According to You: The Best Shifter You’ve Experienced

We are beyond grateful for the Hagerty Community: You folks heed the call to provide your unique perspectives to improve our content here on the automotive internet. This time we are sharing your thoughts on the best shifter. Some candidates are very much expected, but some are rather … shall we say, controversial? Check them out and tell us what you think in the comments. There’s a good chance some of these will compel you to try out a few new shifters, just to see what the fuss is about!

The Chevy Spark!

@Andrea: I have a feeling I’m gonna get a lot of grief from many of you, but the best shifter I’ve ever experienced was on my 2015 Chevy Spark, the only new vehicle I’ve ever bought. Both up and downshifting were unbelievably smooth; no jerking or lugging. There was an indicator that would tell me when to shift, but I never paid attention to it because I prefer to shift according to speed, engine sound, and feel.

Mopar Pushbuttons

@Bob: The best shifter I ever experienced is the pushbutton shifter in the 1960 Chrysler. Nice mechanical feel to the buttons, just the right travel and effort. A quality piece.

Hurst on the Heartstrings?

@Dutch52: Best was the Hurst I put in a ’65 Corvette; I never missed a shift.

@DUB6: It’s hard to argue with those beefsteak Hurst sticks (either factory-provided or installed aftermarket) in the ’60s and ’70s muscle cars (and even topping an old B-W or Muncie dropped into a Tri-Five) back in my youth. Those things were dead-serious, and for a time, everything else was just an also-ran.

@mike: Best shifter has to be a Hurst, that’s what everyone has bought over the years, if you wanted firm, [and you did] not [to] hunt for the gear, especially under full acceleration. Some factory four-speeds you could set the factory shift throw to be shorter, [and] I did that with my new ’65 Vette. It made a big difference—less slop to go astray with high-speed shifting, commonly known as speed shifting.

@BDP123: I had a Hurst Competition/Plus shifter and Muncie in my ’68 Camaro and loved it. I have a TKO five-speed in it now with a Hurst Blackjack shifter. It’s good but the Comp/Plus was a better driving experience.

@Michael: Aftermarket Hurst four-speed in a ’65 VW Bug.

@Tom: I have a Hurst Short Throw in my Shelby GT. It is the shortest shift pattern I ever shifted. Drive like you want to break it.

Hondas

@David: My first ever brand-new car: 1992 Honda Accord LX Coupe with the five-speed. It will forever be the yardstick by which I judge all other shifters.

@Andrew: My favorite was the shifter in the Acura Integra GS-R. It was, to me, just perfect. I compare all other shifters to that one.

@Golf: Second this comment. My ’94 GS-R was awesome, especially given that it is a front-drive with a cable actuation for gear changes!

@Shiven: Honda S2000, specifically the AP1, a proper bolt-action feel.

@Mike: I went from a 1987 Honda CRX Si with a perfect shifter and clutch to a 1993 Pontiac Sunbird—2.0 liter five-speed, with a clunky, notchy, imprecise shifter.

@Scott: My first new car was an ’86 Honda Accord four-door sedan [with a] five-speed. I owned two four-speed Mustangs, a VW Super Beetle, Honda Civic, and VW Dasher before, and the Accord’s smooth transmission was the gold standard for me. I had a 1992 Corvette six-speed and currently own a 2014 Corvette seven-speed, and they don’t compare.

@Walt: My favorite shifter has to be my 1996 Acura Integra GS-R.

Horseshoe Shifter

@Jim: Best automatic—the 1969 Camaro “horseshoe style” console shifter, because it was cool.

Zoom-Zoom-Zoom

@Robert: All of my Mazdas—Miata, Mazdaspeed3, Mazda3 SGT—had wonderful manual shifters.

@JohnD: The first-gen Miata is nice and mechanical with a famously short throw. Going into second is a known issue and it kind of hangs up. Other than that it’s perfect. I just replaced the bushings in mine and it’s as stiff as ever. As it should be.

@Jim: Mazda Miata by far. I’ve had two, a 1991 and a 2006, and they are the best shifting experience on the planet.

@TingeofGinge: The NB Miata in my garage. Quite good.

DCT for me?

TG: I am going to commit sacrilege and say my favorite is the auto-stick in my current 1 Series. I miss the feedback of having a clutch, but that autostick just plain shifts faster. It is in the right location where my hand wants to find a manual shifter, and in the rare occasions that I don’t want to bother it, I can pop it over to auto… hasn’t happened too often, though!

Column shifting

@Edward: 1966 Cadillac DeVille on the column: No effort needed.

British B somethings

@Layne: My favorite shifter was in my 1971 MGB. It was a very short shifter with a very short throw. You could shift it with just wrist movement. No need to get your arm involved. If you want to bang shift it you could do that too, using arm and wrist movement.

@John: Undoubtedly it was a frame-off restored 1956 MG MGA. Well-oiled rifle bolt action starts to describe how delightfully engaging and direct the shifts were. Super short-throw for something of the vintage and very well placed. The rest of the car drove like a fast tractor, but the MGA shifter is the high point in feel that many people aspire to achieve with after-market parts.

@Brian: The six-speed Ricardo in the 2006 Ford GT, modified with a short shift kit. Magic.

