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?AdvertisementAdvertisementLike 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.The 2026 Mazda3 S Premium Hatchback is a front-wheel-drive model that options a manual transmission.The MX-5 is deservedly an industry icon — a throwback to 1960s English sports cars that, 60 years later, have come to define a Japanese performance brand. It also has but two seats and is only practical for road trips if you're driving to an out-of-state autocross. At 6'5", I don't sit in the Miata so much as wear it.The S Premium trim of the 2.5-liter Mazda3 does not share its drivetrain with the 2.0-liter Miata, but it has similar output while packaging the experience in a practical hatchback. This is no hot hatch, mind you, like the Mazda3 Turbo or Volkswagen Golf GTI or all-wheel drive Golf R.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut, ahem, unlike those automatic hellions, my tester options a stick. WAAUUGGGH! Oh, that's engaging. #SaveTheManual.And, like its stablemates, it's gorgeous. Check out 3's loooong hood and sculpted flanks that sweep backward as into a tidy capsule. Like other classic, head-turning coupe rear ends — think Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic or Jaguar E-Type or Cobra Daytona Kamm-tail.Unlike those classics, it has four seats. Though they aren't the most comfortable four seats in the biz.The 2026 Mazda3 S Premium Hatchback is stirred by a tight 6-speed manual gearbox.The coupe-like C-pillar looks awesome outside but restricts light inside. Combined with the rear sofa's lack of legroom (I'm a tight fit), it's a bit claustrophobic back there. But at least it's a back seat, with a useful hatchback behind it.AdvertisementAdvertisementOn an airport run, I easily fit two carry-on bags and a Wilson tennis bag back there with room to spare. Try that in a Miata.WAAAUUURGH! I nailed the Mazda3 onto Wolcott Road. Second gear all the way to thge 6,500 RPM redline. WAAAUUURGH! Shift to third. WAAAUUURGH! Show me a robot that can do that.The front-wheel-drive Mazda3 lacks Miata's rear-wheel-drive playfulness, but traction was superb, even on an 18-degree Michigan winter day when the asphalt was bone cold.No tire-spinning. No torque-steer. The 3 went where I pointed it. The more expensive Mazda3 Turbo comes with a gobsmacking 310 pound-feet of torque, which engineers channel with all-wheel drive. Smart, that.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe 186 pound-feet of torque was plenty for the Mazda3 front-wheel driver. Until I miscalculated a snowdrift on the shoulder while making a U-turn.The Mazda high-sided and I was stuck. Front-drive wheels spinning, no drive from the rears. Ah, how a Mazda3 Turbo would have been handy right about then. I dug out the snow beneath the car and hopped back in. Then, in first gear, I rocked the hatch back-and-forth with varying doses of RPM until I was unstuck.Try that in your slushbox car.There are plenty of reasons to have a stick in your garage. My friend Sean likes his manual Porsche Boxster GTS as contrast to his Tesla robot car (which he drives on Autopilot 90% of the time when commuting). My son Sam likes his 2014 manual Golf GTI as an immersive escape from writing computer code. Me? I like to misbehave.AdvertisementAdvertisementBut, analog as they may be, sticks like the Mazda3 also have benefited from modern electronics. Let me count the ways.Hill start assist. On a Macomb County hill (there aren't many) waiting for a stoplight, I engaged the clutch for first gear, and the Mazda3 engaged hill assist so the car didn't roll backward (imagine how great that is in San Francisco). I rocketed smoothly away.Auto brake. In Payne family lore, my father once parked his car at the top of a West Virginia hill ... and forgot to engage the parking brake. When he re-emerged from his appointment, the car was gone. It had rolled off the hill and crashed into a brick wall at the bottom of the ravine. He shoulda had a Mazda3. Whenever I turned it off, the electronic emergency brake automatically engaged — regardless of where I had parked.Adaptive Cruise Control. Mazda comes with a laundry list of standard features, including adaptive cruise control. That's right, ACC with a manual. On long stretches of I-75 and M-59, the Mazda3 purred along, ACC radar maintaining a distance to vehicles in front of me.The 2026 Mazda3 S Premium Hatchback looks cool from the rear — and covers that big blind spot with standard blind-spot assist.The superb manual tranny ergonomics set the tone for the cabin. Mazda engineers spend a lot of time syncing car and driver. Steering wheel controls for radio volume and ACC are rocker switches so I never diverted my eyes from to road to adjust those features — unlike some competitors (looking at you, Toyota).AdvertisementAdvertisementAn optional head-up display (recommended) contains all the information you need to keep your eye on the road: Speed, speed limit, blindspot-assist graphic, even Google Maps directions.Mazda's biggest ergonomics failing is a remote-dial controlled infotainment display in a touchscreen, smartphone world. The intention was good — to locate the screen high on the dash for better driver engagement — but the execution is clumsy. Don't worry, you'll get used to it — and Google voice commands and those divine steering-wheel rockers mean you don't need use the rotary dial much anyway.Everything else in the cockpit begs to be used. Manual shifter, telepathic steering, intuitive clutch — all wrapped in a premium interior and Soul Red exterior that, at $33K, puts many luxe cars to shame. Take that, robots.The dystopian future will be postponed as long as there are manuals like Mazda3.AdvertisementAdvertisementNext week: 2026 Kia Telluride2026 Mazda3 HatchbackVehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger hatchbackPrice: $33,480, including $1,295 destination fee (S Premium model with manual transmission as tested)Powerplant: 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinderPower: 186 horsepower, 191 pound-feet of torqueTransmission: Six-speed manualPerformance: 0-60 mph, 7.0 seconds (Car and Driver); top speed, 125 mphWeight: 3,058 poundsFuel economy: EPA, 25 mpg city/34 highway/28 combined; range, 449 milesReport cardHighs: Upscale design; stick-tasticLows: Tight backseat; rotary screen controllerOverall: 4 stars Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Review: Manual Mazda3 is the anti-robot car