I may be a fan of big American V8s, but I do like the small European turbos. This is the first 6-speed I've owned. So far, I've only tried to back up in 6th gear once (reverse is completely opposite of the typical 5-speed). I was looking at the Miata, but those were running around $3k more, so I figured this could provide almost as much fun for less money. Gas mileage should be somewhat decent as well (certainly better than the Jeep).