The even more upsetting news is that we’re only now learning that stick-shift manufacture halted in December 2019. There is no longer a six-speed manual transmission option for the Honda Accord. It was previously offered with either the 1.5-liter or 2.0-liter engine options on the Sport trim level.
In This Article...
Is there a manual transmission version of the Honda Accord?
Honda stated that the Accord’s manual transmission option is no longer offered with the release of its 2021 lineup. The 2020 Honda Accord is the last model available with a manual transmission, and the last brand-new models are most certainly sold out. If you were hoping to purchase a three-pedal Accord but missed your final chance, don’t worry—there is always the secondhand car market.
There are plenty of pre-owned Accords available to second-time owners who want to get behind the wheel of a capable sedan with a quick-shifting Honda transmission. There is a manual Accord out there for you, no matter your budget. Why should you purchase one? Read on.
Which Honda models have a manual transmission?
In fact, Honda will continue to produce new vehicles in 2022 with manual gearboxes. There are three different varieties of Civics that you can still obtain with a manual transmission, despite the fact that the Accord became entirely automated in 2020 and the Fit was discontinued in the same year. For the time being, Honda appears to recognize the continued viability of the stick shift market.
Honda was the top manual gearbox seller in 2019 and announced that manual transmissions will continue to play a significant role in the Honda portfolio in 2020.
Because of their reputation for durability, Honda is a brand that many earlier Honda models had the option of a manual transmission. We’re looking at new models here, but it’s important to note that Honda has a wide range of capable used stick-shift vehicles.
Is the Honda Accord 2021 available in manual?
One of our favorite features of the fantastic Honda Accord sedan has been eliminated. The six-speed manual transmission that was an option for the Accord has been eliminated, Honda revealed to Automobile. This decision was noted towards the end of Honda’s press materials for 2021. Since the already-built cars are still being traded among dealers, nobody noticed when the Honda stick-shift discreetly ceased production in December 2019.
The Accord has a long history of using manual transmissions, and some on our side of the industry could even go so far as to attribute the transmission’s continuous availability to us.
The midsize Honda car frequently receives honors, in large part because of its apparent dedication to driving aficionados and available three-pedal arrangement. Why? When you combine the Honda manual transmission with the Accord’s legendary durability, craftsmanship, and competence, the result is a low-key sporty four-door that silently rewards its driver on every trip.
Honda reports that a steadily decreasing percentage of Accord buyers loved the stick’s greatness. Fewer than 2,000 Accords per year, or 1-2 percent of all Accords during the past few years, have manual transmissions. Honda was able to make the business case for the stick-shift option for years, in large part because of the Accord’s enormous sales figures, even though the option was never a big seller. Consider: Even if manuals made up 5–10% of the mix, the annual sales would still be in the five digits. That many transactions more than suffice to support the creation, crash testing, EPA certification, etc. of the stick-shift Accord. Honda feels genuinely saddened by the apparent final disappearance of the business case. According to the automaker’s statement:
“Honda will continue to offer a number of models with manual transmissions, including the Civic sedan, hatchback, Si, and Type R. This dedication has long been rewarded by devoted customers, and those customers assisted Honda in becoming the No. 1 retail manual gearbox brand in America in 2019.”
Even while the base turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and the quicker 10-speed automatic utilized with the more potent 252-hp turbo 2.0-liter engines replace the Accord sedan’s six-speed manual transmission, we’re still sorry about it. Hurry if you want one of the final current-generation Honda Accords with a manual transmission; it’s a free option on the Accord Sport. Supplies are truly running out, and when the Accord is refreshed for 2021, the stick won’t be back. Beyond that, you could always use a stick to look for a used Accord.
Honda stopped producing manual accords when?
Honda said on Friday that the Accord sedan’s fully manual transmission option will be eliminated in 2021, putting an end to the model’s long-standing commitment to the stick-shift.
According to Honda, the final manual Accord was actually constructed back in December. Based on a few quick searches of automotive classifieds, the number of manual Accords currently on the market may not exceed a few tens of thousands nationwide.
Despite an overall increase in volume reported back in 2018, according to Honda, the take rate on manual Accords has not above 2 percent over the preceding few years. The most recent iteration of Honda’s standard sedan received a lot of accolades, but Honda was unable to generate enough interest to support additional production.
