Some good news has circled the internet for fans of off-road SUVs: the upcoming Ford Bronco could bring a seven-speed manual transmission with it when it debuts. While that’s great for Ford fans, we can’t help but wonder if General Motors and Chevy have any intention to compete in the segment.
A bit of background on the transmission first. Jalopnik reported Tuesday that sources claim Ford has a manual transmission ready for the new Bronco and it’s partnered with Getrag to develop the gearbox. To bolster the sources’ credibility, the writer scoured LinkedIn profiles for various Getrag employees. Many of them shared a project they’re currently working on: “6/7MTI550.” The six and seven refer to the number of gears in transmission codename speak, while the latter letters and numbers refer to torque measured in Newton meters. The codename also falls in line with a previous Ford project Getrag worked on: the Mustang’s MT-82 six-speed manual, which carried the 6MTI500 working name.

2004 Ford Bronco concept
Judging by the transmission’s torque rating in Nm, the manual will be able to handle up to 405 pound-feet of torque, which means we’ll likely see the seven-speed gearbox pair with Ford’s 2.7-liter twin-turbo V6 engine. A seven-speed manual would also make the Bronco one of just a few production cars to carry such a gearbox. Notably, the C7 Corvette introduced a seven-speed manual.
Back to our question on hand: will Chevy actually compete with the Bronco? The SUV will certainly score some major cool points for offering a manual transmission, which also puts the Jeep Wrangler squarely in the vehicle’s sights. Meanwhile, the 2019 Chevrolet Blazer is merely a front-wheel-drive-based crossover with optional all-wheel drive. The CUV won’t be doing any sort of extreme off-roading, and it most definitely won’t offer a manual transmission option.
Is Ford about to walk all over GM with a home run of a Bronco? Talk to us below.
Comments
Good for Ford. They realize the buyers that have had Broncos in the past will want it again in a new Bronco. There are still folks that enjoy a manual. It may be small segment but they want what they want.
NO!!! Why should they I bet you can’t even find 1 in a 100 people who even know how to drive a stick or care to learn.
Check out 18 Wheelers going down the road 95% of over the road truckers are driving Automatic. That’s why GM moved away from manual’s anyway.
What BS! I just retired from truck driving two years ago and saw only one truck on the road that I knew to be an automatic. No real truck driver would have one.
Not that it won’t happen in the future with all the young pansies coming into the workforce.
Everyone in my home has a manual, including my wife, except my Silverado. Guys at work also have or want manuals. We bought an Impreza cause at time GM had no hatch and now Cruze , no manual. Subaru dealer says as fast as manuals come in they are gone. Small group but avid about manuals.
“Small group but avid about manuals.”
Conversely, you’ll also find a large group of consumers who are equally avid about automatics.
mainly because they can’t drink their Starbucks frapalottacrapachino, tweet, and have business meeting that could have waited till they got to work anyway, while driving manual transmission cars. While i’m happy for the improvements that have been made to automatic transmissions, there is still a very large population of people who drive manual transmission cars year round. There is a much larger base of people who drive manual transmission cars than i feel we give credit for. Not everyone melds into this whole automatic, automated, autonomous electric future where there is no human input. Not everyone wants to live in a Wall-E type world (if you haven’t watched that movie, you should. It gives us a good idea of what this world is coming to and it honestly sucks!). There are a lot of us who are still drive manuals out here.
Ford is building something for truck guys, sticking to the original Bronco concept. Chevy is building another crossover to take to the mall it doesn’t need. It’s a poor man’s Lexus RX350.
It’s all about who provides you what you’re looking for. Preferring a manual is personal choice not a disease. Some people just don’t get it or can’t figure out how to feather a clutch. If folks prefer automatics that’s their choice, but don’t begrudge those who want manual.
Conversely, preferring an automatic is personal choice, not a disease. Some people just don’t get it, or can’t understand why being able to bump-start a car is NOT an value-added feature for a car to have. If folks prefer manuals that’s their choice, but they shouldn’t act like the car was invented solely for spirited rides through the countryside or for weekend autocross events.
But you’re right, it’s all about who provides you what you’re looking for, and the largest block of consumers can speak for the entire market.
Here in Australia manual transmissions are very common. For myself automatics have a stigma of being a lot more expensive to repair, and are more likely to give trouble. Maybe I’m superstitious but it’s been my personal experience.
Hello,
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