Abstract: A compact manual transaxle transmission includes an input shaft with four foward drive gears and a reverse drive gear. Two countershafts drive a differential. The first countershaft supports four forward driven gears and a reverse driven gear. The second countershaft supports another forward driven gear. One of the drive gears is in meshing engagement with driven gears on both countershafts, eliminating the necessity for elongating the input shaft to accommodate an additional gear set. The arrangement minimizes the overall axial length and optimizes the center distance between the input shaft and the second countershaft.