It’s been a while since a press car showed up in my driveway with a manual transmission. When the 2026 Acura Integra A-Spec with the six-speed manual arrived, I was grinning before I even pulled out of the driveway.
My very first car was a stick-shift Volkswagen Jetta. I bought it only because it was cheaper than the automatic, and I had zero clue how to drive one. A friend who owned a manual Honda Prelude (with the fabulous pop-up headlights as God intended) spent an entire Saturday teaching me how to drive it in an empty parking lot.
That day started with frustration, with my foot slipping off the clutch pedal over and over. But as the hours passed, something clicked. I started to understand the car’s rhythm, how to listen to the engine. It was like unlocking a secret language.
- Base Trim Engine
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1.5-liter turbocharged Inline-4
- Base Trim Transmission
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CVT Automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
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Front-Wheel Drive
Old Flames And New Sparks
Years later, I owned an Integra that I loved. It made every commute feel like playtime, turning boring highways into personal playgrounds. Weekends meant long drives just for the sake of it, winding through country roads with the windows down and the music up. The new Integra is not trying to be the old one, and that’s a good thing. It’s safer, smoother, and full of modern comforts. The moment you push the clutch in and slide into first, however, the connection with the past is clear.
As manual transmissions have faded in popularity, paddle shifters have become a popular substitute. They’re clever little toys, but they just are not the same. With a real manual, you’re in charge. You decide when to drop a gear, you feel the engine wake up under your foot, and you hear that happy growl rise and fall because of your own hands and feet working together.
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That Little Dance No One Else Can Do
There is magic in the simple rhythm of clutch in, move the lever, ease off the clutch, add gas. Do it smoothly, and the car dances. Mess it up and the car gently, or sometimes aggressively, reminds you to try again, maybe with a little buck or a quiet stall. The Integra’s shifter is light and quick, and the clutch isn’t heavy, so your left leg won’t wear out in heavy traffic. It’s a joy to drive.
There are plenty of fast, aggressive cars you can buy today with automatic transmissions. Buy an EV, and the acceleration squishes you back in your seat and can take passengers by surprise. Neither makes a random Tuesday morning feel as special as shifting your own gears.
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A Quiet Act Of Kindness
Most new cars don’t even offer a manual anymore. Buyers stopped asking for them, so automakers cut them from their lineups. Acura could have quietly deleted the stick from the Integra, and no spreadsheet would have cared. Instead, it kept the option. That tiny decision feels like a hug to anyone who still believes driving should be joyful. It shows some folks in the industry get it, that not everything needs to be automated for convenience.
A great manual turns errands into adventures. Picture running to the post office, but along the way, you find a twisty side street and take it just because it’ll be fun. A manual encourages that kind of spontaneity, pulling you out of your routine and quite simply making driving for the sake of it fun.
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Keeping The Spark Alive
In a world full of screens and buttons, the manual brings back a refreshing hands-on simplicity. You just need a willingness to learn. The Integra makes that easy, with its forgiving nature for beginners and rewarding depth for those who already have the skills. It’s a reminder of how driving can be about the journey itself, not just getting from point A to B as quickly as possible.
Progress pushes us toward automatics as easier options. They have their place, but they lack the engagement of a manual, that direct link where your actions shape the drive. Acura keeping this alive in the Integra feels like a nod to tradition, blending old-school fun with new-age reliability.
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Please Don’t Let This Disappear
Cars will keep getting faster, quieter, and easier to drive. That’s okay. Progress is good. But the simple happiness of choosing your own gear, of feeling the car respond directly to you, is something worth keeping alive. The three pedals in the Integra stand as a reminder that while technology improves, it can also take something away.
If you never learned, or it’s been forever since you drove a manual, go find one. Borrow a friend’s car, take a test drive, anything. Row through the gears just once, and you’ll remember why some of us will never let this beautiful, stubborn, perfect little art die.
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Echoes Of The Past
Learning how to drive a manual early on shaped my view of cars as partners rather than appliances. I hope more people discover them before they vanish for good. Imagine a future where every car drives itself, but a few holdouts let you take the wheel fully. That balance could keep the spirit alive for those who might otherwise miss out. Ultimately, my week in the Integra reaffirmed that manuals offer something irreplaceable. They demand attention and skill, but give back pure delight.