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When the world first learned that Ford would take on Jeep by reviving the Bronco, it welcomed the truck with open arms. And when the news broke that a manual transmission would be available, signs pointed at the rig being a winner for enthusiasts.
Given that it’s rare to see a manual in any new vehicle today, buyers who prefer to shift their own gears have been extremely receptive to the Bronco. And despite only being available with the smaller 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine today, the manual model’s take rate is impressive at roughly 15 percent.
That number was initially confirmed to Motor1 and, later, to The Drive by a Ford spokesperson. What’s more, the Bronco’s marketing manager Mark Grueber told Ford Authority in an interview that a quarter of all two-door Bronco buyers sprung for the stick shift. Keep in mind that only 1.1 percent of all auto sales involved cars with a manual transmission just a few years ago.
These numbers could climb even higher when the Sasquatch Package finally becomes available with a manual during the 2022 model year. You might remember that a petition was started and garnered more than 12,000 signatures after Ford initially said it wouldn’t pair those two features together, leading the Blue Oval to reconsider.
We won’t see a stick-shift mated to the Bronco’s more powerful 2.7-liter turbo V6, though, as a Ford spokesperson also confirmed to The Drive. That’s sort of an interesting choice given that 60 percent of Bronco buyers chose the larger V6 over the smaller 2.3-liter and that 50 percent of all orders have reportedly included the Sasquatch Package.
Interestingly, the Bronco’s four most expensive trim levels—Outer Banks, Badlands, Wildtrak, and First Edition—accounted for 70 percent of overall sales, though only the Badlands can be had with the manual in 2021.
Meanwhile, if you absolutely need a Bronco as quickly as possible, you can spec it as a soft-top four-door with the smaller 2.3-liter and the 10-speed automatic transmission. Sure, it’s sorta bland, but that’s the trade-off.
Update at 4:15 p.m. ET on 09/07/2021: This article initially stated that 25 percent of all Bronco buyers chose the manual transmission, as reported by Ford Authority. However, upon receiving clarification from Ford, we’ve updated it to show the correct figure, which is roughly 15 percent.
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