Why should I get an automatic over manual Gladiator?

[WXman]

Automatic:

- Higher resale
- Better offroad
- Better for city traffic
- Better ratios for towing
- Better ratios for large tires
- Zero maintenance
- Better fuel efficiency
- Allows options like a dead pedal, remote start, crawl control, etc.

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[bgenlvtex]

It is 2019, there is nothing a manual transmission does better than a ZF 8HP__

I grew up with manual transmissions and shitty automatics, but they have swapped positions

 

[propkillr]

Best reason for a Manuel is that the kids nowadays can’t steal a manuel

 

[homerun]

It is 2019, there is nothing a manual transmission does better than a ZF 8HP__

I grew up with manual transmissions and shitty automatics, but they have swapped positions

Not true the manual is better and making me smile ear to ear than the auto. Most important point there.

- Slightly better crawl ratio (granted its not a JL and for the type of off roading the JT will do it won't make a difference).
- FCA rates the m/t as getting better HWY MPGs, have to test this in the real world.
- m/t is a better anti theft device
- m/t drivers understand their vehicles on a more intimate level and usually know when something is off before an auto driver
- m/t will almost always get you home. Dead battery pop start it, tranny broke? drive in but the m/t in 2nd and you can get home. No clutch? Rev match it.
- m/t provides more control over when the ESS system engages and when it doesn't

m/t JUST PLAIN MORE FUN!!!

 

[BJV95050]

Why should you go automatic instead of a manual transmission?

Simple, you will probably get your order faster than the rest of us who are stuck in D status hell who ordered manual transmissions.

D status: 39 days and counting.

 

[Oilburner]

Because you can't hear the engine for your shift points, and if you add an exhaust system to the V6 it sounds like

 

[bgenlvtex]

Not true the manual is better and making me smile ear to ear than the auto. Most important point there.

- Slightly better crawl ratio (granted its not a JL and for the type of off roading the JT will do it won't make a difference).
- FCA rates the m/t as getting better HWY MPGs, have to test this in the real world.
- m/t is a better anti theft device
- m/t drivers understand their vehicles on a more intimate level and usually know when something is off before an auto driver
- m/t will almost always get you home. Dead battery pop start it, tranny broke? drive in but the m/t in 2nd and you can get home. No clutch? Rev match it.
- m/t provides more control over when the ESS system engages and when it doesn't

m/t JUST PLAIN MORE FUN!!!

None of that is the transmission doing a better job, and most of it is "feels". If I'm going to have "fun" with a manual transmission it's going to have a lot more horsepower than the 3.6, in something that anemic a manual is just a chore.

Crawl? Low t-case in a Rubicon is low low low enough for me, but you go ahead and push in that clutch half way up the hill and see how it works out for you.

Gladiator though the best towing machine Jeep makes loses 50% of its towing capability with a manual transmission, do you think it is because the manual is stronger?

8 speeds beats six, always and every day, especially when you don't have to row it yourself.

You won't smoke a clutch, because you don't have one, and you sure won't replace it as a wear item.

Fun is entirely subjective, I don't enjoy manual transmissions any more. I also don't use a four way lug wrench or shoot a muzzle loader. But even if I did, that wouldn't make it a superior mechanical device.

 

[Ichthus]

Someone complained that the JL manual did not feel like a jeep stick shift, but more like a Honda civic because the clutch pedal and shifting was too smooth and easy feeling, instead of that CJ feel.

This is a win, in my book. Honda has always built some of the smoothest, easiest shifting manuals on earth...and that’s a complement, not a problem. I’ve only owned 7 vehicles, but 6 of them were manuals. The auto lasted 6 months in my possession before I just had to get a manual. My wife, on the other hand, would agree with most of these guys, and always insists on an auto (though she’s not opposed to “stealing” my Jeep on a sunny day), so I drive them regularly (not to mention, my job puts me in rental cars weekly, recently a JLU for a couple days).

I cant say that I ever actually think about the effort that goes into driving a manual. I mean, honestly...I’ve lived in cities, I’ve dealt with crazy traffic, hills, etc...and even now, when I must acknowledge that my JKU on 35’s shouldn’t be running 3.73 gears, I can’t fathom paying extra to get an auto. The ONLY edge for me with a JT is the towing capacity of the auto...but honestly, I’m not sure that I WANT to tow more than 4500 lbs with the 3.6. If that becomes a problem, I’ll sell the truck and buy another one with an eco diesel, then hope that finances allow us to consider a JL with a manual...

 

[Chadnutz]

As I've said before, I simply do not enjoy driving an auto. I've owned four vehicles, two of which I still have. All are manuals, and I'm almost 38. Pretty good to be on my 2nd and 4th vehicle after 22 years of driving. The third vehicle was a 1 year interim I pay $300 for until I bought a BMW....

