The way that driving has always been done. In order to drive in manual, you control a clutch and a gearshift in addition to gas and brakes. Manual transmissions give you much more
information about your car such as its feel, its power, its engine to gear ratios, etc.
Newcomers to manual transmissions often stall out and get frustrated by the addition of extra controls. But if you practice at it a lot, it becomes delightfully
challenging, you will feel out of place in an automatic by comparison, and the
feeling you get when you drive circles (or donuts) around your friends is totally worth it.
I've been driving in manual
transmission for so long,
automatic just didn't feel the same. My hand kept reaching for a stick that wasn't there, and I almost hit the
emergency brake thinking it was the clutch. I hope automakers keep offering stick-shift models!