@Paul: My 1969 Series II Jaguar E-Type OTS with a manual all-synchromesh four-gear limited slip Thorton “Powr-Lok” differential. Matched with the normally aspirated 4.2 litre in-line six-cylinder, triple HD.8 SU carbs, Borg and Beck 10-inch Hydraulic clutch, and 3.54:1 Ratio Hypoid Salisbury rear axle. It was smoother than my 1972 GTO [with the] 455.

@StressCraxx: 1967 Lotus Elan: Rifle bolt short throws. Gear lever pivots directly upon the shift forks. Snick, snick, snick, snick.

@keeton: My favorite would have to be a 1971 MGB that belonged to a roommate of mine in the late 1970s. It was precise and mechanical. You never missed a shift with that ‘box. I would have said the Miatas that I owned (NA and NB, five- and six-speed, respectively) but a weak second-gear synchro in both kept them from being perfect.

@Magnumcello: I remember the 1973 Jensen Healey as having the sweetest gearbox that I had ever driven up to that point. These days I’m getting similar enjoyment in my ’96 BMW Z3.

@Isaiah: The MGB transmission I put in my MGA shifts very well. I like the world-class T5 in my (fake) Lotus 7, with a Pro 5.0 short shifter kit, but the T5 is famous for not being the best at finding second and I’ve noticed that finding second is a little harder when it’s cold, so I’m not going to go with the T5, I like the feel of the MGB transmission more.

@MGRX13B: Caterham Super Seven SV. Two and one-half inches is a short throw. You shift with your wrist.

@G Lomas: The best shifter I remember driving is on a brand new Lotus Europa, but my favorite was the one I got to use when driving a genuine 427 Cobra, the one that is sort of backward.

European Movements

@David: After years of ’50s and ’60s three-on-the-tree and four-on-the-floor gearboxes, my favorite was a BMW 2002. Like butter in a gearbox!

@Lawrence: 1979 Ford Escort Mk1 1600 GT.

@Arthur: Without a doubt, the smoothest manual shifter ever was the late ’60s through 2000 Alfa Romeo four- or five-speed. The only flaws were a somewhat long throw and early wear of the second-gear synchro, but when new and in good condition you just could not beat a synchro regardless of how fast you shifted, and not a notch in any gear. Just wonderful, especially for toe-heel up- and down-shifting on a winding road.

@Jere: I had a 2011 VW Golf with a five-speed. It was like butta!

@David: Anything Porsche beginning with the 944.

@Bigcat: 2002 Boxter S, like a bolt-action rifle. I’ve owned nine different manual shift vehicles, this was the best, bar none.

@Dale: Our 1983 Mercedes 240 D, four-speed: So smooth and quiet. The synchros could take anything thrown at them.

@Riz: 2018 Porsche Carrera T, best shifter ever!

Mostly Foxy Mustangs

@Espo70: My 1984 Mustang GT …just a Borg-Warner T5 with a Steeda Tri-Ax shifter, but it was very satisfying to move around.

@Toby: I have a stage two 2016 Mustang GT, with six-speed manual with the Ford racing shift kit. I do track events and the shifting is effortless (with the stock shifter I had a difficult time selecting the right gear at the higher gears).

@Rider79: Best was my in-laws’ 1977 Dodge Sportsman van, 318, three-on-the-tree. Or, maybe not … especially when it locked up on me! (Fortunately, my wife knew how to unlock it under the hood.) Actual best? My 1984 Mustang GT.

Corvettes

@Woodland: The six-speed ZF in my 1996 Corvette Grand Sport and 1991 Corvette ZR1.

@Mark: Best Shifter: Stock C-4 Corvette six-speed.

@FLPolara: Best-ever was 1996 Corvette Grand Sport … smooth as silk! Most fun for me was a 1971 Mopar pistol grip…makes me smile every time!

@Cannonball: I’ve been shifting for over 70 years. Owned many, driven more: Ferrari, Alfa, Lotus, Maserati, Mustang. Hand down the best, smoothest shifter was my 1958 Corvette.

Japanese Gear Jammin’

@Chris: Best (by far!) is my 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo. The short throw of the shifter and the overall ergonomics of the driver’s side makes for an amazing experience.

@Shane: The best overall was a Mitsubishi Eclipse GS-T, for my taste.

@John: 1982 Toyota Corolla SR5 with a hydraulic clutch. Never missed a shift and when the clutch cylinder would eventually leak you could rev-match easily without grinding. Cheap O-ring replacement, and leak would stop. 200,000 trouble-free miles. Miss that rear-wheel-drive, five-speed manual-transmission hatchback.

Modern GM manuals

@Classics Fan: The best shifter I’ve enjoyed was in my 2013 CTS-V. It felt firm and precise with short throws that inspired confidence running through the gears. I don’t recall ever missing a shift even under full throttle. Miss that car!

@Mark: The six-speed manual in the 2013 ZL1 Camaro convertible.

@Michael: The Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing six-speed manual is a super smooth shifter!

@Paul: Best shifter I’ve ever used is the six-speed Tremec I put in my 1965 GTO. Truly a one-finger, “give it a push and it’s there.” Nothing else comes close.

J C Whitney special?

@Morris: My first and favorite was my 1952 Chevy converted from Powerglide to a spring-loaded three-on-the-floor by J C Whitney. With a bench seat, my date(s) would slide over next to me, which made shifting a lot more fun! Fast forward 50+ years, my VW GTI was a real joy to shift. Fun—but in a different way.

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