Asta la vista, baby. . .

[Charlotte.:R]

Sad. But not really surprising. Wasn't the manual only available in NA?

VW only sold 8423 GTI/Rs in 2022, probably not worth the $$ to keep the manual around.

 

[RudyH]

Lol.

I mean if they really wanted to make some money they just need to add physical buttons, a special final manual edition set of basics (like nicer shift knob and other gimmicky things) then charge 10k more for them. I'd pay. I love the mk7 and it's really hard to pick up any other car available today. Not much has a manual, 4 doors, and is fun to drive today... Even the m3 today is kinda dull. Audi and merc make literally nothing interesting. Porsche makes the panamera and it's just too large. What else is there? The type s is maybe the only other interesting car.

Is it just me or have the last 4 years of cars made everyone less "car people" and more "appliance people"? I just don't get excited about anything new anymore...

Honestly, it doesn't have a manual but that can be fixed...

8Y / .5 A3 / S3 could get a swap done pretty 'easily'. Have to figure how many MK7 Golf R s are going to be around with their 6MT's. Before installing it get a nice beefy clutch and toss in a Wavetrac - I guarantee you will enjoy every minute of it. That said the DSG is pretty damn good, and it was the most difficult decision when I got my R

I am still hoping for the 8Y.5 RS3 here in Canada and am on the waiting list at two dealerships which fixes all the problems I have with the MK8. It takes the three items I like about the MK8 over the MK7 (rear diff, sunroof and nicer seats), adds the DAZA and removes the hatch - which has been ruined to me by the mass amount of SUV's on the road. It took one day walking down a Costco parking lot looking for my car that made me cry inside.

Honestly I am in the same boat, the market is absolutely horrid - but you can likely thank the suburban utility van craze for that.

 

[victorofhavoc]

Honestly, it doesn't have a manual but that can be fixed...

8Y / .5 A3 / S3 could get a swap done pretty 'easily'. Have to figure how many MK7 Golf R s are going to be around with their 6MT's. Before installing it get a nice beefy clutch and toss in a Wavetrac - I guarantee you will enjoy every minute of it. That said the DSG is pretty damn good, and it was the most difficult decision when I got my R

I am still hoping for the 8Y.5 RS3 here in Canada and am on the waiting list at two dealerships which fixes all the problems I have with the MK8. It takes the three items I like about the MK8 over the MK7 (rear diff, sunroof and nicer seats), adds the DAZA and removes the hatch - which has been ruined to me by the mass amount of SUV's on the road. It took one day walking down a Costco parking lot looking for my car that made me cry inside.

Honestly I am in the same boat, the market is absolutely horrid - but you can likely thank the suburban utility van craze for that.

Swapping a manual into an audi seems like a fair chore. I mean, I'm sure it could be done, but there's probably going to be a number of one off brackets to be machined for things like pedal box retainer, master cylinder mounts, and who know if the bolts for the bell housing have correctly machined holes on the engine block. One man's easy is my box of parts waiting 2 years on me and my favorite mechanic to coordinate a time when he's in town and I'm not drowning in work, lol.

I have a dsg currently and I regret it 3/4 drives. It's great on track, but has to be tuned so you can lfb. On the street, I find it between okay and annoying. I'm always thinking either "don't shift yet" or "why haven't you shifted" and then adjusting my throttle position constantly to summon the witchcraft that makes the clutches move.

The joy of this car on the street for me is the high g rotation you can easily do with the brake. It's really fun to pinch off a right hand turn and get the rear to lift a wheel, all while not making a ton of noise and being reasonably safe within street limits. With the manual this is a great opportunity to downshift to 3rd, moderate brake, then harder brake, clutch in, gear down, heel click, clutch out, and heel roll on the throttle while releasing the brake smoothly. In the dsg this is brake.... Pull lever... Power on and release. It's totally fine...really. It's fun...really. It does not give you that hero feeling though.

 

[Charlotte.:R]

Honestly I am in the same boat, the market is absolutely horrid - but you can likely thank the suburban utility van craze for that.

Between deal mark ups, interest rates, and transitioning to working from home, I care less than I think I ever have about cars. This is the first time in my life where I don't have a 'next car' on my radar. Oddly content to rock my Mk7.5 and enjoy not having a car payment

 

[Diggs24]

same same

 

[JC_451]

Between deal mark ups, interest rates, and transitioning to working from home, I care less than I think I ever have about cars. This is the first time in my life where I don't have a 'next car' on my radar. Oddly content to rock my Mk7.5 and enjoy not having a car payment

Definitely an unappealing time to look for any kind of cool cars.

Every time I look I just remind myself the GTI is still super fun.

If direct buy from the factory ever became a thing that might make a second coming of the Golden age. The dealer model was always perverse but since the insane times they've become an active barrier to car enthusiasm.

 

[mwoodski]

hasta

 

[Acadia18]

pasta

 

[JC_451]

Shasta

 

[Diggs24]

I could use a peach Nehi right about now.....

 

[mwoodski]

also i really must be one of the only people who doesnt care about this at all lol

 

[aloha_from_bradley]

Was never particularly fond of VW shifters, but definitely the end of an era. Pretty crazy to think about, though I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

When we've reached a time where manual transmissions actually cost auto manufacturers more to produce than their automatic counterparts and are produced only for the enthusiast market, it was only a matter of time before this happened. The only other choice would be to continue manufacturing for niche buyers, which is pretty much what they are doing now. It makes no economic sense for companies to continue production from a logistics, service, or cost perspective.

I'm sure we will continue to see the manual trans in some cars for years to come, but it will definitely be the "exception." My Golf was the first car that didn't have a third pedal, and I didn't regret it one bit. Will likely try to buy something in a manual at some point in the near future.

 

[bentin]

It’s interesting that nearly all of the survivors remain free of the 0.5L/cylinder turbo mills. The GT3, Miata, even Wrangler don’t have turbos and the regular 911 has a sub standard manual to go with its turbos and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it die off soon too.

Ultimately, I’ll likely buy something older with a manual and transition my daily to an EV. No interest in owning an automatic ICE car, but also accepting that most modern manuals are not nearly as engaging as older ones really were.

 

[Charlotte.:R]

Was never particularly fond of VW shifters, but definitely the end of an era. Pretty crazy to think about, though I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner.

When we've reached a time where manual transmissions actually cost auto manufacturers more to produce than their automatic counterparts and are produced only for the enthusiast market, it was only a matter of time before this happened. The only other choice would be to continue manufacturing for niche buyers, which is pretty much what they are doing now. It makes no economic sense for companies to continue production from a logistics, service, or cost perspective.

I wonder if some of this has to do with a pending refresh in 2025. Like it was too expensive to redesign the center console/stack area for a handful of manual sales.

also i really must be one of the only people who doesnt care about this at all lol

Yet here you are.....

 

[mwoodski]

Yet here you are.....

no, like it doesnt bother me that they're ditching it.

same with MINI, the dct's are faster and can hold more power, plus the cars are designed for them originally. you're getting a compromised powertrain with modern manuals.