The stick shift is running out of places to hide. When Cadillac axes the CT4 and CT5 after the 2026 model year, the BMW M3 will stand alone as the last luxury sedan you can buy with a manual transmission. However, the distinction may not survive the decade.
BMW is already developing a next-generation M3 that will offer buyers a choice between internal-combustion and electric power, while Cadillac has also confirmed a next-generation CT5 with gas engines. However, neither newcomer is guaranteed with a manual transmission. In other words, if you’ve been waiting for an excuse to order a factory-fresh luxury sports sedan with three pedals, this could be your last chance.
BMW Prices The M3 Manual For Enthusiasts
Exterior view of the BMW M3BMW
BMW deserves credit for keeping the manual alive long after its rivals waved the white flag. Mercedes-AMG abandoned the third pedal years ago, and Audi’s RS models weren’t far behind, leaving dual-clutch and automatic gearboxes as the only choices. As emissions rules tightened and demand dwindled, the manual became an endangered species. BMW, however, decided it was worth preserving and continued to offer a six-speed in the M2, M3, and M4.
Better yet, BMW hasn’t turned the manual into an enthusiast tax. Across the models where it is available, the manual remains the standard transmission, while the automatic commands a premium. For 2027, the rear-wheel-drive M3 starts at $79,300 with its six-speed manual, while buyers who want the eight-speed automatic must step up to the M3 Competition, which starts at $83,500.
The 2027 model year also introduces the M3 CS Handschalter, a US-exclusive special edition based on the hardcore M3 CS previously offered for 2024 but this time available only with a six-speed manual. Handschalter is German for “manual transmission,” and BMW says production will be limited, though it hasn’t disclosed an exact number. At $107,100, it’s hardly a bargain, but it may prove to be a fitting farewell to the manual M3 if the next generation goes automatic-only.
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M3 Specs: Speed Takes A Back Seat To Fun
2026 BMW M3 Sedan Front ViewBMW
2027 BMW M3 Sedan
Engine
Twin-turbo 3.0-liter I6
Transmission
6-speed manual
Drivetrain
RWD
Output
473 hp | 406 lb-ft
0-60 mph
4.1 seconds
Top Speed
155 mph (180 mph with M Driver’s Pack)
MSRP
$79,300
There was a time when choosing the manual wasn’t just about involvement. It was the quickest way around a racetrack. Stick shifts once delivered faster acceleration than their automatic counterparts, and often better fuel economy, too. Those days are long gone. Modern torque-converter automatics and dual-clutch gearboxes swap ratios in milliseconds, while sophisticated launch control and shift logic make it virtually impossible for even the most talented driver to keep pace.
That’s why the manual’s appeal has shifted from outright performance to outright enjoyment. Working a clutch pedal, nailing a rev-matched downshift, and rowing your own gears demand more effort, but they also create a connection between driver and machine that no paddle shifter can replicate. That’s the experience enthusiasts are chasing today, not the quickest zero-to-60 time or the fastest lap.
BMW M3 CS Handschalter PackageBMW
The six-speed M3 makes do with 473 horsepower, well shy of the 503 hp offered in the rear-wheel-drive M3 Competition and the 523 hp available in the xDrive version, officially because the manual gearbox can’t match the automatic’s tolerance for higher engine output. Even the new M3 CS Handschalter gives up the regular M3 CS’s 543 hp in favor of the standard manual M3’s 473 hp. On paper, it’s slower. Behind the wheel, though, that’s missing the point.
The car delivers razor-sharp handling, and its acceleration is still plenty fast. The involvement of the manual is just the icing on the cake. Most reviewers find the clutch to deliver solid weighting and a well-defined engagement point, making it easy to drive smoothly whether you’re carving up a back road or crawling through traffic. The shifter itself, however, doesn’t earn universal praise. Several reviewers have described the action as rubbery, with MotorTrend among the most vocal critics. However, many owners and testers report the gearbox loosens up and feels more precise as the miles accumulate.
Time Could Be Running Out
2026 BMW M3 Sedan Rear ViewBMW
Production of the current M3 is expected to wind down with the 2027 model year, and forum chatter suggests the final cars could roll off the line as early as next February. A replacement is already waiting in the wings, but it promises to take the M3 in two very different directions.
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Leading the charge will be the first-ever electric M3, widely expected to wear the iM3 badge. Already previewed in thinly veiled concept form, it might feature a BMW M-developed quad-motor powertrain with one motor driving each wheel, enabling near-instantaneous and infinitely variable torque distribution. It should arrive next year, and while its performance is expected to be staggering, there’s virtually no chance it’d come with a manual transmission.
BMW M Concept Neue Klasse from the front three-quarter angle
BMW
For buyers who still prefer gasoline, BMW is also developing a next-generation M3 powered by an updated version of today’s twin-turbocharged inline-six. Due sometime in 2028, it’s expected to adopt some form of electrification, possibly a plug-in hybrid system similar to those already found in the M5 and rivals like the latest Audi RS 5 and Mercedes-AMG C63. That extra hardware would almost certainly spell the end of the three-pedal M3, making today’s manual-equipped car look increasingly like the last of its kind.
Even BMW Can’t Hold Back The Inevitable
2027 BMW M3 CS Handschalter Interior View Manual TransmissionBMW
We’ve already touched on how modern automatics have eclipsed manuals in both performance and efficiency, and how the shift toward electrification is hastening the manual’s decline. But those are only part of the story. Fewer people know how to drive a stick these days, and most buyers simply prefer the convenience of an automatic. And as hybrids and EVs become more common, a multi-gear transmission also becomes increasingly difficult to justify. Electric motors produce abundant torque from zero rpm and typically require only a single-speed reduction gear, generally making multiple ratios unnecessary.
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The pressure doesn’t stop there, however. Advanced driver-assistance systems and automated-driving technology are engineered around automatic transmissions, while ever-tightening emissions regulations increasingly favor computer-controlled gear changes over human inputs. Meanwhile, suppliers also have little incentive to continue developing manual gearboxes as demand shrinks year after year. It’s why even BMW, arguably the manual’s biggest champion in the luxury segment, can only push back against those trends for so long.
Yes, The Manual M3 Still Matters
BMW M3 CS Handschalter PackageBMW
BMW will soon be the last luxury automaker still offering a manual-equipped sedan at a time when many rivals have abandoned the segment altogether. But BMW also makes the manual the value choice in the M3 lineup, with the stick undercutting the automatic models while delivering the engaging driving experience many enthusiasts still prefer. That alone makes it something of an outlier in today’s performance car market.
Whether the manual survives into the next-generation M3 remains to be seen, but the odds appear increasingly slim. If BMW does eventually retire the three-pedal option, the current M3 will mark the end of a long-running tradition – and likely become a highly sought-after model among collectors and driving enthusiasts who appreciate what a manual transmission brings to the driving experience.
Sources: BMW, MotorTrend
