Many car owners prefer cars equipped with a manual gearbox. It allows you to better "feel" and control the car, and tow it in case of problems. Yes, and repairing the "mechanics" will cost less. And some car models with a manual gearbox, such as the Mini Cooper and Chevy Sonic, are more economical in terms of fuel consumption.
Experts from the Russian agency AUTOSTAT found out which brands of passenger cars with manual gearboxes are the most popular in the Russian market. Here is the ranking of the most sold brands.
10. UAZ
3.8 thousand units were sold for the 1st quarter of 2018
One of the best-selling UAZ cars is the Patriot. This is a brutal type of car with a spacious interior, a huge trunk and high ground clearance. "Patriot" is equally good on a flat road, dirt, bumps and bumps. Traditionally, it comes with a manual transmission, but a factory model with automatic transmission has recently been announced. Until now, the owners of the Patriot could get an automatic transmission from an authorized 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 units
On the Russian market, 2 Datsun lineups are represented - these are On-Do and Mi-Do. Datsun On-Do is an inexpensive sedan that has a wide range of functions 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 transmission, and only On-Do Dream I (4AT) and Dream II (4AT) have automatic transmissions.
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
6.2 thousand units sold in January-March 2018
Nissan makes a lot of good cars, but the Nissan Juke is the most unusual of them. This city crossover is available with both manual transmission and CVT. The “mechanics” option is cheaper and easier to maintain. "Beetle" with a CVT consumes fuel more economically, but the reliability of the CVT is lower than the manual transmission.
7. Chevrolet
Sales - 6.6 thousand units
In the Chevrolet lineup there are a lot of good models with a manual gearbox. These include:
- sedans Cobalt, Aveo Sedan and Cruze Sedan;
- station wagon Cruze Universal;
- Crossovers Tracker and Captiva;
- hatchback Cruze Hatchback;
- SUVs Niva and Orlando;
All of these models, with the exception of Niva, are also sold with automatic transmission.
6. Volkswagen
6.8 thousand units sold in the 1st quarter
The bestsellers of the Russian automotive market are Volkswagen Golf, Polo and Tiguan. Two of them are in the 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, Russians have acquired 7.1 thousand units
The Czech Republic opens the top 5 most popular brands of cars with mechanical transmission. Her crossover Skoda Kodiaq became one of the winners of the “Car of the Year in Russia 2018” award. He outperformed 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 are with a robotic gearbox.
Also with the manual transmission are such popular Skoda models as the Rapid hatchback, Octavia, Roomster and Fabia station wagons and Yeti crossover.
4. Hyundai
9.8 thousand sold
The Korean automobile company pleases customers not only with the beauty of its cars, but also with the quality and reliability of the “mechanics” installed on them. Hyundai has a lot of mechanical transmission models. This 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 sold in three months
Another Korean brand that produces reliable and affordable cars with a manual gearbox. Most often, Russian motorists choose the Kia Rio sedan, Picanto and Soul hatchbacks, as well as the compact Kia Sportage crossover. An updated version of Sportage was recently tested in the Nurburgring and photo spies were able to remove it without any camouflage.
It is already known that the updated model has acquired a more massive grille, upgraded "fog" and LED headlights. A chrome longitudinal bar appeared on the bumper and additional reflectors were installed.
Kia Sportage 2019 will be equipped with a six-speed "mechanics", or automatic transmission. A version with a mechanical transmission will cost at least 1 million 279 thousand rubles, a version with an “automatic” - from 1 million 439 thousand rubles.
2. Renault
For the first quarter of this year, 24.2 thousand units were sold
Renault's top-selling auto models in 2018 are the Duster SUV, Logan sedan, Sandero hatchback and Kaptur crossover. All of these "French" have versions with a manual gearbox.
1. Lada
In January-March, 71 thousand units were sold.
Although the products of the Russian automobile industry are traditionally customary to blame, it was the various Lada that led the top sales of cars with a manual transmission 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 compared to German and Korean competitors.
However, for lovers of Lada Priora, Granta and Kalina, there is bad news: 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 was reported by Vesti, citing 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, she was already outdated and it was time to go on a “pension”.
The restyled family Lada Granta, which will include models with a station wagon, sedan, liftback and hatchback, will be presented at the 2018 Moscow Motor Show.
