I’m a purist when it comes to manual transmissions. If a car is or was available with a manual transmission from new, I wouldn’t buy it with an automatic, even if the automatic was cheaper or the better choice for reliability, fuel economy, or driver feedback (not that automatic gearboxes are usually more reliable than stick shifts). I simply love the feel and control that comes with rowing your own gears.
That choice is harder and harder to make these days for new car buyers, as the availability of manual transmissions dwindles. Out of the hundreds of new cars for sale in America, there are currently just 23 available with stick shifts. That number has only gone down in the past decade, but in a shocking twist, it could be growing by one.
According to the guy who runs the off-roading division at Jeep, the Gladiator pickup truck is actually getting its stick shift back, following its discontinuation a couple of years ago. I know, I’m just as surprised as you are.
The news comes from CarBuzz, which spoke with Aamir Ahmed, Jeep’s head of off-road and EVs at the company’s recent Easter Jeep Safari event. While talking about the Wrangler’s six-speed manual and its 100:1 crawl ratio (when equipped with the 4.88:1 axle), he dropped this bomb:
“We have another car that looks like a Wrangler that’s getting its manual back. Stay tuned.”
While Ahmed doesn’t come out and say it’s the Gladiator that’s getting its manual back, there’s only one Jeep in the current lineup that looks like the Wrangler and has previously had an available stick shift. Jeep killed off the manual Gladiator back in September 2024, telling Motor1 that the eight-speed auto paired to the Pentastar V6 “is chosen by most Gladiator owners today, and best matches the specific capability and expectations” of its customers.
In that statement to Motor1, Jeep pointed customers who desired a manual to look to the Wrangler, which has continued to offer a stick shift throughout its existence, to this day. To me, this suggested that the Gladiator wouldn’t be coming back any time soon, if ever.
Yet, here we are. Ahmed didn’t give a reason for the decision to CarBuzz, and my email to Jeep for some clarification has gone unanswered as of this writing. Of course, there’s plenty of room to speculate here. CarBuzz thinks the manual may have been dropped in 2024 to simplify production during the truck’s refresh that year, and it’s now just catching up to being able to offer the manual again.
They also considered the fact that Jeep no longer has to worry about stuff like fuel economy and fleet-wide EPA averages, since the federal government stopped issuing penalties to automakers that no longer meet those requirements. But the manual Gladiator achieved the same combined EPA rating as the eight-speed auto, so I don’t really buy that as a possible reason.
It’s entirely plausible that Jeep execs are just hardcore enthusiasts who want to see a Gladiator with three pedals on sale, bottom line be damned. CarBuzz did mention that Ahmend spoke fondly of the stick shift when it comes to off-roading, after all. Anything’s possible.
Either way, this makes me incredibly happy. It’s super-rare to see a manual car on sale from a brand at all at this point, much less to see a brand revive one from the dead after previously axing it from the lineup. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this happen in the decade I’ve been writing about cars, unless we’re talking about cars gaining a manual once they get heavily refreshed or replaced (cars like the BMW Z4 and the Toyota Supra come to mind).
The manual Gladiator’s return also means the Tacoma is no longer the only stick-shift truck you can buy. I’m sure this is terrible news for the extremely small sect of manual Tacoma owners who were planning to store their trucks in climate-controlled garages in the hopes they might one day explode in value.
Top graphic images: Jeep
While this is good news, I wish they’d expand the manual transmission offering to the turbo 4 cylinder as well for the Wrangler.
I have a Gladiator with a stick. You are not missing anything. I get the the gearing was set up for efficiency, not speed or acceleration. The engine revs are too low at 65mph and the aerodynamic resistance increases at a higher rate than the engine builds power until you are at 80-85mph.
The ratios are terrible for anything short of flat ground and no wind. Even the hills on the Mass Turnpike require down shifts to 5th. At highway speeds, 6th-4th are each about 500rpm’s apart, and then 3rd is a huge 1500rpm jump. Add a 2500lb(dry) camper and you are in 4th gear most of the time. If you do get the manual, regear right to get 6th down to 5th.
When I bought it I thought the Gladiator would be like my CJ8 Scrambler compared to a CJ7. The comparison is wrong. The Gladiator is not a Wrangler with a bed, it is a small pick up that looks like a Wrangler.
The 8 speed is a great combo with the 6cyl.
But I do love being able to run to the lumber yard with the top down…
Guessing the Rubicon axles/gears would be a HUGE upgrade in livability?
