Last Call: Manual vs. Auto.. Why? (HELP!!)

[Efthreeoh]

I’ll have to take your word on this. My cars and trucks have all been at the lower end of the purchase price scale. Cable or mechanical linkage standard transmissions, cable or mechanical linkage clutches and cable or mechanical linkage throttle controls. Never had a drive by wire vehicle. Sounds like they have come a long way even in the past 15 years. My 05 Escape is still a manual shift and throttle. The only throttle modulation is my right foot and left foot for the clutch. Sounds like no excuse then for those that need to drive in stop and go traffic.

Try an experiment with your Escape. Find an empty road, launch in 1st gear slowly as if in a traffic jam. Then don't accelerate by pushing the gas pedal, let the ECU modulate the engine throttle and see if it stalls. Just leave it in 1st gear.
I'll bet your Escape will just crawl along slowly.

I figured this out BTW by spending hours in heavy DC-area traffic. It's not information provided by the manufacturer. It just is ingrained capability engineered into the throttle system because the computer is programed to keep the engine running.

Sponsored

 

[BennyBronco69]

I am 100% set: Badlands -High-Carbonized Gray-33” Optional Rims with MT and ..........leaning towards 2.7 auto (Not sure yet)

I know most of the benefits / negatives. Most of my friends and family think I should get the Auto because I will get tired of the stick.
My first two cars were stick and I loved them both even though I had them for just a few years. I plan to have my Bronco for 10+ years and do not want to regret my decision down the line. This is my 50th B-Day present to myself and do not care about top speed or performance. I feel like to Manual is a lot more fun. I just wish that it came in 2.7 V6. That would make it an easy call for me. What to do..

What do you guys think? Still changing your mind? Or are you 100% one way or another?

What kind of stop n go traffic do you travel in? Do you hate MT in traffic?

I drive mt since 17 and I'm now 43.

I just don't care about a mt in a bronco. I'll save mt for performance vehicles (speed).

In the end only you can make that decision.

 

[Gpscharron]

Interesting Feedback: I have a 2019 Ford Explorer which has a 2.3 L auto motor. I have been playing around with the optional manual “buttons” which are on the auto stick. I really is not the same at all. In addition, I really have NO problem with the motor itself. Even with a heavier car, the motor moves and pick-up is fine. The more I think about what is important to me and how I plan to use the Bronco.. the more sure I am that Manual is for me. Like many of you have stated already, it really is a personal decision. No right or wrong. Last point, I like the fact that the original was a 2 door and manual only. THAT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO ME!! Showing my age 50..lol

 

[Ride Em Bronco]

What kind of stop n go traffic do you travel in? Do you hate MT in traffic?

I drive mt since 17 and I'm now 43.

I just don't care about a mt in a bronco. I'll save mt for performance vehicles (speed).

In the end only you can make that decision.

I remember when I was 21 and was buying my first new car - a sports car - and ordering it with a stick, my father tried to talk me into getting an auto instead - thought after awhile that I would get tired of driving a stick. Not only did not not get tired of it, I have never bought a car that did not have a stick. Now I am 68 and still look forward to rowing the gears in my Jeep every time I get in it. Of course, I always enjoyed driving a manual in my performance vehicles - but I see no reason in depriving myself of that same enjoyment when driving an SUV. Thank you Ford for offering the Bronco with a stick - otherwise I would not even be on a Bronco forum.

 

[Efthreeoh]

I remember when I was 21 and was buying my first new car - a sports car - and ordering it with a stick, my father tried to talk me into getting an auto instead - thought after awhile that I would get tired of driving a stick. Not only did not not get tired of it, I have never bought a car that did not have a stick. Now I am 68 and still look forward to rowing the gears in my Jeep every time I get in it. Of course, I always enjoyed driving a manual in my performance vehicles - but I see no reason in depriving myself of that same enjoyment when driving an SUV. Thank you Ford for offering the Bronco with a stick - otherwise I would not even be on a Bronco forum.

I gotta ask... what sports car it was in 1973? Just curious.

 

[Efthreeoh]

What kind of stop n go traffic do you travel in? Do you hate MT in traffic?

I drive mt since 17 and I'm now 43.

I just don't care about a mt in a bronco. I'll save mt for performance vehicles (speed).

In the end only you can make that decision.

I'd offer that the New Bronco IS a performance vehicle.

 

[Ride Em Bronco]

I gotta ask... what sports car it was in 1973? Just curious.

That was a 1974 Z-28 Type LT - with a 4-speed. I used to be a die-hard Chevy guy but changed into a die-hard Ford guy over the years with my last sports car being a 2008 Bullitt Mustang with a 5-speed.

