Automatic or manual, and why almost nothing here has three pedals

People ask for a manual more often than we can supply one, and the reason is simply that manufacturers stopped building them. It is not a fleet decision — the cars do not exist to buy in this market. Here is the honest state of it.

What is actually left

In our fleet, the Civic Type R is a genuine six-speed manual and is the best answer to this question by a wide margin. The 718 Spyder is a manual in many markets and we have held both versions — so ask specifically which car is with us this month; do not assume.

Everything else is automatic, and most of it is a dual-clutch, not a torque converter. The Golf GTI, which was the archetypal manual hot hatch for thirty years, is a DSG car here.

Why the dual-clutch cars are not a consolation prize

A modern dual-clutch shifts faster than you can and never gets it wrong. In outright performance terms it is not close. What you lose is involvement — the sense that you are operating the car, not instructing it.

That loss is real, and it is also worth being precise about. If what you want is engagement, a GT3 with paddles delivers far more of it than a slow manual will. The gearbox is one input among several. Steering feel, throttle response and how the car moves under you matter more.

The Kuala Lumpur argument against a manual

This is the part people do not want to hear. If your hire involves driving in KL between five and eight in the evening, a manual is actively worse. You will spend the drive slipping a clutch on the Federal Highway or the LDP, and by the time you reach anywhere enjoyable your left leg will have made the decision for you.

• Manual makes sense for an early hill run, an empty highway, or a weekend built around driving.
• Automatic makes sense for a hire that includes city traffic, a shoot with a lot of stopping, or anything longer than a few days.
• For a month of daily use, do not hire a manual. You will not thank yourself in week two.

So which should you book?

If a clutch is the specific point of the exercise, book the Type R and go early on a Sunday. It is one of the great shift actions and it works at legal speeds, which is what matters here.

If what you actually want is to feel involved, tell us that instead of naming a gearbox, and we will point you at the right car. Sometimes it is the Type R. Often it is a 718.

Ask for the feeling you want, not the specification you think delivers it. The specification changes; the feeling is what you remember.