There’s no easy way to say this. The 2025 Jeep Gladiator will not be available with a manual transmission. It’s a sad development, but one we fear previews something much worse.
This detail came amidst the usual announcements for the new model year. The note spun it as a good thing, or at least a neutral one. “Exclusively equipped with standard eight-speed automatic transmission,” read the press release. Thus, one realizes by implication—the manual must be done for.
This development leaves the US market with just one manual-transmission pickup still on sale—the Toyota Tacoma. Let’s examine why this happened, and what it could mean for the future of the Wrangler, too.
As reported by Motor1, Jeep made a simple statement on why it eliminated the manual transmission. It’s the usual tale, putting the blame on low take rates and the better capabilities of the automatic.
“The 2025 Jeep Gladiator will exclusively feature a high-tech eight-speed automatic transmission to maximize the best-in-class V-6 towing and payload capability demanded by our mid-size truck customers. This configuration is chosen by most Gladiator owners today, and best matches the specific capability and expectations customers tell us they want in an open-air Jeep pickup truck. The iconic, flagship Jeep Wrangler will continue to offer a manual transmission as part of its 80-plus year of heritage and for Jeep brand customers who appreciate the involvement of a manual gearbox.”
-Jeep spokesperson
Jeep hasn’t actually provided any figures on the manual transmission take rate. It’s presumed to be fairly low compared to the eight-speed automatic, but the exact numbers aren’t publicly available. The Autopian has contacted Jeep for comment on this detail, though perhaps with the expectation that Stellantis won’t give us exact figures.
In any case, there’s one more reason we can think of why Jeep might be eliminating the manual in the Gladiator. It’s the simple fact that it was horribly unreliable for a good many customers. In May this year, we reported on the fact that Jeep couldn’t get a basic stick shift right for the Wrangler and Gladiator. Multiple model years had issues with overheating pressure plates, leading to numerous recalls. In the worst cases, the pressure plates would literally fracture and destroy the transmission housing, with hot fragments actually starting fires in some extreme cases.
Jeep’s initial fix was a software modification. This caused further problems for some customers, whose vehicles repeatedly told them their transmission was overheating, cutting engine power in turn. Jeep later admitted a physical fix was necessary, and started rolling out clutch replacements and further updates. OEM replacement parts were scarce at times, and many frustrated owners ended up installing aftermarket clutch kits instead, some of whom were able to get Jeep to foot the bill.
While Jeep has been making progress on the recall, it’s easy to understand why it might want to wash its hands of the whole thing. With thousands of manual Gladiators already put out into the wild and requiring repairs, it makes sense that you might want to stop building more just in case there are further problems down the line.
What Of The Wrangler?
The thing is, the Gladiator and the Wrangler both share the same six-speed manual transmission. That naturally gave us concern that the Wrangler might face a similar fate. As per Jeep’s statement above, that’s not happening right now. The company has said you’ll still be able to get a Wrangler with three pedals and a stick (in fact, it’s the only option on the V6).
Regardless, one still has some misgivings. With the Gladiator dropping the three-pedal option, Jeep will be manufacturing less manuals going forward. That’s going to hurt the economies of scale. As the number of manual-equipped Jeeps trends downwards, it’ll be harder to justify the costs of keeping the manual in production for the Wrangler. Add on the headaches Jeep has had with the manuals, and one wonders how much longer it can continue.
Jeep sold 156,581 Wranglers in the US last year. 67,429 of those were the 4xe hybrid model, which definitely doesn’t have the manual. We don’t have a breakdown for the other 89,152 units regarding which engine and transmission options they shipped with. We do know that figure is split between the 2.0-liter turbo and the 3.6-liter V6, and only a subset of the latter could be had with a manual. Speculating wildly, it’s probably somewhere in the tens of thousands a year. That’s still a good number of manual Jeeps leaving the factory annually. The higher that number is, the more likely the manual is to stick around.
Given the history of the model, perhaps the Wrangler will hang on to the manual for some to come. The take rate is likely quite a bit higher than the Gladiator, and for now, Jeep seems happy for it to continue. Ideally, new production won’t have the same failure rates as recent model years.
Still, it’s never nice to see another manual model fall by the wayside. When it’s a model that’s paired so closely that shares similar parts, it’s all the more concerning. For now, the manual Wrangler rolls on. Long may it reign.
Image credits: Jeep
I appreciate a good manual transmission as much as the next enthusiast. I even currently own a JKUR with a manual. If the JL/JT manual is anything like the one in the JK (might even be worse based on the above), it is not one that will be missed. A real truck (one doing work rather than posing) is much better, more effective, and more efficient with an automatic. Off roading (real off roading rather than posing) is much better with an automatic (name one scenario where a clutch is preferable to a torque converter on difficult terrain). A Jeep with a manual has its place, but those that can appreciate it are vanishingly rare. Also, and I can’t stress this enough, the manual they gave us was utter garbage in the JK (literally the worst I think I’ve ever experienced), and sounds even worse in the current generation. If the Miata went auto only, it would be a travesty. This is a correction.
More feedback with a clutch. Easy to tell when the engine is starting to bog and needs more throttle. I see lots of people with automatics have no idea what the torque converter is doing so they give it too much or not enough gas.
That’s an interesting point, because it shows how a manual can *train drivers* to drive better. Spectre6000 is right that a torque converter is a great choice when off roading, but that’s assuming all drivers are equal…. (that’s not meant to be as snarky as it sounds, I drive manuals on difficult terrain, and I really rely on being able to clutch out when things aren’t doing what I want).