According to Honda’s release, “Manual transmissions will remain an important component of the Honda portfolio,” noting that a stick is still an option on nearly every Civic model. The article’s conclusion read, “Enthusiast consumers have long benefited the benefits of this devotion, and such buyers helped make Honda the retail No. 1 manual gearbox brand in America in 2019.”
As a former owner of a first-generation Mazda6 with the old five-speed, your author is among those in grief. With this decision, Honda joins fellow midsize Mazda, which eliminated the six-speed that was offered on the Mazda6 for the 2019 model year. At least there is some positive news. For at least another year, the fantastic Genesis G70 will still have a manual transmission. There is still some optimism, at least for the time being.
Are manuals more durable than automatics?
Cars with manual transmissions do typically survive longer than those with automatic transmissions. How come? Because it generally is gentler on the vehicle overall when you can shift into the appropriate gear.
This may not always be the case, though, due to two factors. One illustration is that a clutch will wear out more quickly if someone is rough with it. In modern models, a manual transmission car could not last as long as one with an automated transmission. The efficiency of more recent automatic transmission vehicles is increasing, which reduces transmission wear and tear.
Why is the manual more preferable to the automatic?
The advantages of manual automobiles include lower costs and better fuel economy. Lower maintenance and insurance costs could also be expected. Additionally, because the driver, and not the car, is in charge of changing gears, they provide you superior control over the vehicle. Some people think they are less likely to be stolen, despite the fact that they initially require more learning to drive.
Variety and comfort are two drawbacks of manual gearbox vehicles. Less vehicles with manual transmissions are being produced in the US currently, which limits the alternatives available to consumers. Some drivers feel that because they demand more focus while shifting gears, they are less pleasant for long distance travel or busy traffic. To keep the automobile from rolling backward when you start on an incline, you must also be particularly careful.
The demise of manual cars: why?
Efficiency is perhaps the single most essential factor molding automobiles and their markets, and that goes for transmissions, too. Some claim that the prevalence of automatic transmissions in the United States is a result of our culture of laziness, but you can’t ignore the fact that this is the home of cheap fuel. Additionally, for the majority of automatic transmissions’ nearly century-long existence, automatics have been less efficient than manual gearboxes due to their size and weight, torque converter losses, and lack of gears. Our lazy asses would have been driving tiny stick-shift cars like Europeans and possibly waxing haughty about it… just like Europeans… if Americans paid twice as much for gas (or more). 1980 was the height of American stick-shift production. The Iranian Revolution had caused an oil crisis the previous year.
According to the EPA, the average number of gears in automated transmissions overtook those in manual gearboxes in about 2012. More gears equal greater efficiency. Around this time, lockup torque converters began to proliferate, along with other well-known improvements, making automatics generally more efficient.
Not about you, really. Manufacturers must be mindful of their Corporate Average Fuel Economy. Practically overnight, the main purpose of manual gearboxes disappeared in their views. Consumers may have developed a desire for the stick shift out of personal preference or for performance reasons, but our desires are not always fulfilled.
Prediction: It might take longer in nations where manuals are more common, but in locations where fuel is more expensive than it is here, manuals’ days are definitely limited now that they aren’t the most efficient option.
Are manual versus automatic vehicles faster?
So what are the advantages of manual transmissions? You will hear from many drivers who prefer it that it is just more enjoyable to drive and that you have more control over the gears. While this may be the case generally, a manual transmission can be a tremendous pain in heavy stop-and-go traffic. Autonomous vehicles are slower than manual vehicles. Yes, this can be entertaining, but it can also result in more accidents and tickets.
In addition to being considerably less sophisticated than automated transmissions, manual transmissions are also less expensive to fix.
But simple to fix does not imply simple to understand. The learning curve for manual transmissions is a drawback. Stalls and rollbacks can happen to new drivers who are beginning to drive in a manual, which can be hazardous. When driving an automatic, inexperienced drivers don’t have to worry about such incidents.
Fuel efficiency may be another benefit of manual vs. automatic driving. Historically, manual autos had substantially better gas mileage than automatic cars. Today, though, this isn’t always the case. Most automatic vehicles made starting in 2018 or after have an equivalent (or better) mileage than a manual vehicle of the same model.