Unfortunately, there’s some bad news for all you heroes out there still driving manual transmission sedans. Hyundai has dropped the stick shift from the 2022 Hyundai Accent. Bring a bucket for your tears, but honestly, who didn’t see this coming? Truth is, it’s hard to tell if driving a manual car is really worth the effort anymore, especially something like the Accent.

Is driving manual worth it?

The Accent is actually a great illustration of that larger question. Usually, driving with a stick shift is a way to feel things in a car you wouldn’t normally feel. I wouldn’t want that in a commuter car like the 2022 Hyundai Accent. I’d rather be shuffled down the street as quietly and comfortably as possible.

After all, there’s plenty of other manual cars you can drive to “feel” the car. Hell, Hyundai’s own Veloster N is a great example of that. From a day-to-day perspective, driving stick is really only worth it if the car gives you something more than just transport. If you derive joy from driving it, get a stick.

The 2022 Hyundai Accent shouldn’t have a manual transmission anyway

Most enthusiasts view driving with a manual transmission as the ultimate way of “connecting with the car.” However, I don’t believe the 2022 Hyundai Accent is really a car that you need to connect with. It’s not fast, there’s no appreciable performance to be felt, and, well, look at it. It’s a commuter car more than a sports car.

Now, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. We all need cars to get from Point A to B. The 2022 Hyundai Accent does that. It’s also Hyundai’s cheapest model, per CarsDirect. That’s ok too. Sure, Hyundai souped one up way back when and got Collin MacRae’s younger brother behind the wheel for some rallying, but those days are long gone.

People just aren’t looking for manual sedans anymore

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In fact, on the whole, the days of manual transmissions are gone anyways. Dual-clutch transmissions shift gears faster than you can pee your pants on the 0-60 run. One could argue that keeping both hands on the wheel to change gear is safer too. Frankly, most consumers would rather have an automatic Hyundai Santa Cruz than a Veloster N.

It’s the way of the world nowadays. Thankfully, there’s a lot of great older cars with a manual transmission out there. Go buy a BMW M3 or a used Audi S4. Those are both great, practical, (kinda) reliable stick shift cars. Should you be mad the 2022 Hyundai Accent won’t have a stick? I suppose, but the sedan is on its way out the door too, and I’m far madder about that.