through the gears – with everything from bespoke sports cars such as Mazda MX-5 and Toyota GR86 to family SUVs like the Kia Sportage.

Small cars with manual transmissions

A few more little cars make it into the list, the Mazda 3 also getting a particularly sweet shifting gearbox, and the i30 N Line is a good incognito alternative to a full-fat N car.

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Small and medium SUVs with manual transmissions

Again, Mazda has held onto the manual CX-30 as Kia has with its Sportage, but there’s no more CX-5 or Toyota RAV4 manual. It’s all about choice, not volume for these variants.

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Sports cars with manual transmissions

Worried you couldn’t have fun for under $60K? This wild array of cars suggests otherwise. The driving enthusiast is still well catered for in Australia.

*The Ford Mustang has officially gone off sale, but there still may be dealer stock of the 2.3 Ecoboost.

The Whichcar pick: This is a hard field, but we think the well-weighted mechanical shift feel of the Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86 may be some of the best in the business.

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JUMP AROUND

• Manual cars under $30K
• Manual cars $30-60K
• Manual cars $60-120K
• Manual cars $120K+
• More reading

Manual cars for $60-120,000

There are a few options here, but not as many as you might expect. BMW’s new M2, the Toyota Supra and Nissan Z are exciting sports cars, but we’ve also chosen to include some of the tastier utes on sale right now.

Off-roaders with manual transmissions

Yep, there’s a host of fleet-targeted manual utes you can get, but these are the fun ones with a little bit of spunk and off-road capability sprinkled on top.

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Sports cars with manual transmissions

A smaller list than you might have expected, but there are some awesome cars in this bracket.

The Whichcar pick: Sorry bespoke sports cars, with its overall.5/10 the Honda Civic Type R has the best shift in this price bracket.

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Manual cars over $120,000

The exotic stuff. These are performance cars for the die-hard petrol heads. If you want something this expensive with a manual, it’s for a reason. There are three brands represented: BMW, Lotus and Porsche. But thank goodness they still exist.

This author's pick

Any and all of the Porsches are good, but the Cayman GT4 and 718 Spyder are absolute winners, even if they've got tall ratios.

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BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: Other stories about manuals

We've talked about manual transmissions, well, a hell of a lot. Not surprises there, right? So here's a list of just a few that might get your left leg tapping.