Many car owners prefer vehicles equipped with a manual transmission. It allows you to better "feel" and control the car, and tow it in case of problems. And the repair of the "mechanics" will be cheaper. And some manual car models, such as the Mini Cooper and the Chevy Sonic, are more economical in terms of fuel consumption.
Experts of the Russian agency "AUTOSTAT" found out which brands of passenger cars with a manual gearbox are the most popular on the Russian market. Here is a ranking of the top-selling brands.
10. UAZ
For the 1st quarter of 2018, 3.8 thousand units were sold
One of the best-selling UAZ vehicles is the Patriot. This is a brutal-looking car with a spacious interior, a huge trunk and high ground clearance. The Patriot runs equally well on a flat road, mud, bumps and bumps. Traditionally it comes with a manual gearbox, but a factory model with automatic transmission was recently announced. Until now, Patriot owners could get an automatic transmission from an official dealer in Moscow, for a fee (about 150 thousand rubles, if the old “mechanics” remains with the dealer).
9. Datsun
Sales for the reporting period - 4.5 thousand pieces
There are 2 Datsun model lines on the Russian market - On-Do and Mi-Do. The Datsun On-Do is a low-cost sedan with a wide range of features for the comfort and safety of the driver and passengers, including:
- heated front seats;
- power steering;
- ABS + EBD + BAS;
- climate control (optional);
- front side airbags (optional);
- multimedia system (optional).
Most Datsun On-Do variants are equipped with a manual gearbox, and only On-Do Dream I (4AT) and Dream II (4AT) have automatic gearboxes.
Datsun Mi-Do belongs to the class of compact front-wheel drive hatchbacks. The following cars are produced from this model range with a manual gearbox:
- Trust I (5MT);
- Trust II (5MT);
- Trust III (5MT);
- Dream I (5MT, 16V);
- Dream II (5MT).
8. Nissan
In January-March 2018, 6.2 thousand units were sold
Nissan makes many good cars, but the Nissan Juke is the most unusual of them all. This urban crossover is available with both manual transmission and variator. The version with "mechanics" is cheaper and easier to maintain. "Beetle" with a CVT consumes fuel more economically, but the reliability of the CVT is lower than that of the manual transmission.
7. Chevrolet
Sales - 6.6 thousand pieces
There are a lot of good models with a manual transmission in the Chevrolet lineup. These include:
- sedans Cobalt, Aveo Sedan and Cruze Sedan;
- station wagon Cruze Universal;
- Tracker and Captiva crossovers;
- hatchback Cruze Hatchback;
- SUVs Niva and Orlando;
All these models, with the exception of the Niva, are also sold with an automatic transmission.
6. Volkswagen
6.8 thousand units sold in the first quarter
The bestsellers of the Russian automotive market are the Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Tiguan models. Two of them are included in top 10 best-selling foreign cars of 2018... And all three cars are offered both with manual transmission and with automatic transmission and with a robotic transmission.
5. Skoda
Since the beginning of the year, the Russians have purchased 7.1 thousand pieces
The Czech brand opens the top 5 most popular brands of cars with a manual transmission. Its crossover Skoda Kodiaq became one of the owners awards "Car of the Year in Russia 2018"... It beat all competitors in the Light SUV category. Three versions of Kodiaq - 1.4 TSI MT Active, 1.4 TSI MT Ambition and 1.4 TSI MT Style are offered with manual transmission. The rest - with a robotic gearbox.
Also, such popular Skoda models as the Rapid hatchback, the Octavia, Roomster and Fabia station wagons and the Yeti crossover are produced with manual transmission.
4. Hyundai
Sold 9.8 thousand pieces
The Korean automobile company pleases customers not only with the beauty of their cars, but also with the quality and reliability of the "mechanics" installed on them. Hyundai has a variety of models with a manual transmission. This is Hyundai Sonata (up to the 7th generation, it is only with automatic transmission), and one of the best-selling sedans in Russia - Hyundai Solaris, as well as Hyundai Getz and Hyundai Santa Fe.
3. Kia
12.4 thousand units were sold in three months
Another Korean brand that produces reliable and affordable cars with a manual transmission. Most often, Russian motorists choose the Kia Rio sedan, Picanto and Soul hatchbacks, as well as the Kia Sportage compact crossover. The updated version of the Sportage was recently tested at the Nurburgring and photo spies were able to shoot it without camouflage at all.
It is already known that the updated model has acquired a more massive radiator grille, modernized "foglights" and LED headlights. A chrome-plated longitudinal strip appeared on the bumper and additional reflectors were installed.
The 2019 Kia Sportage will be equipped with a six-speed manual transmission, or automatic transmission. The version with a manual transmission will cost at least 1 million 279 thousand rubles, the version with an “automatic” - from 1 million 439 thousand rubles.
2. Renault
In the first quarter of this year, 24.2 thousand units were sold
Renault's best-selling car models in 2018 are the Duster SUV, Logan sedan, Sandero hatchback and Kaptur crossover. All of these "French" have versions with a manual transmission.
1. Lada
71 thousand units were sold in January-March
Although the products of the Russian automotive industry are traditionally scolded, it was the various Lada that led the top sales of cars with a manual gearbox in 2018. Spare parts for Lada cars are easy to find, they are unpretentious in maintenance, adapted to Russian roads, have great potential for tuning and are cheaper in comparison with German and Korean competitors.
However, there is bad news for fans of Lada Priora, Granta and Kalina: AvtoVAZ plans to remove these models from the assembly line in July 2018. In the case of Granta and Kalina, we are talking about pre-styling versions. This is reported by the Vesti newspaper, referring to a letter that AvtoVAZ sent to its dealers.
Not too elegant in appearance, but reliable and budget Lada Priora first appeared on the market in 2007. However, by 2018, it was already morally outdated and it was time to retire.
The restyled Lada Granta family, which will include station wagon, sedan, liftback and hatchback models, will be presented at the 2018 Moscow Motor Show.