Apparently BMW isn't putting manuals in any gas-powered 3-series in either US or rest-of-world markets, only in diesels. I guess they're giving up on being drivers' cars (and yes, modern DSGs are quicker than manual shifting but still.....). Audi is doing the same. I'm starting to think the GTI i just bought may be the last new manual transmission car I'm ever able to buy :/
I just read this too and I'm glad. This will make it easier for me to uphold my rule of never owning a BMW newer than 2006.
I thought they were also ditching diesels from 2019 on in North America... Meaning no manual 3-series here, full stop?
If I'm honest, I'm really on the fence about our next new car being a manual or a DSG-type thing. I think we'd have done the DSG if we'd followed through on the VW Sportwagen, and when I peek at diesel BMW wagons on the used market, I don't filter...
I'm taking a deep breath and pondering whether being able to flappy-paddle myself a consistent 2-1 downshift for a really tight autocross corner might be awesome. That and that this season more or less taught me that even on a set of proper tires, I just don't find a car that isn't heavily modified that interesting to autocross. I guess I need to have more involvement to care. These cars will be cheap enough to be tinkerable in ten years; I wonder how I'll feel about them by then.
In reply to irish44j :
You can still buy new domestic sports cars with manuals lol
Morgan still makes cars with manuals. I hear Claudio Zampolli will make you the same car he made for Giorgio Moroder, if your pockets are deep enough. Lotus will... Wait, does Lotus still make cars?
BMW doesn't make anything I want to buy anymore (at least without M doing the engine/suspension), they haven't in years, I don't think I'm missing out on anything.
I own a number of 3-series coupes, and even one sedan. We quit buying the new ones after the end of the E9X generation, and switched to the 2 series platform with three pedals. If they pull the manuals out of those in the future, I expect I'll have to figure out how to keep my wife's current one running for the rest of her driving years . . . .
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