6 Speed Manual Regrets?

[DanW]

Yeah I just went through all his posts. Seems to be a complaint about everything. After a few days with my Mojave manual though, I’m happy. I had a 2018 Tacoma TRD Sport manual (before someone pulled out in front of me on their red light. Frame damage and totaled in the first year of ownership) and I find the shifting very similar as far as ratios.

He's been taken care of by the mods. They have to do that about every few months. He's got some kind of hots for me or something. If he saw how ugly I am, he'd probably run for the hills. But he just keeps coming back, Lol!

That looks like it was a nice Taco! Shame it ended that way!

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[Blade1668]

Which truck runs smoother and quieter? ? Have a Willys manual and a TRD offroad Taco on order as well. Going to take at least one of them maybe both. Toyota owner of many cars and trucks including many Tundras. Worried about the Jeeps reliablity in long run..
Thanks

Darrin reliability of any vehicle depends on a few things besides make.. I've got a Wrangler LJ with 250000 miles on it maintenance aka oil change and filters, 2 sets of spark plugs, and changed oil in transmission, T-case, few u-joints, axles, it's clutch went out finely at just under that back in January. Other replacement parts a starter, radiator, water pump hoses, belt turn signal/ headlight switch brakes, battery otherwise regular maintenance stuff. A rear main seal wouldn't hurt to do on it. I have a set of replacement axle shafts to install one seal is leaking in rear axle. But considering the miles of wear and tear I've put on it, I don't remember how many sets of tires.

Now on the subject of manual transmission, heck on my way into work yesterday I I noticed I was trying to use the "clutch and shift" in my JT not a manual transmission..... Many years of driving one.....

 

[JTRUBI]

I love the manual, tbh just because I prefer driving a standard vehicle. I also drive 8 speed JLs and JTs daily and I have to admit the auto is the better daily driver. It’s just an excellent transmission and drives super smooth and it wakes up the pentastar.
My complaints with the manual is highway driving esp with 37s passing, up hills etc, it’s a dog and you really gotta drop it down to 3rd or 4th gear to get the power you need. Mind you I’m also not reheated and that would help, but the 8 speed is better in that regard.
Besides that I have have no real complaints. 4 months and 16k on it and I still love it.

 

[Jt-wrx]

i'm about a full year with my manual, and i'd like to tell everyone....i absolutely fookin love it , if i was going to get an auto, i might be in a different truck altogether

sport s, mopar lift, 37's, 4.88's, magnaflow sport, tow 3500, goes like snot, happy af, like driving a sports car every day, sounds awesome, zips and pulls fantastic, did i say i was happy? understatement, oh ya...speed dawg shift knob added as well...what a set up!

i couldn't do a taco because i can't stand sitting on the floor, doesn't feel like i'm in a truck, i need to sit up and have my legs down like a truck, that left only Jeep for a choice of truck with manual, if i could have gotten a colorado zr2 diesel with a manual...i could be in one of those, i'd even consider the ranger turbo if it offered a manual...but only after test drive of course....the only thing jeep is missing is turbo charging, we want torque down low, turbo motor please...keep the DAM MANUAL with all engine options!!!! fer crying outloud manufacturers...don't just offer the manual with one engine choice....dumb

 

[Jeffg]

I had the manual transmission in the previous JK as well and it was much better. The feel of the new cable shifter is notchy, there is no room for a dead pedal, and the seating position is not very good for shifting for all people. So, I probably wouldn't do it again if faced with the choice of this particular particular manual setup.

I'm looking at getting a 2021 Mojave with a 6 speed manual. Not looking at doing any towing with it. Does anyone that has one wish they went with an automatic instead? Pros/Cons? I know you can't tow as much and get remote start.

 

[DreamedofaJeepSomeday]

i....the only thing jeep is missing is turbo charging, we want torque down low, turbo motor please...keep the DAM MANUAL with all engine options!!!! fer crying out loud manufacturers...don't just offer the manual with one engine choice....dumb

Wouldn't it be nice if we could get the turbo four with MT, or the eco-deisel. My guess is it is about the economics of two more sets of . . . all the parts and programming necessary, for the small percentage of Jeep buyers that still want a manual.

