#SavetheManuals fans, it is indeed a sad day.
This month, Honda confirmed that it is dropping the manual gearbox option from the Accord lineup. The transmission was previously a no-cost option on Sport models equipped with the 1.5-liter or 2.0-liter turbocharged engines. However, not many of you folks were buying ’em. According to Honda’s sales figures, only about 2% of buyers opted for the row-your-own-gears transmission. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Honda to keep offering it and, well, another stick-shift mid-sized sedan bites the dust.
The Accord has had a manual transmission option from the very beginning and enthusiasts raved about its slickness and snickety-snick operation. When the current Accord debuted for the 2018 model year, it was a breath of fresh air when Honda kept the manual as an option. Where Honda really raised eyebrows was the decision to offer the stick as a no-cost option on the more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. But alas, it did not last. For the Accord’s forthcoming redesign in 2021, it joins the Mazda 6 and many other mid-sized sedans in going auto-only on all engines.
With the last manual-equipped Accords having been built in December 2019, there may be a precious few left in inventory. Better act fast if you want to snatch up what is sure to be a unicorn among sedans.