Those are quite the fun odd balls when you see a fully optioned facelift E-Klasse W212 sedan or A207 convertible with a stick. The only drawback? The most powerful engine option is a turbo charged 2 liter fourbanger with a whooping 184HP. That poor thing has to haul a body which weighs at least 1700 kg, but give it a long enough Autobahn stretch and it will reach ~140 MPH.
There's a reason why automatic transmissions are also known as "trannies" and manual transmissions aren't.
I am guesing you have never driven a JK jeep then. Because the mercedes NSC370 they put in them is the clunkiest and most fragile POS ever made. They work ok in low hp europoor cars but they where a time bomb in heavy 285hp burger mobiles. They went back to Aisin made units after that nightmare for the next generation of jeeps.
A family member had her VW truck hotwired--not too surprising, as it was in a work parking lot all day and the truck was rustic enough that the locks were more of a suggestion and the wires were just under the dash, not hidden by a panel or anything.
False
Double clutching for days. I think those column shifters found in old trucks are a bitch. I'd rather double clutch than drive a column shifted car.
double clutching is unnecessary unless the shift fork is worn/grouchy. It may make sense on a grade though.
Handbrake. Or as mutts call it, the "emergency brake". Manual drivers are generally trained to put it on when stopped for more than a moment, especially on an incline, so you don't have to juggle your feet when you move away.
Some modern manuals have hill start assist. This gives you a couple of seconds to move your foot from the brake to the gas pedal. It's mainly SUVs that do this, but there are a few compacts with this feature as well.
The 10th gen Honda Civic manual transmissions have that feature. It's very annoying. I'm sure the current gen Civic also has it.
