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6 Speed Manual Regrets?

asuprice

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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.
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Mr._Bill

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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.
All the posts I've read here about MT were from those who chose to buy it. You're not likely to find any here who regret it.

I have driven MT since I first learned to drive. The first two trucks I bought new were manual, but everything since has been auto. I've had my Overland for 16 months and am very happy with it. The eight speed auto on this is an excellent transmission.
 

hjdca

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JT Rubicon Manual with approx. 18K miles. No regrets at all. We love it. Both the street and dirt are great. It is mountainous where I live, so, I usually have it in 4WL when 4wheeling -- which is the 4:1 rubicon transfer case vs. the higher gear one in the Mojave. I usually run 3rd gear 4WL with the clutch out - which can handle pretty steep hills and anything from almost dead stop to about 15 to 18 mph or so.... I use the clutch very sparingly when wheeling. There are times when I am glad I have the Rubicon Transfer case, and there are other times I wish I had the Mojave transfer case, so, it always depends on the terrain. I think a Mojave with a stick would be a lot of fun. Go for it.
 

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cgflyer

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My ONLY MT regret is that it wouldn't pair to the ecodiesel. I had a Ram 1500 ecodiesel that I loved (140,000+ miles) and SO wanted a diesel Gladiator but I also wanted a MT and didn't want to wait a year for it. If I didn't already have about $8K in my build, I MIGHT want the diesel over the MT, but if your heart has zero desire for a diesel, zero regrets over the MT. I will say that shifting for hills on the highway can get annoying. The truck just isn't geared to hold 70+ mph in 6th gear up much of an incline and I bet the auto is a bit more relaxing to drive on the highway. But I just don't think there is any other pure driving experience than with a clutch and gear shift.
 

nortski3

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I unfortunately fall into the category of ordering a MT Rubicon and within yr 1 swapping it out for an auto. I got the manual initially because the $2K price tag for auto just felt pointless and who doesn't love rowing through the gears. The issue became a problem during extended road trips (2x - over 3K miles each) where the gf wasn't able to give me a break driving. I attempted to teach her numerous times but cringed each time she killed it and couldn't learn. The concept just became too difficult for her to learn and I paid the price by having to swap it out. Luckily I was able to sell the vehicle for $2K over my purchase price with about 14K miles on the clock even. Overall I wish I still had my manual but my body enjoys the ability to have someone else drive when on extended drives.
 

Dewyaw

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I unfortunately fall into the category of ordering a MT Rubicon and within yr 1 swapping it out for an auto. I got the manual initially because the $2K price tag for auto just felt pointless and who doesn't love rowing through the gears. The issue became a problem during extended road trips (2x - over 3K miles each) where the gf wasn't able to give me a break driving. I attempted to teach her numerous times but cringed each time she killed it and couldn't learn. The concept just became too difficult for her to learn and I paid the price by having to swap it out. Luckily I was able to sell the vehicle for $2K over my purchase price with about 14K miles on the clock even. Overall I wish I still had my manual but my body enjoys the ability to have someone else drive when on extended drives.
Sounds like you need to trade in your girlfriend...

:idea:
 

Kevin_D

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I wanted the MT, as $2k for an AT seems steep, but my wife doesn't like driving a manual since she injured her right shoulder, so...
The AT is very responsive, and much more relaxing on the highway. I test drove a manual, and there's nothing available at 60MPH in 6th gear, so you'll constantly be downshifting to accelerate.
I just wish it'd go into 8th a bit more often (damn headwinds!)

Kevin
 

Spcbl1

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Sounds like you need to trade in your girlfriend...

:idea:
Agreed, I always thought it was a prerequisite for a GF to be able to grab hold of the stick and row through the gears. You know, to help you relax...
 

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The manual Mojave is the perfect truck for me. I would NOT have purchased a Gladiator with an auto.
 

DreamedofaJeepSomeday

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Does anyone that has one wish they went with an automatic instead?
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.
 
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DanW

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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.
I've got the manual in my JL. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm running 35's and it has plenty of power. It is quick, smooth shifting, and the Pentastar plays really well with it. That engine loves to rev and I just can't keep my foot out of it. It pulls strong right off the line and not only keeps pulling all the way to red line, but it gets a bit of a kick in the pants at 4500 and up as the variable valves hit their 2nd stage. The shifter is vibration free and the throws feel shorter than they really are. The JK felt like a dump truck compared to the Aisin transmission in the JL and JT.

It is as fun off road as it is on the road. No issues from rock crawling to going through deep thick mud.

The only reason I'd hesitate on the Gladiator is that it takes a hit on towing. But if I wasn't going to tow, I'd go manual all the way.

I've got 40,000 miles of smiles with this thing. Besides that, when I was ordering it and thought about the auto for a minute because it is a great transmission, too, my beautiful wife said, "It isn't a real Jeep without a manual transmission." That snapped me right out of it and also saved me 2 grand. No regrets, at all.

Btw, I added a Magnaflow axle-back exhaust system and it really brought sweet sound out of that Pentastar. That's another reason I can't keep my foot out of it.
 

Bonanza

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I had a 2013 JK manual, a 2017 JKUR manual, and this is my first auto. The reason being is I tried a JL manual and the clutch uptake was so bizarre and bitey that I just didn't like it. Along with the greatness that the the new automatic was, and the challenge of resale for a manual, I went with the auto this time.

I don't regret it.

But, I still wheel as if there is a clutch, and I cannot seem to un-learn in. So now I use the brake like I used to use the clutch and it's almost the same. I like wheeling with a manual better than an automatic still, and would likely have chosen a manual this go-around if they just made it better. The Bronco is a good example of how to "do it better".
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