Practicing with the Boxster (Manual Transmission)

In this blog, I declared that I would “learn to drive the Boxster with a manual transmission” and occasionally write about my practice sessions. But the truth is, unless I drive the Boxster more often, I won’t get better at driving a manual… That said, driving alone when my husband isn’t around is a bit scary if anything unexpected happens, and since the Boxster is a two-seater, it’s physically impossible to practice with our two kids in the car.

So lately, I’ve been doing mental training by watching videos. The other day, I asked my husband, “Do you know any good videos?” and he recommended one called “Manual Driving Techniques! Shift Changes at Start”.

It’s part of a series where three people—a tough and beautiful MC Kaori Kurita, former Toyota test driver Yoshio Takimoto, and current pro driver Naoya Gamo—explain manual driving tips in an easy-to-understand and cool way.

What’s Important When Driving a Manual?

For those who can drive manuals without any issues, this might seem like “Of course, that’s obvious!” But as a personal memo, I want to jot down the key points in this blog.

First and foremost, the most important thing when driving a manual is:

to listen to the car’s voice (sound) while driving.

If you want to drive well, don’t just rely on the gauges—the golden rule is to operate the car while listening carefully to its “engine sound” and “vibrations.” Yoshio Takimoto, the former Toyota test driver, said, “The car is actually talking to you.” (laughs)

Makes perfect sense…!

Tips for Starting and Shifting Up

Next, regarding starting in a manual car:

Shift up from 1st to 2nd gear as quickly as possible without lugging the engine; this reduces shocks and allows smooth acceleration.

My husband often tells me, “The car looks like it’s struggling; you need to shift to 2nd gear faster!” But at driving school, I was never taught to shift to 2nd that quickly—in fact, I spent quite a long time in 1st gear. (Maybe the driving school method is a bit unusual.) The key is not to memorize textbook methods but to listen to the car’s voice.

Now, about shifting up in a manual car. At the start of the video, MC Kaori Kurita said, “Shifting up in a manual is tricky because it tends to jerk. I thought that was just how manuals are.” (I thought so too.) But pro driver Gamo said firmly, “That’s not true! Once you get the hang of it, you can shift smoothly!”

The secret is:

to focus more on how you release the accelerator than on clutch operation.

Usually, people tend to focus on “clutch operation” or “pressing the accelerator,” but “when releasing the accelerator, do it slowly and gently” to avoid jerks and shift smoothly. By the way, when skilled manual drivers are behind the wheel, “the passenger’s head never leaves the headrest.” That means there’s no shift shock at all.

They said, “You can tell how good someone is at driving a manual by how comfortable the passenger is.” That really hit home.

By the way, when my husband rides shotgun while I’m driving, his head bounces around a lot—definitely not comfortable at all (lol).

Tips for Hill Starts

Regarding hill starts, both Takimoto and Gamo were very excited, saying “Nailing hill starts is the true joy of driving a manual!” The key points are:

・Always use 1st gear (never start in 2nd)
・Consciously use the clutch’s biting point and operate slowly
・Avoid sudden accelerator inputs

They said, “If you prepare by keeping the brake pressed while holding the clutch at the biting point, you can start calmly without rolling back.”

Alright, mental training is done! Now it’s all about practice. I’d love to hear readers’ tips and tricks for driving manuals too. By the way, here’s the video I mentioned:

＊Image source: Manual Driving Techniques! Shift Changes at Start