The Porsche 911 GT3 and Honda Civic Type R both have beautifully-developed bespoke six-speed manual boxes. Both work within an entirely cohesive driving platform, from engine to tyres, with both creating an all-boxes-ticked analogue experience. Why do you think manual GT3s carry such a hefty premium on the used market? And before you say arm-chancing prospectors, value and desirability have to be based on some substance. As for the Honda? I'd hazard to suggest the Civic Type R's is the best new manual shift you can buy anywhere at almost any price – yes, even for c/£50,000.
The Jag and the Supra by contrast both use a watered-down derivation of a borrowed BMW box first developed for the E39 5 Series that’s been dragged back out of its coffin several times over the past 25 years to placate internet car forum bedwetters when they transfer their toys from the pram to the floor.
It’s a point made all the more sore by the fact that Mazda in its everlasting belligerent wisdom continues to imbue its everyday grocery-getters with unnecessary but pleasing interactivity and driver enjoyment. The result is a family hatchback that can best the above Toyota, BMW and Jaguar sportscars in terms of manual gearbox shift feel.
Before I conclude, I will say that tactility is important regardless of your transmission type. Just as a manual needs to feel right, so too must the paddles on an auto. They should have good travel, good resistance, ample size and ideally, be hung from the column – that last one is debatable and just my opinion.
Ferrari’s are standard-setters and are thankfully available across a few different Maseratis and Alfa Romeos too. Likewise, the Weissach-equipped 911 GT3 RS with its magnets that suck the paddles in those last few millimetres has a pure motorsport feel. In short, whatever the driver interacts with needs to feel good and be tactile – paddle, stick or otherwise. But yes, give me the above flappers over a mid-manual any day of the week.