How Do Manual Transmissions Work?

manual transmission

Manual transmissions are the original kind of transmission, as ancient as the first cars produced. However, their design changed massively over the years. Even so, manufacturers and people alike wish to phase them out, thanks to the convenience of automatics and the emergence of electric vehicles. Two or Three Shafts … Read more

Highlights of the 2020 Nissan Versa

Small cars typically offer big value and the 2020 Nissan Versa is an excellent example of such a model. Redesigned for 2020, the Versa is Nissan’s smallest car, a subcompact five-passenger sedan. One of the big changes for the year is that the previously available Versa Note hatchback is no … Read more

Highlights of the 2020 Hyundai Accent

The Hyundai Accent is the smallest of all cars sold by this Korean manufacturer. It sits beneath a cohort of compact Hyundai models, including the Elantra, Veloster, and Ioniq. Introduced in 1994, the 2020 Hyundai Accent represents the third year of this fifth-generation model. A hatchback version is no longer … Read more

The Sixth-Generation VW Jetta GLI

The Volkswagen Jetta requires little introduction, a compact model with 40 years of history on tap. This vehicle is based on the brand’s modular platform, which includes such disparate models as the subcompact Golf hatchback and the midsize Atlas crossover utility vehicle. The seventh-generation model rolled out in 2018 and … Read more

2014-2018 Jaguar F-Type Buyer’s Guide

2018 Jaguar F-Type 400

You won’t find Jaguar calling the F-Type a tribute or spiritual successor model of the Jaguar E-Type, but in many ways it is. Forty years after the earlier sports car was canceled, an all-new Jaguar F-Type model arrived in 2014. The F-Type has the long hood, rounded side body panels … Read more

2019 Hyundai Veloster Review

2019 Hyundai Veloster

The new Veloster targets entry-level performance enthusiasts. The Hyundai Veloster is back and is ready for round two. After a six-year model run, Hyundai seemed to have called it quits with its quirky compact coupe, but following a one-year hiatus, an all-new model has emerged. The 2019 Hyundai Veloster reflects … Read more

Hot Hatch: 2017 Volkswagen Golf R

VW Golf R fun, part two. There are certain cars that pass through the Auto Trends test fleet which are memorable. The Volkswagen Golf R is one of them. Compact, bold, and fast are just a few of the descriptors to append to this model. Affordable? Not unless you have … Read more

Full Disclosure: 2018 Toyota C-HR

Last week, I shared certain details surrounding the 2018 Toyota C-HR. Some of the information was under embargo and that meant me honoring Toyota’s request to keep three points under wrap until 4 a.m ET on March 8, 2017. Well, the time has come and those three points about the … Read more

2017 Subaru BRZ: Charting the Changes

Subaru’s sport coupe receives design enhancements inside and out. Introduced in 2013, the Subaru BRZ brings rear-wheel drive excitement to this overwhelmingly all-wheel drive brand. The 2+2 sports coupe is a niche model for this boutique brand and for 2017 it receives several important updates. Those changes are outlined as … Read more

Top Down Fun With the Corvette Stingray Z51

Review anything about the Corvette and you’re bound to offend someone for omitting an important point. Such is the strength of this iconic model — nay, brand — that has no lack of followers or at least enthusiasts who immediately become giddy when you offer them a ride. I’ve had … Read more

How to Drive Stick Shift (Tips for Beginners)

driving a manual transmission

Most cars include automatic transmissions, with the gears shifting systematically. Other vehicles have a manual transmission, requiring drivers to control the shift points with a clutch, a stick shift, and the accelerator pedal. A manual transmission provides drivers many benefits with the key being a more engaged driving adventure, something … Read more

Looking Back: The Best of 2014 Auto Trends

4×4 fun in a Toyota 4Runner. Sixty models came and went in 2014. Those 60 represented my weekly drivers, an array of utility vehicles, coupes, sedans, sports cars, pickup trucks and vans that I had the pleasure (or misfortune) of driving. All joking aside, even the most sedate of the … Read more

Hot Hatch: Ford Fiesta ST

Ford’s smallest pocket rocket excites. The 2015 Ford Mustang has been promised to me, an upcoming press fleet vehicle that I’ve been anticipating for a long, long time. As I’ve been patiently waiting, an assortment of Lincoln and Ford vehicles have kept me busy, including one hot five-door hatchback that … Read more

Jaguar F-TYPE: AWD and a Manual Transmission

Jag sports car receives important enhancements. If you want to be taken seriously as a high-performance sports car there are two options you must offer. The first is a manual transmission. The second is all-wheel drive. Certainly, the manual is of greater importance — all-wheel drive isn’t critical, but it … Read more

About the 2015 Hyundai Elantra

2015 Hyundai Elantra

Small Hyundai is big on value. Some consumers are understandably shocked when they price a new vehicle. The average cost of a new car today is about $32,000, well beyond the affordability level for not a few shoppers. Still, that figure is just an average as there are cars that … Read more

The Hidden Benefits of Stick Shift Transmissions

In a driver’s search for improved gas mileage and more value, the hidden benefits of a manual transmission often get overlooked. Through extensive research, automotive technologists and experts have found that a stick shift can improve gas mileage by a notable two to five miles per gallon compared to an … Read more