What happened? Blame the “take rate,” which became too low to justify the manual transmission’s continued availability on the 5s and 6s. The “take rate” refers to the number of customers who choose a particular option; if it’s insufficient, manufacturers are forced to discontinue that option—especially if it’s a transmission or engine variant that requires separate (and costly) DoT certification before it can be sold in the U.S.
“While sales of manual-equipped cars have declined, we remain committed to offering manual transmissions in as many products as we can where it makes sense to do so,” said Paul Ferraiolo, BMW of North America’s head of product planning. “We continue to offer more manual transmission models than any of our competitors, and we offer manual transmissions across a wider price range than any of our competitors, from the 228i Coupe ($33,025 with destination charge) to the M6 Gran Coupe ($115,925 with destination).”
He’s right: By our count, BMW currently offers 17 cars with manual transmissions: the 228i, M235i, 320i, 328i, 328i xDrive, 335i, 335i xDrive, 428i Coupe, 435i Coupe, 435i xDrive Coupe, M3, M4, M5, M6, M6 Gran Coupe, M6 Convertible and Z4 2.8i. According to rearwheeldrive.org, Audi offers seven, Cadillac two and Mercedes only the SLK250.
The manual transmission is available from BMW, but is that availability more theoretical than practical? Are those manual transmission cars unicorns? How easily can a customer walk into his or her local dealership and actually buy a BMW with a manual?
What’s in stock?
It depends, as not all dealerships order manuals for stock. The dealership nearest Bimmer HQ, Sonnen BMW in San Rafael, California, had 200 new BMWs in stock at this writing, 13 with a manual transmission. Ten of those were 2014 535i models, which suggests that Sonnen had grabbed the last of the manual 5s for its enthusiast customers. The other three? A 228i, M3 and M4, sound choices that will be quick to leave the lot.
