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!