 

[BigFootie]

Try an experiment with your Escape. Find an empty road, launch in 1st gear slowly as if in a traffic jam. Then don't accelerate by pushing the gas pedal, let the ECU modulate the engine throttle and see if it stalls. Just leave it in 1st gear.
I'll bet your Escape will just crawl along slowly.

I figured this out BTW by spending hours in heavy DC-area traffic. It's not information provided by the manufacturer. It just is ingrained capability engineered into the throttle system because the computer is programed to keep the engine running.

Thanks for the information. Launching and rolling without throttle isn’t really the issue though. That’s how I taught my daughter to drive a stick 20 years ago. My issue is with the sudden stopping and going. I’m guessing the folks in DC are more capable of driving a consistent slow speed rather than up and down like they did in Chicago. I did try it this morning. The Escape launches fine with no throttle, but still bucks like a Bronco when trying to drag the brake for any length of time. Maybe requires more patients. Does have me thinking that maybe the crawl gear really would help here given the higher gearing and slower speed at idle. It’s been a long time since launching without throttle and going really slow. Fortunately, never really have too until the first snow when people suddenly forget how to drive. Thanks again for the constructive comments.

 

[flatlander40]

Okay I was playing this overland review video back through my head and there is some really great input on both powertrains from Loren Healy.

specifically check out his feedback from the 1:45 mark to about the 3:15 mark. I loved his input. He says something very important about the 2.7L v6, “... keeps you up in the power range”.

Great video

 

[indio22]

Interesting Feedback: I have a 2019 Ford Explorer which has a 2.3 L auto motor. I have been playing around with the optional manual “buttons” which are on the auto stick. I really is not the same at all. In addition, I really have NO problem with the motor itself. Even with a heavier car, the motor moves and pick-up is fine. The more I think about what is important to me and how I plan to use the Bronco.. the more sure I am that Manual is for me. Like many of you have stated already, it really is a personal decision. No right or wrong. Last point, I like the fact that the original was a 2 door and manual only. THAT IS ALSO IMPORTANT TO ME!! Showing my age 50..lol

Watch Ford blow our minds and put the manual lever on the tree like the early EBs.

 

[Gpscharron]

What kind of stop n go traffic do you travel in? Do you hate MT in traffic?

I drive mt since 17 and I'm now 43.

I just don't care about a mt in a bronco. I'll save mt for performance vehicles (speed).

In the end only you can make that decision.

Even though I live in Miami, no traffic for me. Planning on pulling my Bronco with my RV. Going MT for sure!

 

[indio22]

I’ve realized over the years that peoples perception of “traffic” vary drastically. When I moved from Chicago to Wisconsin 35 years ago, people in Wisconsin complained about the traffic. Traffic meant several cars in the same stretch of road doing the speed limit. Traffic in Chicago meant 5 lanes stopped for miles. Trust me as I did it for years, there was nothing fun about driving a stick in that traffic. I will say the clutches are much lighter these days so maybe it would not be as bad as back then. I’d rather ride the brake than the clutch if I had to do that again.

I drove a rather heavy cable actuated clutch CJ-5 for several years in the Chicago area, including many trips from the western burbs to the north shore Loyola University campus and back. I agree stop and go traffic can be trying at times, of which there can be a lot on I290 especially. That said, I miss driving the old stick manual Jeep. Also miss the short wheelbase maneuvering - that thing felt like a go-cart. Hence my interest in a 2-door manual Bronco.

Also if there is any good thing about COVID - it has further removed the need to congregate at certain locations to work. At least in certain professions. I work in IT and for several years especially this last year, there is no such thing as traffic for me, because I work from home. So traffic is not an issue, and I don't plan to work for an employer that expects me to waste time and energy driving everyday to work again.

Will be interesting to see how the world changes, the economy and car habits, now that this remote working experiment has been forced on society. Some things will not go back to normal. So overall I am much less concerned with traffic jams than in years past, because I no longer waste time in them, and don't intend to in the future.

 

[BennyBronco69]

I'd offer that the New Bronco IS a performance vehicle.

I specifically put (speed). Unless you think the Bronco is a fast performance vehicle? If so we'd just have to disagree

 

[Efthreeoh]

I'd offer that the New Bronco IS a performance vehicle.

I specifically put (speed). Unless you think the Bronco is a fast performance vehicle? If so we'd just have to disagree

Well the argument for fast performance vehicles is to now get the automatic over the manual since such transmissions supposedly shift faster than humans using a manual trans. Mind you I don't agree with that philosophy.

So my belief is any performance sport vehicle should have a manual transmission, which was the basis of my comment.

It's all good.

 

[Gpscharron]

TWO WEEKS and Still want my Manual Bronco!!! That’s a big deal coming from someone how changes his mind daily. The funny thing is that I am not like that normally. This bronco is making me crazy in a good fun way!!

Sponsored