7 speed Manuel Vs 10 speed Auto.

[Rick Astley]

I'll just chime in that the 10AT in our 2019 Ranger Lariat is pretty terrible. It's my least favorite part of that truck and, IMHO, greatly impacts driving enjoyment.

Unless you enjoy being in 10th gear on a mild incline at 25 mph. I simply find the 10AT exists because the engineers gave it one very specific task.

Driving enjoyment? No

Get into 10th gear as quickly as possible.

That's it. That's it's only job. If you push the "+/-" button on the side of the gear selector it will bring up the numeric gear indicator on the right side instrument cluster. Watch as it shifts from 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 all in the time it takes to get up to about 30 mph under normal acceleration.

Trying to pass on the freeway and you watch it hit the brown note as it does the mandatory 10-6 downshift for some passing power. The alarming thud of metal on metal and grinding noises you hear are the sweet sounds of children laughing as the tick-down timer reduces itself by 1 on your way to a transmission rebuild.

The 2.3 is a fantastic little motor let down only by the transmission.

Finding out that Bronco would pair the 2.3 with a MT was a major consideration in wanting Bronco. And having test driven the 2.3/MT a while back (my write-up on that is at the following: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...urnal-my2-badlands-2-3-mt-2-door.15102/page-7), the 2.3/MT is still a main reason why i'm excited for Bronco.

Sure, it will be less efficient off-road. Great! Awesome.

But if efficiency is your prime consideration then you should also boast to your friends that you get 1/100th more MPG out of your rig, and that you can watch as it gets to 10th gear faster than you could shift manually. I mean, those types of things really play well at the pub! Your friends will be enraptured by the awesome manliness of your transmission! (The wafting scent of freshy hewn pine drifts through the room)

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[Davebear13]

I have been driving stick since 1976. As a military brat, I learned to drive like a German in Germany. All my cars have been stick until I bought a 1500 RAM, 2017. It is fine but big difference for me is not knowing what gear I am in when driving the truck. With stick I listen to the engine and I am aware when I need to change gears and more aware of what the vehicle is doing. I can out dual a automatic by stretching out he RPMs in each gear. In snow or slippery roads, I can push in the clutch to slow down or down shift rather than touching the brakes - a sliding hazard. Some automatics in manual can do the same as a down shift but if you are an auto driver - do you know that?

My wife learned on stick but only drives the RAM because it is auto. She wants me to get an automatic Bronco or she will not drive it. Maybe that is a good thing. I only get second choice on when I drive the truck.

 

[StormtrooperS225]

Bonus: Manual Transmission will almost always prevent it from being stolen by someone under 30

I am 28 and getting the 7spd. Made my sales guy VERY confused and annoyed

 

[zombie]

As a newbie to the forum, I may earn myself a lot of hate for saying this, but I only bought a bronco because it was available with a stick. It was between this or a Tacoma and from my (limited) test drive the bronco drove a lot better.

I couldn't care less about off-roading, removable doors, removable tops, etc. I just wanted something with decent looks, decent ground clearance that would be good in the winter and would let me row my own gears.

If you don't specifically *want* a manual, as others have said, the choice is clear... buy the automatic. I for one am glad that FoMoCo offered a choice for those of us who wanted it.

 

[indio22]

The auto will overheat one day and die. Or piss fluid in 8 years when a cooling line goes unexpectedly. It will probably just seep a lil, till your trans is burned up before you knew you had a problem.

This. My Jeep TJ auto trans went out due to cooling line leakage, of which there was no evidence when parked in the driveway. Must have occurred mostly under pressure when my son was driving it.

My CJ-7 auto trans started smoking during a severe off-road climb in the Rockies - had to add a separate trans cooler. I'd recommend adding a separate trans cooler to the new Bronco, only that's more difficult these days due to how the trans is filled.

 

[mC.242]

My heart said Manual but my knees and brain said automatic.

 

[TNBronc4344]

I'll just chime in that the 10AT in our 2019 Ranger Lariat is pretty terrible. It's my least favorite part of that truck and, IMHO, greatly impacts driving enjoyment.

Unless you enjoy being in 10th gear on a mild incline at 25 mph. I simply find the 10AT exists because the engineers gave it one very specific task.

Driving enjoyment? No

Get into 10th gear as quickly as possible.

That's it. That's it's only job. If you push the "+/-" button on the side of the gear selector it will bring up the numeric gear indicator on the right side instrument cluster. Watch as it shifts from 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 all in the time it takes to get up to about 30 mph under normal acceleration.

