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Payne: Manual Mazda3 is the anti-robot car
Posted by Talbot Payne on June 12, 2026
Henry Payne, The Detroit News
Memphis, Michigan — Tesla wowed the automotive word in January with news it was abandoning its Model S/X models and putting the pedal to the metal on robots. Robot rideshare cars. Humanoid robots. Humanoid robots driving robot cars. Bots bots bots.
Happily, there are still manual driver’s toys out there to cope with the dystopian robot future. Like the six-speed, 2.5-liter Mazda3 S Premium hatchback in my driveway.
WAUUUUGH! I escaped the robot headlines and headed north to rural Memphis, Michigan, for a quick road trip. This is manual country. Wide open space and empty roads where you can really row the gearbox. Can a rideshare robot do that?
Like in Mazda’s halo MX-5 Miata, the Mazda3’s six-speed is a joy. No rubbery gates here (looking at you, BMW). I never missed a shift despite flogging the Mazda3 unmercifully.
Indeed, the compact Mazda3 S Premium model (the only Mazda3 trim accessorized with a stick) is best understood as an alternative to the similarly priced Miata roadster.