Mazda gets credit for helping to keep the manual transmission alive—but just barely. While Americans used to be able to get a manual in the mid-size Mazda 6 sedan, several versions of the 3 compact car, and even the CX-5 crossover, most of that has fallen by the wayside as of late. A stick shift is no longer available on the 6 sedan, and a six-speed manual is only offered on a single version of the new 2019 Mazda 3. The Miata is the sole holdout—natch—with a stick shift available on every trim level.

That variant of the Mazda 3 is the car you see here, a front-wheel-drive hatchback in its fully loaded Premium trim level, starting at $28,420. The new 3's sedan body style, more affordable trim levels, and all-wheel-drive setup are automatic transmission only, meaning you don't have much choice in the matter if you desire a clutch pedal.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

We'll take any manual over no manual, though, and the 3's stick is a good one for the most part. The gearshift moves through the gates smoothly and fluidly, although some of us thought that the engagement was a little vague. Other qualms cropped up about the engine's rev limiter, which cuts in 250 revs short of the 6500-rpm redline—a big no-no on any manual-transmission car, especially a good-handling car like this one. Even so, the 2.5-liter inline-four's character matches well with the gear ratios of this six-speed, with strong throttle response and a willingness to rev that makes it feel rather sprightly.

More about the Feel

Our seat-of-the-pants impression wasn't borne out on the test track, though. This manual car proved to be the slowest to reach 60 mph of the 2019 Mazda 3 models we've tested, if only just, with a 7.3-second run. An automatic-transmission 3 sedan and an all-wheel-drive 3 hatchback were quicker by 0.3 and 0.1 second respectively. The manual car, however, acquits itself with a quarter-mile result of 15.6 seconds at 92 mph, tying the all-wheel-drive 3’s time while traveling 1 mph faster.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

Even though the manual-transmission 3 hatchback sacrifices a few mpg on the EPA's combined and city estimates compared to its automatic-transmission sibling, our observed fuel economy is impressive. The six-speed-manual car achieved 38 mpg on our 75-mph highway fuel-economy test, beating its EPA estimate by 3 mpg, surpassing the all-wheel-drive hatchback by 4 mpg, and matching the automatic-transmission 3 sedan.

But buying a manual transmission isn't about the numbers—even Mazda admits that it's "a way of life for purists." The three-pedal 3 is undoubtedly a more involving car to drive than the automatic, even if it's not necessarily better, given how satisfying the six-speed auto is in other models we've sampled. There's no purely rational reason to choose the stick in this car, as it's no cheaper and no quicker than the automatic 3. Even so, we appreciate Mazda's understanding that being a car enthusiast isn't always a rational pursuit, and any automaker that makes even a small attempt to #savethemanuals gets a nod in our book.

View Photos Michael Simari Car and Driver

Specifications Specifications 2019 Mazda 3 Hatchback Premium VEHICLE TYPE

front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door hatchback PRICE AS TESTED

$30,060 (base price: $28,420) ENGINE TYPE

DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection Displacement

152 cu in, 2488 cc

Power

186 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque

186 lb-ft @ 4000 rpm TRANSMISSION

6-speed manual CHASSIS

Suspension (F/R): struts/torsion beam

Brakes (F/R): 11.0-in vented disc/10.4-in disc

Tires: Toyo Proxes A40, 215/45R-18 89V M+S DIMENSIONS

Wheelbase: 107.3 in

Length: 175.6 in

Width: 70.7 in

Height: 56.7 in

Passenger volume: 91 cu ft

Cargo volume: 20 cu ft

Curb weight: 3013 lb C/D

TEST RESULTS

Zero to 60 mph: 7.3 sec

Zero to 100 mph: 18.9 sec

Zero to 120 mph: 32.2 sec

Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 sec

Top gear, 30–50 mph: 12.0 sec

Top gear, 50–70 mph: 11.2 sec

Standing ¼-mile: 15.6 sec @ 92 mph

Top speed (governor limited): 131 mph

Braking, 70–0 mph: 169 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.87 g C/D

FUEL ECONOMY

Observed: 27 mpg

75-mph highway driving: 38 mpg

Highway range: 500 miles EPA FUEL ECONOMY

Combined/city/highway: 29/25/35 mpg Expand Collapse

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