Trying to pass on the freeway and you watch it hit the brown note as it does the mandatory 10-6 downshift for some passing power. The alarming thud of metal on metal and grinding noises you hear are the sweet sounds of children laughing as the tick-down timer reduces itself by 1 on your way to a transmission rebuild.

The 2.3 is a fantastic little motor let down only by the transmission.

Finding out that Bronco would pair the 2.3 with a MT was a major consideration in wanting Bronco. And having test driven the 2.3/MT a while back (my write-up on that is at the following: https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...urnal-my2-badlands-2-3-mt-2-door.15102/page-7), the 2.3/MT is still a main reason why i'm excited for Bronco.

Sure, it will be less efficient off-road. Great! Awesome.

But if efficiency is your prime consideration then you should also boast to your friends that you get 1/100th more MPG out of your rig, and that you can watch as it gets to 10th gear faster than you could shift manually. I mean, those types of things really play well at the pub! Your friends will be enraptured by the awesome manliness of your transmission! (The wafting scent of freshy hewn pine drifts through the room)

I could not agree more. Spot on with your observations with the AT joined to the 2.3. I hate that transmission in my 2020 Ranger as well. Like you said it just wants to get 8-10 as quickly as possible and stay there. I have a level road in my neighborhood and then a steep driveway. Going down my street at 20 MPH it stays in a very high gear and when i hit my driveway it refuses to drop gears, binds up and then slams down like 6 gears at once, making the truck buck like a bronco. This happens every time unless I almost stop at the base of my driveway and let the transmission catch up back to 2 or 3 and then go up the driveway. I shouldnt have to do that and no other vehicle we have does that. I will be getting the MT as well.

 

[LT. DAN ICE CREAM!!!]

I went with a manual transmission because I've always wanted one. Am I insane for learning how to drive a stick shift on a $49,000 Bronco? Probably.

 

[MaverickMan]

This. My Jeep TJ auto trans went out due to cooling line leakage, of which there was no evidence when parked in the driveway. Must have occurred mostly under pressure when my son was driving it.

My CJ-7 auto trans started smoking during a severe off-road climb in the Rockies - had to add a separate trans cooler. I'd recommend adding a separate trans cooler to the new Bronco, only that's more difficult these days due to how the trans is filled.

Yeah long life, offroading, and autos are a bad mix. I've worked on too too many leaky coolers and lines to ever pay $50,000 for something I know will leak trans fluid in my face one day.

 

[Rick Astley]

I could not agree more. Spot on with your observations with the AT joined to the 2.3. I hate that transmission in my 2020 Ranger as well. Like you said it just wants to get 8-10 as quickly as possible and stay there. I have a level road in my neighborhood and then a steep driveway. Going down my street at 20 MPH it stays in a very high gear and when i hit my driveway it refuses to drop gears, binds up and then slams down like 6 gears at once, making the truck buck like a bronco. This happens every time unless I almost stop at the base of my driveway and let the transmission catch up back to 2 or 3 and then go up the driveway. I shouldnt have to do that and no other vehicle we have does that. I will be getting the MT as well.

Your story sounds: Incredibly likely to be accurate!

My only guesses for avoiding the "Brown Note" that the transmission is hitting every.single.time in that scenario is to use the gear selector and put it in Sport mode. On our '19 that's simply the "S" below Drive on the gear selector. I think they changed that in '20 or '21????? (can't remember)

Based upon my observations of the shifting patterns (by having to push the "+/-" button every f-ing time you start the vehicle to show the current gear), in Sport mode it will:

• Typically drive 2 gears below where it wants to be at normally
• Hold revs about about 400-1,000 RPM higher before shifting (gear and load dependent)

Sport mode might just be the hot ticket to avoid your inevitable transmission rebuild based on what it's doing at your driveway.

Good luck! LMK if you can solve the problem through these easy-to-do means.

I went with a manual transmission because I've always wanted one. Am I insane for learning how to drive a stick shift on a $49,000 Bronco? Probably.

Nothing wrong with it at all. In fact, I touched on the subject briefly in my review as the GF hadn't driven a stick in over 10 years since living in Baaaston (it's near Boston, according to rumor) and she fired up the Bronco and really did fantastic with the MT. Didn't grind any gears, never killed it, and smooth clutch engagement. It's a very easy MT to learn on, the Bronco. You'd have to get into a 2006 Acura TXS or a current-generation Miata to find an easier clutch to learn on.

https://www.bronco6g.com/forum/thre...urnal-my2-badlands-2-3-mt-2-door.15102/page-7

 

[mrdibbles]

Until Sunday I was dead sure that I wanted a manual transmission. Not anymore. I had the pleasure of a 3.5-day extended weekend-long test drive of an Outer Banks, LUX, Automatic, with aftermarket 35's on it. Luckily I also happened across a dealer selling a Badlands, Standard interior, with Manual transmission (sitting on 33's). Drove them both over the weekend (though the Manual was a short test drive with the dealer in the car).

