Which post 2021 manual transmission premium sedan should I buy?

What I have realized personally is that I enjoy MT more than AT. I seriously wish there were pure old school MT sedans with those 2.0Liter engines.

BHPian sunilch recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Are there any Modern (2021 or later) Premium Sedans that offer MT gearbox?

I have always had used cars purely from a VFM perspective and over a period been able to drive/experience multiple makes/models with both MT and AT gearboxes.

What I have realized personally is that I enjoy MT more than AT. I have a 2.0 TDI Laura with DSG. Now, that DSG is wonderful and enjoyable when I am zipping in the City when I get the chance. But out on the highway or on some curves/twists, I miss the old school MT gearbox.

I also have a BR-V MT now and had 3rd Gen MT Honda City earlier. I somehow enjoy the BR-V/City more than the Laura when I am driving on an open Highway. Or when I am headed to Igatpuri, or Pune/Lonavala for Sunday rides.

In the past, we had premium cars with MT - Octavia, Laura, Jetta - all came with MT gearboxes. But today when I search, the only good options in the premium segments with MT are large SUVs/MUVs such as the Crysta, Fortuner, XUV700, Compass, Hector, etc.

I seriously wish there were pure old school MT sedans with those 2.0Liter engines. I don't have the budget or the inclination for the BMW M2 that recently came out with MT gearbox. I know we have the VW/Skoda twins (Slavia or Virtus) but I am looking for some options with higher capacity engines.

Is there anything that may help me in getting a good recent used sedan that has MT gearbox?

If nothing comes in, I might get forced to get the MUV/SUV as my next car. Not that those are bad, I would personally prefer to have a sedan and relegate the family duties to a workhorse such as BR-V or Ertiga. And I don't like those paddleshifters. I hardly ever used those on the Civic. Even on the Laura, I hardly use the manual mode since it doesn't require any leg work.

Here's what BHPian kadanaJ had to say in this matter:

There are barely any premium sedans left in the market, let alone having choice of gearbox.

The Corolla Altis, Honda Civic, Hyundai Elantra all disappeared by end 2020 or early 2021. The Skoda Octavia I believe stayed around till 2023. The Superb and the Camry are the only 2 premium sedan options left.

A used Corolla is possibly your best bet, as it had the option of the 1.8L petrol with a manual gearbox. The Civic 1.8L petrol came only with a CVT, and the diesel engine which had a manual was a terrible engine. The Elantra had a 2.0L petrol and 1.6L diesel with manual gearboxes. The Octavia IIRC had a 1.4L turbo-petrol manual and a 2.0L diesel with a manual gearbox.

Out of the above, keeping long term reliability and spare parts availability in mind, I would recommend the Corolla Altis. Avoid the Elantra as it was a massive sales flop and spare parts may be an issue.

These 2 (Slavia or Virtus) are your best options. Get the 1.5L turbo-petrol manual. It has as much power as the 2.0L NA engines of yesteryear.

Meanwhile, here's BHPian sharmanova reply:

Most of the D-segment sedans post 2010s had only the option of an AT gearbox. Some cars like the Honda Civic i-DTEC, Skoda Octavia TDi had the option of a manual gearbox along with the AT.

If you're looking for a 2021 or later MT sedan that option seems impossible! Maybe you need to compromise with Octavia/Superb DSG or downgrade to something like Slavia/Verna MT.

Happy Shopping!

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