Lyn Woodward's first drive video review of the 2025 Subaru WRX tS for Kelley Blue Book confirms that most WRX buyers in the United States of America prefer the manual over the somewhat pointless continuously variable transmission. Be that as it may, three-pedal enthusiasts are well aware that it's merely an exception rather than a rule for the automotive industry as a whole.
According to Subaru via Lyn's first drive review, the six-speed manual accounted for 83 percent of WRXs moved so far this year. That's up from 79 percent in 2023. On the other hand, J.D. Power says that new manual vehicle sales accounted for 1.7 percent of new vehicle sales in 2023. In other words, we're not dealing with a row-your-own renaissance.
Part of the reason why manual vehicle sales lag behind their automatic, dual-clutch, and CVT equivalents is the relatively high starting prices of said vehicles. Can you believe Toyota's BMW-engined Supra now starts at $56,250 before taxes and optional extras? The BRZ-twinned GR86 is a bit more affordable at $29,950 from the outset, although that may be steep for lots of people as well, for the median weekly earnings of full-time wage and salary workers in the third quarter of 2024 were 1,165 freedom eagles.
The other part is emission, fuel economy, and even sound regulations. In regard to sound regulations, do you remember Porsche's 992-gen 911 GT3 failing California's noise test back in 2021? Fuel economy and emission regulations are self-explanatory as well, more so when you remember that torque-converter automatic transmissions are oftentimes more frugal than their three-pedal counterparts.
General Motors, for example, advertises the manual-equipped CT5-V Blackwing with 15 miles to the gallon (make that 15.7 liters per 100 kilometers) on the combined test cycle. With the 10-speed automatic, the most powerful internal combustion-engined Caddy sedan to date nets 16 mpg or 14.7 l/100 km.
Photo: Subaru
More fuel automatically results in more emissions, and that would be that. Or is it? We also have to remember that designing a vehicle for both three- and two-pedal setups is costly for every automaker in the biz. In addition to development costs, certain automakers dropped the manual in their search for improved lap times and quarter-mile ETs.
Turning our attention back to the Scooby, the manual prevailed over the awfully named Subaru Performance Transmission for pretty obvious reasons. Not only does it offer a better human-machine connection, but actual gears further mean zero droning noise from the four-cylinder turbo boxer under acceleration.
Subaru tries to sell the SPT by means of eight predetermined ratios that help said continuously variable transmission get closer to a dual-clutch box or a torque-converter auto. Subaru further makes a case for the SPT's paddle shifters, but in truth, said paddles and predetermined ratios are much better suited to engine braking while going downhill.
Why did Subaru decide on a CVT for the WRX instead of a more enjoyable box? Your guess is as good as mine, but due to limited research & development money, chances are that Subaru didn't have any choice but to improve on its Lineartronic chain-type continuously variable transmission for this application. Despite being outdated by current automatic transmission standards, the rear-drive BRZ's optional six-speed auto would've been better, though…
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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