But I wish jeep would survey us instead of just letting the bean counters decide. Let's say it would cost an average of $2 grand more per vehicle. I for one would pay the $2 grand extra to get a MT behind the turbo four, just like anyone who wants an automatic has to fork over the $2 grand.

Tell us how much it would cost and let customers decide.

 

[DanW]

Wouldn't it be nice if we could get the turbo four with MT, or the eco-deisel. My guess is it is about the economics of two more sets of . . . all the parts and programming necessary, for the small percentage of Jeep buyers that still want a manual.

But I wish jeep would survey us instead of just letting the bean counters decide. Let's say it would cost an average of $2 grand more per vehicle. I for one would pay the $2 grand extra to get a MT behind the turbo four, just like anyone who wants an automatic has to fork over the $2 grand.

Tell us how much it would cost and let customers decide.

It'd be nice to have choices, but no way I'd choose the 4 over the 3.6. It is so much more refined. (I've driven the 4 several times and it sounds and feels, in terms of NVH, well.....like a 4.) Not to mention, I personally don't want anything to do with DI and a turbo.

Also, the Aisin transmission is not rated to handle the torque load of the diesel, so that would require engineering an entirely different manual transmission. No business case could be made for the expense of engineering two different manual transmissions when the sales volume can only support one.

I would LOVE to test drive that diesel with a manual, though. It would really be something. But I still wouldn't buy that diesel, even without the premium price. I want reliability and I just personally don't trust the diesels with all the emissions controls. I think the 4 would be interesting, too. Especially with the non-BSG version. I'd take it any day over the diesel for the same reason I just mentioned.

 

[JTBurns]

Well after reading through this, my regret is not getting a manual! The AT is smooth though and I love it either way. At least I was able to get a Gator before they were gone, but my next JT will have a stick for sure.

If they do ever put a V8 in these do you all believe a manual would be an option? I thought looking at the lanch of the Wrangler 392, it only be available as an Auto with paddle shifters (who cares?). Anyway, my ideal next one will be a hemi Mojave with a stick. Hopefully that's available in about 10 years!

 

[DanW]

Well after reading through this, my regret is not getting a manual! The AT is smooth though and I love it either way. At least I was able to get a Gator before they were gone, but my next JT will have a stick for sure.

If they do ever put a V8 in these do you all believe a manual would be an option? I thought looking at the lanch of the Wrangler 392, it only be available as an Auto with paddle shifters (who cares?). Anyway, my ideal next one will be a hemi Mojave with a stick. Hopefully that's available in about 10 years!

They'd have to go with a Tremec manual, if they did, because it would have to hold up to tremendous power/torque numbers. It'd be a danged blast to drive! Especially if it was Tremec's 7 speed. Unless of course someone else makes one that would handle it. But I've driven the Tremec in Corvettes and Camaros and it's pretty nice.

Maybe Borg Warner might have one? Not sure. But again, it'd probably be cost-prohibitive. If I had the money and the desire for that 392, I would buy it with the auto, anyway. But I LOVE driving my Jeep with the 3.6 manual enough that the thought of trading it in hasn't even crossed my mind. Not but for only a nanosecond.

 

[guntrust]

No regrets and i endorse the comments below--especially the comment on ESS. If it weren't for my manual i would have ripped out the ESS somehow. Back to basics!

Also i read somewhere that if you are offroading and your transmission goes out, you can get back if it's manual, though i draft trusts for a living and don't actually know how to do that.

No.

The "experts" who reviewed the Gladiator early on panned it, and so did a few members here in a lot of posts last winter. Mostly the complaints seemed to be that the trans is "poorly matched" to the V6, because the V6 power band is near the top of the RPM range. In essence, these experts were looking for a close-ratio 6-speed.