Another factor to take into consideration is that to my knowledge, the auto had a significantly higer towing capacity than the stick. Since towing is often one of the factors that truck people cite when choosing what to buy, this probably came into play to some extent with the decision to axe it in the first place in favor of the auto, especially if it was due to manufacturing constraints.
I went on a bit of a deep dive on Gladiators recently, and determined that (as much as it kills me to say this as a manual elitist jerk) the 8 speed seems better matched to the Gladiator than the 6 speed. Why? Gearing and the Pentastar. Apparently, you really had to rev the heck out of these things to make any forward momentum, where the 8 speed had more ratios to play with. Match that with a relatively long and imprecise shifter and clutch and that was that. The smaller Wrangler (especially the 2-door) is a much better place for that transmission.
If/when they bring it back to the Gladiator, I hope they put some better gearing in it to help with the powerband.
I’m confused… if you have to rev the heck out of them, that implies you want high revs… which more gears wouldn’t help with. More gears keep revs low.
Higher gear ratio multiplies torque. That would prevent needing to rev out the Pentastar.
A buddy has a manual Gladiator, and he always says it’s the worst manual he’s ever driven, but it’s still a manual and he still wants it over any auto
Spoken like a true MEJ. I have a manual Gladiator Rubicon that I bought in July 2019, so I’ve been through all the pressure plate recalls. I never had any issues with mine, but I did get a free brand new clutch at 60,000 miles as the final fix (fingers crossed). I had a manual 2015 Wrangler Unlimited and the Rubicon gearing helps a lot, but I still wouldn’t own an automatic, even after driving numerous ones as rentals and loaners. It’s not that bad. If you compare it to a Porsche, BMW, Ferrari, etc., sure, it’s terrible. The 3.6 likes to rev and has very little torque, but it makes power all the way up to redline (6,500 RPM, IIRC). It’s still better than driving any automatic. Comments like Rippstik made will get you the ban hammer on Manual Elitist Jerks.
Shhhhhh… just because I said better matched doesn’t mean I would go that direction. I would just go with the rubicon axles on a sport S to make it more livable.
I am just hoping that Jeep throws some gears at the base models to make it more enjoyable.
I agree for a stock Wrangler. Change out the axle ratios for lower ones and it’s not really a problem.
While it’s time and money, for people who are gonna mod their Jeeps heavily anyways they won’t notice it. If you plan on putting on taller tires you should put in lower gearing anyways, so what’s the harm in making it a little lower to compensate for the high transmission ratios?
Why did they ever take it away? To me a manual is nearly as synonymous with off roaders as it is lightweight roadsters. I don’t know that I’d say it’s vital to the experience like it is in something like a Miata but IMHO you really should be able to option it in a car like a Wrangler.
They had big reliability issues too. Those might be resolved
I mean Stellantis taketh away and Stellantis uh….also taketh away
Definition of insanity, etc.
Reliability issues in a Stellantis product? I find that hard to believe.
My understanding is that while auto manufacturers sell fewer manuals, they sell ALL the ones they produce. It has a near guaranteed take rate.
I also feel like the killing of the hybrid model and the incentive that made people buy the hybrid model affected transmission choice.
Don’t automakers ultimately sell every vehicle they produce?
There might be a couple new Journeys or Darts still kicking around on dealer lots somewhere that call that into question.
Short answer? No.
Long answer? Stellantis.
The trick is selling them at prices that turn a profit.
The Pontiac Aztek and Plymouth Superbird/Dodge Charger Daytona were hidden on lots when new.
People never believe the superbird thing. I knew an old man that had one. He just walked in and looked around the lot and they gave him a deal because they couldn’t sell it. He traded it in a few years later because it didn’t have ac. Said it was one of his biggest regrets.
Real shame that.
Even with all the problems I would have bought a 2 door Wrangler 4xe if they would have made one.
The new Turbo 4 cylinder in the new Cherokee looks pretty damn good, trade the 8 speed auto for a planetary e-CVT and a transfer case with a proper low range and it would be a much better hybrid and better Jeep than the old 4xe.
When the revised GRZ twins came out, they built a lot more automatics and they would often sit on the lots for a bit while manuals were sold before they arrived at an upcharge (except in my case, I really lucked out, but it also pays to be cheap as I wanted a manual base GR86 in Neptune blue and got one of the first off the boat while the premium trim of the same was nearly unobtainable for about a year). I thought that was a dumb move by forecasting as a new sports car is going to sell to the more purists first, so they should have skewed manual until supplies started to catch up, then switch the mix to more autos.