Do you love driving stick shifts? Is your car dealer giving you a runaround when you ask about SUVs or Crossovers that are available with manual transmissions? Look in the right place (here!) and you’ll find a slew of manual SUVs that are currently offered in two-wheel-drive (2WD), all-wheel-drive (AWD), and four-wheel-drive (4WD) … even though your dealer might not have what you’re looking for on their lot. Legend has it that our fellow Americans got lazy and stopped driving manual-equipped vehicles, so the dealers stopped ordering them. But the tide is changing. More-and-more folks are waking up and realizing how much more engaging the ride can be with three pedals.
We created this list of manual SUVs and Crossovers to make it easy for you to see what’s out there … and how they stack up with regard to horsepower (HP), torque, gas mileage, fuel capacity, and driving range.
1.6-liter, turbocharged
inline 4-cylinder engine- 6-speed manual
- 188 HP / 177 ft. lbs. torque
- Premium
- 11.8 gallon fuel tank
- 318.6 mile combined range
- MPG: 25 City / 31 Highway /
27 Combined
2012 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport 2WD
- 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 148 HP / 145 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 15.8 gallon fuel tank
- 410.8 mile combined range
- MPG: 24 City / 31 Highway /
26 Combined
2012 Jeep Compass 2WD
- 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 158 HP / 141 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 13.6 gallon fuel tank
- 340 mile combined range
- MPG: 23 City / 29 Highway /
25 Combined
- 2.4-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 172 HP / 165 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 13.6 gallon fuel tank
- 340 combined range
- MPG: 23 City / 28 Highway / 25
Combined
2012 Jeep Compass 4WD
- 2.4-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 172 HP / 165 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 13.5 gallon fuel tank
- 324 mile combined range
- MPG: 22 City / 28 Highway / 24
Combined
2012 Jeep Patriot 2WD
- 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 158 HP / 141 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 13.6 gallon fuel tank
- 340 mile combined range
- MPG: 23 City / 29 Highway /
25 Combined
- 2.4-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 172 HP / 165 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 13.6 gallon fuel tank
- 340 mile combined range
- MPG: 23 City / 28 Highway /
25 Combined
2012 Jeep Patriot 4WD
- 2.4-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 172 HP / 165 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 13.5 gallon fuel tank
- 324 mile combined range
- MPG: 22 City / 28 Highway /
24 Combined
2012 Ford Escape FWD
- 2.5-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 171 HP / 171 ft. lbs torque
- Regular
- 17.5 gallon fuel tank
- 437.5 mile combined range
- MPG: 23 City / 28 Highway /
25 Combined
- 2.4-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 6-speed manual
- 176 HP / 168 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 15.3 gallon fuel tank
- 367.2 mile combined range
- MPG: 21 City / 29 Highway /
24 Combined
- 2.5-liter, Boxer 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 170 HP / 224 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 16.9 gallon fuel tank
- 388.7 combined range
- MPG: 21 City / 27 Highway /
23 Combined
- 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 165 HP / 146 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 15.3 gallon fuel tank
- 351.9 mile combined range
- MPG: 20 City / 27 Highway /
23 Combined
2012 Subaru Outback Wagon AWD
- 2.5-liter, Boxer 4-cylinder engine
- 6-speed manual
- 173 HP / 174 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 18.5 gallon fuel tank
- 407 mile combined range
- MPG: 19 City / 27 Highway /
22 Combined
- 2.4-liter, inline 4-cylinder engine
- 5-speed manual
- 166 HP / 162 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 17.4 gallon fuel tank
- 382.8 mile combined range
- MPG: 19 City / 26 Highway /
22 Combined
2012 Volkswagen Tiguan
- 2.0-liter, turbocharged inline 4-cylinder engine
- 6-speed manual
- 200 HP / 207 ft. lbs. torque
- Stated 0-60 MPH: 7.7 seconds
- Premium
- 16.8 gallon fuel tank
- 352.8 mile combined range
- MPG: 18 City / 26 Highway /
21 Combined
- 3.6-liter, V6 engine
- 6-speed manual
- 280 HP / 260 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 18.6 gallon fuel tank
- 334.8 mile combined range
- MPG: 17 City / 21 Highway / 18 Combined
2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4WD
- 3.6-liter, V6 engine
- 6-speed manual
- 280 HP / 260 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 22.5 gallon fuel tank
- 405 combined range
- MPG: 16 City / 21 Highway /
18 Combined
2012 Nissan Xterra 4WD
- 4.0-liter, V6 engine
- 6-speed manual
- 261 HP / 281 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 21.1 gallon fuel tank
- 358.7 combined range
- MPG: 16 City / 20 Highway /
17 Combined
2012 Porsche Cayenne
- 3.6-liter, V6 engine
- 6-speed manual
- 300 HP / 295 ft. lbs. torque
- Stated 0-60 MPH: 7.1 seconds
- Premium
- 22.4 gallon fuel tank
- 380.8 mile combined range
- MPG: 15 City / 22 Highway /
17 Combined
2012 Toyota FJ Cruiser 4WD
- 4.0-liter, V6 engine, 6-speed manual
- 260 HP / 270 ft. lbs. torque
- Regular
- 19.0 gallon fuel tank
- 304 combined range
- MPG: 15 City / 18 Highway /
16 Combined
– by Daniel Gray
I know this article only covers 2012s, but a CX-5 AWD with MT is something I’d like to see.
Rich – That’s what inspired the list. 🙂 As luck would have it, I just swapped into a FWD CX-5 manual yesterday. Took it for a rural/suburban/backroad loop today, 94 degrees, A/C off, windows down. MPGs in the mid-forty range. Can’t wait to see what it does on the highway, but I’m hoping for some cooler temps so I can run one loop with the windows up and A/C off.
Looking forward to that as always. Mid 40’s seems astounding. Only 2 of the skyactiv 3’s on fuelly are showing over 40, and most CX-5s are barely breaking 30, but no way to sort on transmission type.
Backroad cruising at 25-45 MPH with a minimum of stop signs and no traffic lights always skews high. 🙂 If only all driving was that way …
I’m looking for a SUV or crossover with 6 cylinders manual transmission. Low mileage certified. Prefer Mazda or Subaru or any well recommended SUV. Thanks!