 

[JeepFoxhound]

Folks that drive manual love driving manual vehicles. I've owned countless of vehicles since 1986 and they have all been manuals. Both of my last JKU's including my current one is a manual there are pros and cons to both transmissions. Here are some of the reasons that I love manual Jeeps.

more control over drivetrain
easier to maintain
lasts longer
better mpg (tho really don't care about this)
lot more fun to drive
deters some thievery and deters people from wanting to drive it

good luck on your decision if you are 50/50 you have a tough choice.

I wouldn't take into the account other people's opinions on how they felt the
manual drove the manual gladiator...... because everyone responds different to driving
transmissions/habits...see if you can get a hold of one and drive it.

 

[Casique]

I live in the Washington DC area, and traffic here is pure hell. So even though I love manuals, there is no way that I will deal with a manual in this crazy bumper to bumper traffic. So auto is the only way for me! The decision is purely commute/traffic driven.

 

[WXman]

Folks that drive manual love driving manual vehicles. I've owned countless of vehicles since 1986 and they have all been manuals. Both of my last JKU's including my current one is a manual there are pros and cons to both transmissions. Here are some of the reasons that I love manual Jeeps.

more control over drivetrain
easier to maintain
lasts longer
better mpg (tho really don't care about this)
lot more fun to drive
deters some thievery and deters people from wanting to drive it

These are all things that were true when we were kids in the 70s and 80s but they aren't true anymore. The automatic can still be manually shifted, has zero maintenance for "life", lasts forever, has higher EPA MPG ratings, and you can't get it out of Park without the key unless you really know what you're doing. The manual has periodic clutch and slave cylinder maintenance, usually develops synchro failure just past 100K miles, has lower MPG ratings, and can be popped out of gear and rolled away in seconds.

I grew up with manuals too. Several manual pickups, two manual Wranglers, several manual Mustangs. Have a Mach 1 with a stick shift in the garage right now. But the fact is the 850RE transmission in the JL/JT is superior to the D478 transmission in almost every conceivable category. I guess that's why manuals in these 4x4s are seeing very low "take rate" and auto makers are thinking about cancelling them.

 

[O|||||O]

Up until I bought my Ram that I currently drive, every car I've owned but one was manual. That one car was a cheap $900 car I bought to drive while I worked to get my main car roadworthy again. When I ordered my Gladiator I test drove a base model JL 6 speed and the feeling it gave me was enough to know that I had to order a manual. Call it nostalgia, but it was the most fun I've had driving in a very long time. I'm well aware that the 8 speed auto is the better option in almost every imaginable way. I just don't care.

Edit: Also, my mom can't s̶t̶e̶a̶l̶ "borrow" it!

 

[TTEChris]

I love having the top down doors off and rowing through the gears. It's a level of "fun" I can't have with the automatic. Sure the automatic is technically better in every way, but the involvement makes it fun to me. Even offroad the automatic makes life almost too "easy". Where I would eventually get bored with our local trails in the automatic I find I'm constantly learning with the 6spd(I've had 2 automatic JK's, 2 manual JK's, and a manual JL).

With all that said I chose the automatic on the Gladiator mostly due to tow capacity. I've also found that the bigger the vehicle gets the less fun the manual is to drive(for me). Everytime I get out of my business partners 2dr JL with the 6spd and get back in mine I regret not getting a 2dr.

 

[Ichthus]

These are all things that were true when we were kids in the 70s and 80s but they aren't true anymore. The automatic can still be manually shifted, has zero maintenance for "life", lasts forever, has higher EPA MPG ratings, and you can't get it out of Park without the key unless you really know what you're doing. The manual has periodic clutch and slave cylinder maintenance, usually develops synchro failure just past 100K miles, has lower MPG ratings, and can be popped out of gear and rolled away in seconds.

I grew up with manuals too. Several manual pickups, two manual Wranglers, several manual Mustangs. Have a Mach 1 with a stick shift in the garage right now. But the fact is the 850RE transmission in the JL/JT is superior to the D478 transmission in almost every conceivable category. I guess that's why manuals in these 4x4s are seeing very low "take rate" and auto makers are thinking about cancelling them.

“Manually shifting” an automatic is about as rewarding as manually adjusting the volume of the radio. It’s video game mode for Millennials. Automatics lasting “for life” is an absolute JOKE. They may not be a guaranteed failure before 150k miles anymore, but most are still a crapshoot for a $4000 rebuild during the life of a vehicle...and I can replace a clutch 3 or more times for that cost.

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