My personal verdict was the two animals were entirely different beasts. The power of the V6 coupled with the Automatic felt extremely capable, strong, ample, and smooth. The 4-Cylinder w/ Manual felt much less potent, less confident, and felt (my opinions only) underwhelming.

Overall the Automatic w/ LUX felt exactly that... luxurious and worth the money. The Manual w/ 4-Cyl. and Standard felt much more like a Wrangler-peer. The Automatic and the Manual just didn't feel like siblings. *In fairness the interior trims were different, the tires and stance of each was very different, and obviously a Manual vs. Automatic are quite dissimilar. So perhaps they are not a fair comparison.

Just sharing my views... I am not hating on the Manual and I'm disappointed in a way that I wasn't immediately convinced Manual was for me. I did offer the dealer of the Area 51 Manual Transmission vehicle $5K over MSRP for it (MSRP was like $46K), even with this review, so I clearly didn't hate it (just wasn't a great as the auto). He countered with $22.4K over MSRP (dealer was asking $68.4K). So, that too could have tainted my experience .

 

[Lakelife36]

Until Sunday I was dead sure that I wanted a manual transmission. Not anymore. I had the pleasure of a 3.5-day extended weekend-long test drive of an Outer Banks, LUX, Automatic, with aftermarket 35's on it. Luckily I also happened across a dealer selling a Badlands, Standard interior, with Manual transmission (sitting on 33's). Drove them both over the weekend (though the Manual was a short test drive with the dealer in the car).

My personal verdict was the two animals were entirely different beasts. The power of the V6 coupled with the Automatic felt extremely capable, strong, ample, and smooth. The 4-Cylinder w/ Manual felt much less potent, less confident, and felt (my opinions only) underwhelming.

Overall the Automatic w/ LUX felt exactly that... luxurious and worth the money. The Manual w/ 4-Cyl. and Standard felt much more like a Wrangler-peer. The Automatic and the Manual just didn't feel like siblings. *In fairness the interior trims were different, the tires and stance of each was very different, and obviously a Manual vs. Automatic are quite dissimilar. So perhaps they are not a fair comparison.

Just sharing my views... I am not hating on the Manual and I'm disappointed in a way that I wasn't immediately convinced Manual was for me. I did offer the dealer of the Area 51 Manual Transmission vehicle $5K over MSRP for it (MSRP was like $46K), even with this review, so I clearly didn't hate it (just wasn't a great as the auto). He countered with $22.4K over MSRP (dealer was asking $68.4K). So, that too could have tainted my experience .

Everything about your experience was apples and oranges. LUX vs. nothing? V6 vs. I4? "The two animals were entirely different beasts" indeed.

Not being able to get the 7M with the V6 and then not being able to get the LUX interior with a stick unless you get the heaviest possible trim (again, with the smaller engine) makes this kind of comparison pretty much impossible to make fairly. It's pretty disappointing.

 

[Elonmsk]

I ordered the MT just because of rarity. Seems to always be more valuable down the road, like an E60 M5 MT or ANY Ferrari, heck folks are paying 40k+ just to convert the F430 platforms to MTs.

Bad examples but MTs are always sought after due to rarity. If you have to ask, then I don’t think an MT is for you, but I think you’ll be happy regardless. Good luck!

 

[The Pope]

My reasons for wanting a MT is a Very Semimetal One.....
My youngest son's only vehicle was a MT, in which he loved and I though him how to drive it. Lost him a little over 17 years ago now.

The reason why I haven't ordered a Bronco..... 2.3L is DI only. If it was DI & PI, I would have a 2D on it's way....

What I REAILLY WANT is the 2D Badlands 2.7L w/MT....

Everyone has their reason for or against one or the other. I could care less what those reasons are. No disrespect implied. It's your money, so it's your decision.

 

[HarderCorer]

My reason for getting a manual, I want one because I find it enjoyable to drive. I do not care how well the automatic performs. As long as the 2.3 manual works, I do not care if my neighbor's Bronco/SuperDuty/Tesla has more performance. I get someone else might want to get the best performance they can but that isn't me.

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