mnutt Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 I can't seem to find any Ford (or GM for Chrysler for that matter) cars with AWD AND a manual transmission. I want a sporty car, with a great engine, AWD to give it neutral handling and to be able to put that power down no matter what the road surface is like -and a STICK! I enjoy driving and, no matter how efficient many of the new automatics/manumatics are, they still isolate me from the driving experience. I am a good driver, know how to drive a stick right, and want that as part of my driving experience. Do I have to continue buying Audis (or Subaru, BMW or Mitsubishi) in order to get what I want? Look at the Cadillac CTS. I can get a GREAT car (world class!) in the CTS-V with a great engine (556 hp!) AND a stick! The other option is the CTS-4 with AWD, and an anemic V-6. However, I CANNOT get the great engine, a stick, AND AWD. Chrysler is the same story in their Chysler 300. The new Buick Regal GS was supposed to be available with a decent engine, stick and AWD (like the European vehicle it is based on), but the bean-counters cut the AWD, citing cost and weight savings. Arrrggghh! Don't the U.S manufacturers get it, or are their website and dealers misinformed and this combination IS available? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010SEL Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Subaru is about it for the U.S. market for AWD and a stick. And you'll only see that option on a bare bones 4-cylinder car too. The car manufactures say that standard transmission cars are nearly impossible to sell. Not many AWD cars are sold either. So put the two together, you get just about nothing. It costs millions to develop, test, and market a unique vehicle. The manufacturers just can't justify making something like that, if not enough will be sold. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gb_fusionguy Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Porsche has some killer cars in AWD with a stick :rolleyes: Just saying... GB 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waldo Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 Don't the U.S manufacturers get it, or are their website and dealers misinformed and this combination IS available? Don't auto enthusiasts get it, there just aren't enough of us out there to justify the millions required to develop what we want. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SportBlue09 Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Subaru is an option, but if you have the money I would go with an Audi. http://models.audiusa.com/a3 Though many people are turned off by wagons, the A3 is a mean car, AWD, and available with a 6 speed transmission. I wish US auto makers would make more manual transmission equipped cars. Its an art to shift properly and its disappearing quickly, like home cooking and decent TV shows LOL. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 I wish US auto makers would make more manual transmission equipped cars. All you have to do is convince other buyers to actually buy them and the US auto makers will start making them left and right. They used to be cheaper and more fuel efficient but with modern 6 speed autos that's no longer the case so it really just comes down to personal preference now and there just isn't enough preference to justify the cost. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2010SEL Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 A3 is way too expensive. And the Porsche is way, way too expensive. For me anyways. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 A3 is way too expensive. And the Porsche is way, way too expensive. For me anyways. Buy used. 3 year old vehicle = 50% discount. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_10579 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 How about a Subby WRX? I looked at those before I bought my AWD Fusion and loved them, they were just 3-4 K higher than I wanted to spend. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_10579 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Buy used. 3 year old vehicle = 50% discount. agree 100%. I got my 2010 AWD Fusion for $19,499 with 26k miles in October 2010. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robd23 Posted January 6, 2013 Share Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) The a3 doesnt use the same awd as the rest of audi. Just keep that in mind Edited January 6, 2013 by robd23 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnutt Posted January 7, 2013 Author Share Posted January 7, 2013 The key to my post was American cars. Not a foreign car manufactured in the U.S. or other variations on a theme. Though I have owned mostly foreign cars since I began driving (my first car was a Triumph TR250/TR5), I am trying to buy American due to potential effect on the economy, as has been showcased on ABC News. I realize that I could buy Audi (we have owned 4 of them), BMW, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Subaru (I've owned 2 of the them), but I'm trying to buy American. Due to needing a car NOW, I sold my Audi A4 quattro (with 188,000 miles on it) and bought a Chrysler 300C AWD. It is big, comfortable, powerful, stylish and has a lot of nice features -but is still lacking. Whether I went with the V-6 or the V-8, it's a big heavy car with the same mileage rating for both, and they both suck (though they DO burn mid-grade instead of premium fuel). It doesn't handle the snow as well as my Audis. The rear seats don't have seat heaters. The rear window defroster doesn't work very well. The front seat heaters work like the rear window defrost: you punch a button and they come on for a limited time and then go off -and there are only two settings, and you have to punch the on button each time to turn them on -you can't pre-set them. The handling is more American (read: soft) and not as tight and precise as my Audis, or even the Subarus. The leather seats? Well, it is "leather seating surfaces" -and the rest is matchng vinyl -which was coming apart on the outside bottom seat bolster of the driver's seat and had to be replaced. Yes, it's not an Audi -and I still can't find an American car with AWD and a stick. Living in Michigan, I want performance that I can enjoy in every season. I don't want a CTS-V that I have to park for at least 4 months out of the year due to the weather. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FusionDiffusion Posted January 7, 2013 Share Posted January 7, 2013 mnutt, you must realize you're in a severe minority. Yes, there are still some of us out there that prefer to drive a stick and have AWD, but most buyers don't care. Most people can't drive stick anymore and they're not going to want to pay for AWD given the choice between that and more "fancy features" like SYNC or parking sensors. Most people drive stick in Europe, so European manufacturers still have financial motivation to engineer everything with a stick version. This is lacking with American manufacturers. Ford doesn't even have a manual transmission that is capable of AWD I believe. They haven't produced a new manual transmission of their own design in years. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phazer_II Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 (edited) Why not just get a Fusion SEL awd with the manual paddle shift option? With a loud set of pipes, you could be Juan Pablo Montoya. Edited January 28, 2013 by Phazer_II 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodburbon Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I wanted the same thing as the OP. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheesyRider Posted January 28, 2013 Share Posted January 28, 2013 I haven't noticed it mentioned in this thread, but the Mini Countryman & Paceman can be had with AWD and a manual transmission. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonoxideChild Posted February 1, 2013 Share Posted February 1, 2013 Speed6 seems like a good choice for you. Its AWD manual trans, and based on the same chassis as the fusion. All while adding some Boost to the equation. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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