V-6 Manual Transmission

[RagnarKon]

I wonder why Ford won't make them.

I suspect too much torque in the V6 and the current 7 speed manual transmission is not strong enough.

I thought it might be that, but looked up the specs and doesn't seem to be it. The 7-speed is rated for 550 lb-ft, and 2.7L is only outputting around ~400 lb-ft.

I imagine it's simply because the 2.3L was already mated with the manual transmission in the past for the Mustang, as well as multiple vehicles Ford sells overseas such as the Ranger. Much of the engineering work was already done for other vehicles, so it made sense.

Probably also the same reason why Jeep only offers the manual with the old V-6 Pentastar and not their newer I-4 turbo. Manual is a low take-rate option these days (much to my dismay), so they're going to try to simplify and optimize the finances across product lines.

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[Sparkie]

Good luck finding a MT Bronco to test drive.

I struggled a lot with this, and in the end opted for V6 because
....

@BR_1992 makes a valid point about test driving an MT Bronco. In the 3 New England states I searched, dealers only had the AT in the i4 or v6 (and mostly just 4 doors -- more doors than I need). Whenever, I did find an MT, it was a customer order and no test drives allowed. So, I did my test drives in AT 2d and 4d. Then 90 miles away, I test drove a used MY22 2.3 MT 2 door, but at that time I kind of already learned that even 2.3 auto was plenty of power and a lighter MT could only make it better.

 

[KillerPenz]

As stated, V6 with manual doesn't exist on the Bronco however the 2.3 with manual does and makes more power and torque than the Jeep turbo 4 and V6.

Jeep - turbo 4 270/296, V6 285/260
Bronco - 2.3 300/325

Definitely not trying to pump up the Jeep as it's well known I can't stand them, but your number is slightly misleading. The Bronco puts out 300 hp with premium gas... regular gas just gets you 275hp.

 

[Sparkie]

I thought it might be that, but looked up the specs and doesn't seem to be it. The 7-speed is rated for 550 lb-ft, and 2.7L is only outputting around ~400 lb-ft.

I imagine it's simply because the 2.3L was already mated with the manual transmission in the past for the Mustang, as well as multiple vehicles Ford sells overseas such as the Ranger. Much of the engineering work was already done for other vehicles, so it made sense.

Probably also the same reason why Jeep only offers the manual with the old V-6 Pentastar and not their newer I-4 turbo. Manual is a low take-rate option these days (much to my dismay), so they're going to try to simplify and optimize the finances across product lines.

I agree with @RagnarKon . Sadly, the take rate for MT is indeed a dying market. Chevrolet did extensive research on this MT topic for the redesign of their 2020 Corvette. They determined that the return on investment (ROI is a key decision criteria in ANY industry) for a manual transaxle did not exist -- even when extending the time frame way into the future.

By the way, the next change will be car makers removing the steering wheel to make more space for the Infotainment screen.

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

Definitely not trying to pump up the Jeep as it's well known I can't stand them, but your number is slightly misleading. The Bronco puts out 300 hp with premium gas... regular gas just gets you 275hp.

Yep, those were the numbers Google gave me. I have no clue if the Jeep numbers are with premium or regular but either way, if that number is obtained with pump gas available then it's realistic for an ad hoc comparison.

 

[Y2KFirehawk]

2.3 liter with the manual transmission already existed with the Mustang so that was an easy way for Ford to make a Bronco with a MT option. There has not been a MT option on any Ford product with the 2.7 so Ford is not going to engineer that for a few more sales.

Agreed. So can we apply that logic to slapping a 5.0 and manual in the Bronco, please?

 

[Sparkie]

Agreed. So can we apply that logic to slapping a 5.0 and manual in the Bronco, please?

It's a short wheelbase truck, not a muscle car!

 

[Y2KFirehawk]

It's a short wheelbase truck, not a muscle car!

"...built with the toughness of an f-series and the spirit of a Mustang..." Close enough

 

[CarmeloS]

It's a short wheelbase truck, not a muscle car!

This is way more sensible

 

[BLTN]

Another 2dr/7mt owner - Find one to test drive, new or used...She won't look back.
Bonus: 330hp/385tq with the Ford Performance tune, but ya gotta run Premium.

 

[TJP249]

Good luck finding a MT Bronco to test drive.

I struggled a lot with this, and in the end opted for V6 because it's quieter and felt better than the V4. But I'm a bit disappointed. If they paired the V6 with a manual transmission, I'd have gone with Badlands for that over OBX, so they would've sold me a higher trim, too.

Not only will she have a hard time finding one to test drive at a dealer (There is not one within 500 miles of me) , ordering a 25 with a MT will also be a challenge. Early MT orders that got scheduled to be built last week were all pushed back to late April build dates (and hopefully not pushed back again), and later MT orders are not being scheduled any time soon.

 

[mjp2]

The 2.3l with the manual, especially in Badlands trim, pulls so nice. I've never felt a lack of power on this truck.

It dragged this thing through the mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania at highway speeds without a complaint. Temps never crept up or anything.

It's definitely worth a test drive.

 

[Aknobronco]

I own a 2.3 with the m/t and a Jeep Wrangler V6 with the m/t and the Bronco blows the doors off of the Wrangler. Tell you sister to go drive one.

Unless it's 4.7 rear end, Base 2.3 Mt is a dog...

4.88 wrangler Mt drives way better than other base or 4.10 rear end

 

[colintrax]

Is her Wrangler a JK or JL?

Frankly the JL clutch is awful. Besides causing fires, it has no feeling. Just mush.
The Bronco feels much better, and is paired with a stronger engine.

I don't understand the concern about cylinder count? Not like the pentstar sounds good or is impressive in any way.
I wish my Wrangler had the Ford ecoboost.

 

[indio22]

I agree with @RagnarKon . Sadly, the take rate for MT is indeed a dying market. Chevrolet did extensive research on this MT topic for the redesign of their 2020 Corvette. They determined that the return on investment (ROI is a key decision criteria in ANY industry) for a manual transaxle did not exist -- even when extending the time frame way into the future.

By the way, the next change will be car makers removing the steering wheel to make more space for the Infotainment screen.

I don't know the extent of the popularity of self driving vehicle features, but clearly having vehicles take on increased duties, with drivers in a more passive role, is appealing to some customers.

I've always enjoyed operating mechanical things especially driving, but who knows someday a steering wheel may be an afterthought. Leastways I read an article predicting someday non-self driving vehicles might be banned from certain expressways, when technology that links vehicles into driving formations on those roadways is implemented.

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