Volkswagen Golf R requires your divided attention

After spending the last week driving a 2022 Volkswagen Golf R, I found the juxtaposition in the setup of the $44,640 hot hatch too much to ignore: The six-speed manual transmission rightfully commands the undivided attention of the driver, while its exclusive reliance on capacitive controls will drive said driver to distraction.

Let's start with the controls. VW's German designers seem to have become enthralled with capacitive HVAC and infotainment controls. Along with the Golf R, they're also on the latest-generation Tiguan. But while they look slick — Look, ma! No knobs! — they are difficult to use without taking your eye off the road. VW even put them on the key fob, which, I hesitate to admit, meant that in six days, I had accidentally set off the panic alarm in the car no fewer than nine times (and counting) while the fob was in my pocket.

These controls are a case of form dominating function, to the operator's detriment.

As for the transmission, manuals such as the Golf R's six-speed have become so rare in the lineups of most automakers that it's easy to forget just how much more attention is required from the driver compared with otherwise ubiquitous automatics. The difference is substantial and must be at least one of the key factors explaining why manual transmissions are disappearing.

Motor Trend annually compiles a list of new vehicles still available with a manual transmission. For 2022, there are 38 variants of different models among the industry's hundreds of nameplates and trim levels that still offer a manual option. Look over the list and it's clear that the last two areas where rowing-your-own still holds as a viable option attracting buyers are in budget-conscious stripper models and high-performance machines.

The industry is racing toward assisted/autonomous driving, and while the ultimate promise of improved safety is real, a secondary motivator is certainly the ability to spend driving time doing other things. It's why brands such as Audi spend so much time and effort designing concept electric vehicles focused on in-vehicle leisure along with, you know, the ability to get from place to place.

If the industry does fully convert to EVs someday, the manual transmission will eventually go the way of the carburetor: a once-widespread piece of automotive technology that's not really useful anymore.

And that will be a shame for drivers everywhere.