It’s no secret that the manual transmission is going the way of the dodo. Fewer and fewer vehicles have one these days, and most modern manual transmissions are housed in sedans. We think that’s unfair, because there are genuine benefits to driving a manual transmission. It’s more engaging for the driver, which cuts down on distracted driving. You also get more control, a more fun driving experience, and these days, better theft protection: A lot of potential car thieves have no idea how to drive a stick.

Of all the vehicle types without a manual transmission, the crossover SUV market is arguably the worst off of the bunch. As of this writing, only two mainstream SUVs even have a manual transmission, and they are the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Bronco. Both of those models are off-road focused, and stick shifts give you more control over power while rock climbing. That means there are no mainstream SUVs with a stick for on-road enthusiasts, although some have paddle shifters. These are better than nothing, but they just aren’t the same.

So, in a fantasy world where we could just snap our fingers and bring new stick shift SUVs into existence, which ones would be the best choice? There are plenty of answers, but there are some SUVs that would be arguably better off with a manual option than without one, either for off-roading like the Bronco and Wrangler, or just because it would be a ton of fun to drive.

Our review of the Porsche Cayenne found it to be is an excellent example of a fun-to-drive SUV — and that’s why we think it would be even nicer to have with a stick shift. It’s not even that farfetched, as Porsche used to put manual transmissions in these things up until the 2014 model year. You can find used manual transmission Cayennes online, but they’re all over a decade old and starting to get up there in terms of age and miles. All modern Cayennes come with an 8-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive, so it’s not all bad, but a manual would certainly be nifty.

As modern manual transmissions might be a little slow off the starting line, you might lose a step off your zero to 60 MPH times in the Cayenne; the twin-turbo V8 model can hustle there with the automatic in about 2.8 seconds. However, you’d more than make up for it with fun. These things are as fast as modern supercars when completely maxed out, and some of those ultra-powerful (and ultra-expensive) cars still come with a manual transmission for driver enjoyment. In other words, having a stick shift in an SUV like this would certainly make it more fun to drive.

You can easily substitute the Cayenne for any other very fast, high-end SUV, like the Lamborghini Urus. They would benefit from having a stick for enthusiast drivers as well, even if the automatic is easier to drive and technically faster. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be in the cards, as nearly all supercar-level SUVs have almost always come with an automatic transmission.

Subaru has a reputation for being pretty good in the snow. Nearly every Subaru comes with all-wheel drive as standard equipment, and Subaru has quite a good AWD system. Indeed, while all-wheel drive doesn’t mean all-wheel stop, it’s still nice to be able to get out of deeper snow. Thus, it’s no surprise that Subaru, alongside 4×4 trucks, peppers the list of the most popular cars in snow-heavy states like Colorado. Subaru also dabbles in the off-road market with its Wilderness trims of the Outback, Forester, and Crosstrek. You know what would make those even better for off-roading? A stick shift.

The reason is that most Subaru vehicles come with a continuously variable transmission (CVT). There are benefits to having a CVT, but off-roading isn’t one of them, and they’re not particularly fun to drive. This limits how effective a Subaru can be off the beaten path, even if the symmetrical AWD system is otherwise really good. Having a stick shift would not only make it more fun to drive Subaru’s excellent boxer engines, but it would give it even more off-road prowess. This actually might be one of the few things keeping Subaru out of more serious off-roading pursuits in general, as the CVT is quite literally the worst transmission type for that kind of stuff.

In any case, it wouldn’t make sense to put a stick shift in every trim, just the off-road Wilderness ones. So, should Subaru ever consider the idea, the Wilderness variants of the Outback, Forester, or Crosstrek would all be the natural choice for a manual.

Honda has also been buying into the off-road image with its TrailSport trim on various Honda models, including the Ridgeline, Pilot, and Passport. While the Pilot would be interesting with a manual, we think the better choice is the Passport, and our review of the Honda Passport TrailSport supports this supposition. Honda redesigned the midsize SUV for the 2026 model year and very nearly every trim level is some sort of TrailSport. These models come with underbody protection to safeguard components during off-roading, paired with a specially tuned suspension. The only model in 2026 without the TrailSport upgrades is the base RTL trim.

So, if Honda were going to stuff a manual transmission into any of its SUVs, the Passport TrailSport would make the most sense. It would give drivers another option and compete better with the Bronco and Wrangler in the enthusiast space. Honda does pretty well already with a 10-speed transmission, a 285-horsepower engine, and Honda’s excellent i-VTM4 all-wheel drive system. A manual would be icing on the cake for sure. It may not do quite as well as heavy hitters in the space due to a lack of a low-range transfer case that’s often preferred for off-roading, but it would still be fun to see.

Honda’s other SUVs would be fun with a stick shift as well, but don’t present as strong of a case as the Passport. The Pilot is more family-oriented than it is for off-roading or enthusiasts, while the Honda CR-V is more interested in fuel economy and family use.

This SUV is a glimpse into the past. This V8-powered monster, something we jumped at the chance to experience when it came to our own review of the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, features a blistering 710 horsepower thanks to it sporting one of the highest horsepower engines that Dodge has ever made. The supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 is terrifyingly fast, jetting this 5,550-pound hunk of metal to 60 MPH in 3.6 seconds. There are few vehicles left in any segment of the automobile industry with this much power outside of the supercar market. Plus, people seem to really like it.

Putting a stick shift in a Durango SRT Hellcat makes sense the same way that putting manual transmissions in old muscle cars made sense. Vehicles like this are all about the visceral experience. The SRT Hellcat is loud, fast, and rambunctious. Even watching reviews of the Durango Hellcat made our heart rates go up a little bit. Vehicles like this feel like they’re supposed to have a stick shift. The Durango SRT Hellcat couldn’t even be sold in all 50 U.S. states at launch thanks to emissions standards. It’s definitely a special SUV, and a manual would be the cherry on top.

Other beefy SUVs exist, like the Ford Explorer ST and the Cadillac Escalade V, the latter housing a similarly ridiculous 682-horsepower V8 that also gets absolutely abysmal fuel economy. Those would also be excellent candidates for a manual transmission, giving you that old-school muscle car vibe. The only other way to get that feeling these days is actually to buy an old muscle car.

Of all the SUVs that could’ve made this list, this one is arguably the best candidate for a manual transmission — especially with how much of a fun time we had during our own review of the Mazda CX-5 despite its shortcomings. Mazda has been making this generation of the CX-5 since 2017, and so it is among the older SUV model generations out there. It’s a quirky SUV. It took Mazda years to cave in and give it a real touchscreen. It doesn’t have as much storage space as the top rivals, although the 2026 model fixes this a little bit. In fact, reviewers agree that most rivals of the CX-5 are better at most things, including fuel economy, ride comfort, and passenger space.

However, one thing that the Mazda CX-5 excels at more than virtually every other SUV in the segment is being fun to drive. The SUV is known for having a firmer ride quality, which helps increase its handling. As a result, you can throw the CX-5 around like a sedan, something you can’t necessarily do with other crossover SUVs. In its upper trim levels, it can also get a 256-horsepower turbo-four that zips the CX-5 to 60 MPH in 6.6 seconds, though as of this writing Mazda hasn’t confirmed if the 2026 CX-5 will have that option. If it does, though, there will be few SUVs that can keep up with the 2026 CX-5 when it comes to driver engagement.

Since manuals are generally considered more fun for driving enthusiasts than automatics, and the CX-5 is considered more fun than other crossovers to drive, this feels like a match made in heaven. Of all the SUVs on the market, the CX-5 deserves a stick shift more than any other.