Cars And Track Staff
In the world of modern car theft, Kias have become an easy target. But Lila Burns-Weerstra’s Soul had a secret weapon that no software update could provide: a manual transmission.
Parked on a quiet street on the east side of Grand Rapids, Lila’s car was broken into and successfully hot-wired. But the thieves hit a metaphorical brick wall the moment they looked at the floorboards. In a world of “point-and-shoot” automatics, the three-pedal dance is a lost art.
“That would be my only guess as to why they wouldn’t end up taking it,” Lila said. After realizing they lacked the skill set to actually move the car, the thieves ditched the plan and left empty-handed.
We talk a lot about “Saving the Manuals” for the driving experience, but this week, the manual saved the car.