Here is why I think they were off the mark. I am certainly no automobile expert, but have driven in my days many (well, maybe 10) different vehicles with MT, ranging from 1943 Dodge 6x6 to 1971 Mercedes 280SL, and other trucks and passenger cars.

The Gladiator is not a sports car, not a street racer, not primarily a truck, not even a dedicated off-road vehicle. It is designed in nearly every sense to be a general-purpose vehicle with wide appeal. It can run errands in town, go on a long highway trip, seat 5 people relatively comfortably, haul DIY stuff, go off-road, and even go topless.

The V6 was developed as a mid-power engine with reasonable fuel economy. In my opinion, it is a good choice for the general-purpose use of the vehicle. I do not know engine design; why a particular design reaches maximum power at a particular RPM, but in any case, the engine is a good performer and the power band is what it is.

Now the 6-speed: it is not close-ratio, it is to my mind a typical 4-speed, designed with the 4 ratios appropriately spaced for typical everyday driving, and two overdrives for better fuel economy at highway speeds. What could be more general-purpose than that arrangement? You might nit-pik about the individual ratios, but IMO it is a balanced design.

Now if you need performance at a given point, you gun it and wind it out in the lower gears. Not a hot-rod, but it will definitely scoot if you do that. After all, when you do that you are getting 285 HP at the top. Not too shabby. Need fuel economy? Drive with a light foot and shift earlier rather than later. Your choice.

ESS? It works beautifully. Stop at a light that you expect to be a long one, shift into neutral and let the clutch out: engine turns off. Light turns green, push in clutch, engine starts by the time you shift in gear again. Don't want the engine to turn off? Keep the clutch depressed. Total control without doing anything special.

Cruise is also a beauty. You can shift up or down as needed with cruise engaged, seamless.

All of the above applies to 2H (and 4H, when appropriate). Shift into 4L, and it then becomes a close-ratio 6-speed. In that case, closer ratios might have been too close. It is a balanced design.

So if towing capacity is an issue, or you just prefer an AT, don't get the 6-speed. But if you, like me, are a MT aficionado, don't be afraid to get it. One man's opinion.

P.S. The shifter is a beaut to use.

 

[DreamedofaJeepSomeday]

It'd be nice to have choices, but no way I'd choose the 4 over the 3.6. It is so much more refined. (I've driven the 4 several times and it sounds and feels, in terms of NVH, well.....like a 4.) Not to mention, I personally don't want anything to do with DI and a turbo.

I do like the V6 a lot.

 

[firemedic2714]

I love mine and like Pacificoflyr stated, the 4.10s make a big difference in the need to downshift. I had a JKU with 3.73s before this and I was constantly downshifting from 6 to 4. Also, I find that downshifting from 6 to 3 is the only way to really get going at highway speeds (60-70 mph). You don't have the "open door" nanny keeping you from moving with any door open and it's $2,000 cheaper than the automatic. Off-roading (at least with a Rubicon) is super-fun and all six gears are like off-road cruise control. I've had mine on 5-6 rated trails and the 4:1 T-case is fantastic. All in all, I have no regrets and would buy a 6-speed over an autotragic again in a heartbeat. Good luck.

 

[Empty Pockets]

i'm about a full year with my manual, and i'd like to tell everyone....i absolutely fookin love it , if i was going to get an auto, i might be in a different truck altogether

I can honestly say 90% of the reason I bought my Gladiator is the manual transmission. If I wanted an automatic it likely would have been a full sized 1/2 ton.

 

[AustinL911]

i'm about a full year with my manual, and i'd like to tell everyone....i absolutely fookin love it , if i was going to get an auto, i might be in a different truck altogether

I can honestly say 90% of the reason I bought my Gladiator is the manual transmission. If I wanted an automatic it likely would have been a full sized 1/2 ton.

Exactly the same thing for me. I'd (well, maybe) be in a new F150 if I had to have an automatic. Or, at the very least, a JTRD.

 

[Gvsukids]

Funny how people were mocking Tacoma for having a TRD (turd) model, now the Gladiator has a turd model with the Rubicon diesel.

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