Bingo. That is the primary reason the SS/TC and SS/SC even are not exactly the most common cars on the road. A manual trans only trim is basically catering to a niche. We love driving stick, but your average car buyer is either too afraid to do it, or too lazy to either learn or bother with it. The HHR SS has an auto, so it is more desireable to get by the average driver than the Cobalt SS. In the US, it is estimated that 5% of cars sold are stick. The other 95% are Automatic or Semi Automatic (shiftable autos). That 5% is dwindling, especially with automakers making strides in their semi automatic transmissions. If we were in Europe pretty much anywhere outside of North America, a stick shift car would have larger sale numbers since other countries thrive on stick shifts.

 

ive driven in a 30 psi awd car too. yeah its a rush lol. i still agree with my post a lil while back. 6 spds and awd isnt necessary. its a luxury to have lol. major reason that i didnt get an 05 sti or a ms3 was because i hated the fact that you have to shift every 25-30 mph. too much shifting for a car that can only top out at 155. i think that 6 spds are necessary for cars like corvettes and vipers n such. cars that can top out 170+. other wise too much shifting for my taste. but hey everyone is entitled to their own opinions. not knockin on anyone. And yeah gas mileage isnt that much of a difference either considering on my way to purdue with 3 people in the car. i was going 80 getting 27 mpg. and at 70 i was getting 32. i average about 24-25 in the city with my ss/tc. and some people are forgetting awd = less fuel economy. id be pissed if i had a car that was 300 hp and only getting 25 on the highway. hence why id rather have fwd for a daily and rwd for the ladies haha.

 

A standard transmission would make it harder for those idiots on the road that are combing their hair or doing their makeup on the way to work ..... maybe the NTSB should look at manual transmissions as a safety measure for those people who want to do anything BUT drive .....when they are behind the wheel .

 

Agreed. I started off driving on a slush box, and I was amazed at how much more attentive I was after making the switch. Whenever I buy a car, an auto is a deal breaker.

 

yeah no **** man I never even thought of it like that, most people who drive stick have attention given to the road and operating the car and that is about it...I can't say that for the slush lovers. Sticks also improve the flow of traffic because we don't want to get out of first from a dead stop. Overall a stick teaches most the proper way to drive when to use the accelerator vs brake etc..

 

I am totaly with you on this Ryan, but the simple fact is automatics and flappy paddles are the way of the future and we will just have to hold on to our balts.