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A sports car can be a blast to drive, and shifting your own transmission is even more fun! Unfortunately, as time moves on vehicles are losing their manual transmissions, however, BMW is one of the few that continues to offer vehicles with an old-school stick shift transmission and offers three distinct vehicles in their lineup with a manual transmission.
Table of Contents
1. BMW M2
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BMW has not shied away from polarising design choices, and the recently released M2 is no exception. While I like the design, I can see where people are coming from. Regardless, there is plenty of respect for the fact that BMW still offers this compact performance coupe a way to row its gears with a six-speed standard six-speed manual transmission.
Thankfully, BMW hasn’t switched the M2 over to a FWD platform, and that manual is still paired with the brand’s twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, making 453 horsepower at 6,500 rpms and 406 lb-ft of torque.
You, of course, can choose an automatic transmission in this sports car, but, I mean, why would you?
2. BMW M3
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The BMW M3 is a high-performance version of the 3 Series, developed by BMW’s in-house motorsport division.
The M3 was initially released in 1986 as a performance upgrade package for the E30 3 Series.
While the first version of the M3 was powered by a four-cylinder engine, this was replaced by an inline six-cylinder engine in 1992, and that continues today with the same Twin Turbo setup we found in the M2 from earlier.
The M3 is being offered with a six-speed manual transmission or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The current M3 is powered by the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder engine, producing 473 horsepower. Still, due to its extra weight, it goes from zero to 60 in the same 4.1 seconds.
2. BMW M4
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Do you want a sports car BMW that is even larger than the M3 but still has a manual transmission? That is where the BMW M4 comes into play.
Just like the M3, the BMW M4 is a high-performance variant of the BMW 4 Series, and it shares many of the exact specifications as the M3.
However, the M4 is larger than the M3 but still comes with a 6-speed manual transmission. The M4 carries the same engine as the M3, producing the same power of 473 horsepower at 6,250 rpm. As a result, the M4 can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just, you guessed it, 3.8 seconds.
Are there any BMW SUVs with a manual transmission?
You might be wondering, there aren’t any SUVs on this list. Have there been any BMW SUVs with a manual transmission?
Unfortunately, there are no SUVs in their lineup with a manual transmission (and likely never will with their transition to EVs). However, for a short period, BMW sold the E53 BMW X5 with a manual transmission. When the first generation of the X5 was released, it was considered more of a sporty SUV rather than a luxury vehicle like it is today. Because of that, BMW offered it with a 5-speed transmission right out of the box.
Now, I wish I owned one of these. That said, there are a couple non-BMW SUVs with manual transmission still for sale (you can see them here)
Conclusion
So there you have it! Currently, the only BMW vehicles that offer a manual transmission are the BMW M2 CS, the BMW M3, and, of course, the BMW M4. I have no doubt that BMW is trying everything to continue offering manual transmissions, even though the industry is moving towards faster shifting yet less fun dual-clutch transmissions.
