Five small cars that you can still buy with a manual transmission

Friday, 4 May 2018

Inexpensive small cars can be great fun when done right. Generally, 'right' means 'with a manual transmission'.

A good small, light car with a tiny engine and a manual transmission is a thing of true delight to chuck around, either around town or on a winding country road. Luckily, despite the New Zealand new car buyer's overwhelming preference for automatic, there are still quite a few small cars that you can get with a manual transmission. Today we take a look at five of them.

HOLDEN SPARK

While it is packed with safety features and tech, the Spark is one of our favourite small cars because it is just so much fun to chuck around.

* Holden Spark is basically the same as a Mercedes E-class

It's not so small any more, but new Volkswagen Polo still serves up a three-pedal gearbox.

* Beats goes on in new Volkswagen Polo**

The 1.4-litre four-cylinder engine is eager to rev and produces 73kW of power and 124Nm of torque, which is more than enough when you consider that the Spark weighs about as much as a wet mouse (well, in car terms at least).

Of course, the best part is that fact that the cheapest Spark is also the best, with the entry LS model being available with a five-speed manual transmission for a meagre $16,990.

VW POLO

Suzuki still quite big on manuals. There's Swift, but our favourite is the retro-look Ignis. Which is not an SUV.

While the Polo ain't quite so small anymore (the new one is the same size as the Mk IV Golf!) it is still a dynamically fun car that also brings high levels of quality and refinement to its segment.

While most Polos come with a thoroughly excellent seven-speed DSG transmission, the entry level ($25,490) TSI is available with a five-seed manual transmission.

But there is a catch - while the manual is fun, the rorty little 1.0-litre 70kW/175Nm engine actually works better with the seven-speed transmission.

Forthcoming Ford Fiesta ST should be a triple treat. And it's manual only!

A nice six-speed manual would be fantastic though VW, so do that please. Oh, and while you are at it, chuck one in the forthcoming 147kW/320Nm Polo GTI too? That would be awesome thanks.

SUZUKI IGNIS

Okay, so while the Suzuki Swift is both excellent and available with a manual transmission, when it comes to a pure fun-for-the-money calculation the entry GLX manual Ignis at $18,990 is hard to go past.

Don't look now, but Toyota Yaris offers manual option. No, really; don't look. It's scary.

Weighing just 820kg and with a flexible little 66kW/120Nm 1.2-litre four-cylinder engine, the five-speed manual version is a delightfully checkable little thing that just begs you to utterly thrash it everywhere.

Suzuki manages to refer to the Ignis as an SUV with a straight face, but we can't do that. So just consider it a tiny city car that is a blast to belt through the gears in and leave it at that.

FORD FIESTA

Okay, so it's getting quite old now, but the Fiesta is still easily one of the best steers on the local market, particularly in the small segment.

While the current local range doesn't feature a manual model, that will all change in a rather spectacular way next year when Ford drops the new ST version that will only come with a manual transmission, which is just as it should be.

The last ST (also manual only) was a thoroughly fantastic thing and with a more powerful engine 147kW three-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual this new one is something we are hanging out for!

TOYOTA YARIS

Yep, you can still buy a Yaris with a manual transmission, but that doesn't mean you should.

A 13-year-old platform underpins the current Yaris, with its wheezy 1.3-litre engine being almost as old.

The $20,990 GX comes with a five-speed manual transmission that is actually the highlight of the whole car, and is a slick and quick little unit.

It almost makes the rest of the car bearable. But then you hop out of it and catch a glimpse of current Toyota styling cues awkwardly slapped on an ancient body and you start to hate it all over again.