(By Tom Lohnes) – Ah, the manual transmission. As little as 15 years ago, the manual was the way to go if you wanted a fast car, but times have changed. Modern automatic transmissions and high-tech DCT gearboxes make manual shifting lack the benefits it used to have. Well, Honda acknowledges that, but they aren’t quite ready to give up yet. They have confirmed that the 2022 or 2023 Civic Si and Type R will only be available with three pedals and a wiggly stick in the middle.
This is honestly surprising, because currently the only mass-production vehicle that is only available in a manual is the Subaru WRX STI, so Honda hopes to strengthen that number by a bit. Under the hood of these sporty sedans isn’t confirmed, although it is rumored that the Si will get the Type-R derived 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder with 272 horses, which is a considerable bump compared to the last-gen model’s 205. They Type-R is supposed to gain an AWD system, which will give the aforementioned Subaru a run for its money. Power is rumored to be up to 400 horses, which is an extremely healthy number.
But we never know. Honda is a company known for their slick-shifting gearboxes, so hopefully these new cars don’t disappoint. They debut in a few months, so we’ll have to see.
Manual transmission only… that’s something you don’t see very often. It’s good to hear someone going for that.
That’s one of the best looking dashes in a modern car