I don’t know about you, but every time a brand announces a car with manual transmission, I get a little cargasm. And for good reason.
These days, we’re populated with stories of EVs and self driving cars. Granted these will improve road safety and reduce carbon emissions, but a little part of me is going to miss changing gears and feeling the engine’s visceral, mechanical response.
Can EVs deploy manual transmission? That remains to be seen. Some Formula E cars, like Renault, do have a 2 speed gear box, and technically it should work about the same as on an internal combustion car.
But throw driverless cars into the mix, and you can forget about ten to two steering, let alone any kind of gear box. There’s only one knob you’ll be fiddling with in those rides.
All about the six-speed manual
Anyway, while they’re still coming through, its worth savouring every manual release. Some time ago, we relished the new Hyundai Elantra N line, which will feature a six-speed manual transmission, and today we’ll raise our knobs to the new BMW RWD M4 coupe, which will also have a six-speeder.
This was a much needed announcement for BWM, especially after the debacle that was the 2021 BMW 4-series with that obnoxious front grille. Yes, the new M4 also comes with a big mouth, but at least she’s got more bite with it than bark.
That awesome six-speed manual box is in a happy love marriage with BMW’s new S58 twin-turbo 3.0L inline-six engine, whom you’ll recognise from beneath the pacey X3 M and X4 M’s hoods.
This light-weight 6-cylinder beauty has been completely redesigned, boasting a forged crankshaft with exceptional torsional resistance, allowing it to handle extremely high torque levels.
All cylinders sit in a closed-deck crankcase, whose rigidity ensures higher combustion pressure and optimised power output.
If you want more power, you can get the 503 hp Competition model, however you won’t have control over the gears as this one’s mated to a ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic.
We’re not entirely sure about the performance specs, but if the X3 and X4 M are anything to go by, you can expect to breach the 100km/h barrier in 3.3 seconds or less. Staying true to the M badge that is.
Prices start from $70,000, which is pretty much standard for a high spec BMW, right?
As far as I’m concerned, the six speed manual box is good enough news for the automotive world and we can only hope for more stick shift goodness while we are still driving our own cars.
