Manual Cars

Since my very first car, a manual transmission BMW 320i arrived at our home, I’ve been driving the 320i quite often. Time flies—it’s almost been a year since delivery.

This 320i isn’t an M Sport or anything fancy; it’s a basic model. After getting used to driving it, I honestly found myself feeling, “this is a bit underwhelming…” The engine is quiet, and the ride is comfortable, making it great as a family car. But after driving the Boxster, whenever I got behind the wheel of the 320i, I often thought, “Wow, it really feels completely different.” (Though I probably shouldn’t compare them in the first place!)

That said, manual cars are still fun. After about a year of driving it, I’ve come full circle and realized that even if it’s not a high-performance model, driving a manual is enjoyable. Sometimes my husband says, “I’m not using the NISMO for commuting today, so you can take it if you want?” but after some hesitation, I end up choosing the 320i.

Wanting to Enjoy Driving Even Around Town

In the past, we often took family mid-distance drives or went to places like Fuji Speedway or the Hakone Turnpike, so I regularly had opportunities to enjoy driving in extraordinary settings.

Because of that, I didn’t really seek driving enjoyment for everyday errands or picking up the kids. But now that I’m pregnant, I can’t go on long drives for a while.

Well, I’m in the stable period, so technically I could go on long drives… but when I was pregnant with my eldest daughter, my husband and I drove all the way to Mt. Fuji during the stable period (back then we had an SLK350), and on the way back we went through Nagano and Ishikawa. However, I got so tired that my morning sickness came back.

Of course, the doctor gave me a stern warning at my checkup (-_-)

I’m not as young as I was then, so I really want to avoid long drives while heavily pregnant.

So lately, aside from nearby shopping and picking up the kids, I hardly drive at all. Every day, I drive probably about 5 km round trip through city streets full of traffic lights, but making that familiar route enjoyable has become really important to me.

That naturally makes me want to drive a manual car.

I want to drive the Panamera too, but it feels overkill to use it for slow city driving, and I don’t want to rack up unnecessary mileage… Also, the Boxster is over capacity with two kids, so the 320i is the one I end up driving.

Since I’ve been driving the 320i every day lately, I can now comfortably drive even wearing rain boots or boots. (Though driving shoes would be ideal, of course)

The Joy of Driving a Manual

What’s so fun about manual cars? Automatics are easier, smoother, and more fuel-efficient, so logically automatics should be better. Still, I keep choosing manuals because I’ve fallen in love with the fun and thrill of controlling the car myself.

It’s almost like playing a sport.

I used to be a bit into snowboarding. At first, I kept falling, but gradually I learned how to shift my weight and move my body, and when I could finally ride on forest trails and advanced courses, it felt amazing.

Driving a manual car somehow reminds me of that feeling.

Especially when you nail a smooth gear change, it feels so good that I can’t help but grin. Being able to enjoy these little moments of joy in everyday driving is really precious for me now, when I can’t go on long trips.

When we talked about replacing the Panamera with another car, I thought, “Since their uses might overlap, maybe I should let go of the 320i…” but I’ve decided to keep cherishing my beloved 320i for a while longer.

Ah, I really want to drive an air-cooled Porsche again soon.