Had a manual Wrangler Rubicon JLU, TERRIBLE manual. It was fun to rip around during Covid with no commute but a terribly Highway and otherwise commuting car. Heavy, giant rolling stock, torque less bottom end V6… that’s not the car you should have to rev the nuts off of.
I’m sure it’s far better in the 2 door, the 4 door is just too damn heavy.
The Jeep Gladiator/Wrangler manual is objectively the worst way to buy it. Chrysler tried to “soften” the manual experience with an overly soft dual disc clutch that slips and burns out with the slightest abuse. It has a terrible mushy overly soft pedal AND shifter feel that makes it unpleasing to drive. Countless complaints.
It’s literally self-sabotage.
It’s still better than the auto, but agreed; they blew it from the JK.
What are you on about? The ZF8 in the Wrangler is butter smooth and works well. I get that some autos suck, but the ZF8 is a great transmission in the Wrangler.
I mean, it is pretty bad, so…
I don’t offroad or rock crawl so would a traditional manual be that much of an advantage vs some paddles for all but the most extreme scenarios or do people just like it more?
Well it is a Stellantis product. When it inevitably breaks a manual will be easier to rebuild.
So, remember their near $40 million dollar CEO was complaining about how no-one likes them?
Yeah… add this to the list.
So…explain again why the automatic-configured Wranglers are losing the V6 engine?
The 8-speed in the gladiators is a truly fantastic automatic, no regrets having one. Jeep dropped the ball with the manual in the Gladiator. I mean, come on, a JL, JLU, and JT all sharing the same 6-speed? They’ve been under a recall for years now with no viable fix.
Classic case of “oh, no one wants a manual so we stopped making them, never mind the fact that the one we offered was garbage.”
I would want one, hell I would not buy a jeep without one.
The JL manual is so terrible that it really isn’t much of a loss, other than as an indicator of the times we’re in.
Terrible clutch pedal. Terrible shifter feel and a short throw cable shifter like its a compact sports car. Terrible gear ratios.
It’s like they wanted to punish you for buying the manual.
I sold my last Jeep in 2018 but owned a wide range before that (YJ, TJ, LJ, XJ, etc.). I modified and off roaded each one. Over the years, I went from manual to automatic and honestly never looked back. Do I still want a manual in a sports car? Yes, I do. Off roaders or trucks? Nope. So I’m fine with this!
Well said and I completely agree, my first 4 off road trucks were manual the next 3 and current were autos and never again.
the big question then is were they really offroaders, or just driven down an occasional muddy Gravel road?
I have access to a couple of spare T90 3 speed manuals if anybody wants to convert. Mine held up well to a small block with 300 ft lb of torques.
Jeep in general actually needs to get with the Bronco group and use the 7 speed from the bronco in all jeeps equipped with manuals. Perhaps the commodity of scale pricing will make that one easier to keep around for both brands.
I think not having it, even if the sales are really small results in a lot of negative press regardless.
This may be a personal problem, but the Aisin manual they put in the JL and JT isn’t much fun to use. It has a mushy, vague feel (at least the one I drove did). The NSG370 I had in my JKs was not exactly smooth, but it was at least sort of engaging in an agrarian fashion.
Fully agreed. It’s like they got a focus group together of the people who hated manuals and asked them what the JL manual should be like.
“Can I get a terrible compound bow style assisted clutch pedal and a vague short throw cable shifter please? And do you think you could give it a terrible gear ratio split?”
I got to drive JKs and JLs a lot. I drove a manual JK as often as I could. I drove a manual JL only if I had to.
Yeah, I forgot to mention the clutch feel was terrible. It was really hard to feel the engagement point, which certainly made sense of when the news started talking about Jeep dealers getting flooded with JTs with roasted clutches.
I will not buy a Jeep without a stick unless it’s a full ev.
I’m guessing this is the ZF 8HP gearbox in the Auto Wranglers/Gladiators? Wow I wish I had shares in ZF, with that ‘box in everything from Rolls Royce Phantom to and Iveco van….
And who makes the Manual gearbox?
There are a few variants. FCA/Now STLA makes their own version as the 845RE and 850RE. That goes in non-hybrid Wranglers (and just about all V6 STLA products). the hybrids and V8s get a ZF built 8HP75. But they’re all the ZF design.
I wonder if the combined woes of Stellantis being Stellantis, and competition from Ford’s Bronco (also offered with a 6/7MT), and the Toyota Tacoma (which also offers a 6MT) putting pressure on the rather small offroad-ish vehicle market. Especially now that any charm of “new and shiny” has worn off the Gladiator.
Stellantis is taking one beating after another lately..
This won’t make any existing manual transmissions suddenly vanish or stop working, right? Then I don’t really care.
Software? In a MT, especially the clutch! There’s the problem, the last manual I drove had an interlock that required to be in Neutral and with clutch pedal down. Why? Because doofus drivers don’t know how to drive them. Clutch is IN or OUT, you don’t slip it except starting and even then not much. Half million miles, in four MT, never replaced a cultch, that’s what the hand brake is for—starting on hills.
6 speed Challenger has hill control options. I can’t imagine the Jeeps don’t.
They have had hill start control since at least the JK.
And it SUCKS compared to pretty much any other hill assist in a MT…
The brake disengages based on the wheel speed sensors (or times out after about a second) so you have to overpower the brakes AND gravity.
The Subarus and Fiat I’ve driven with hill assist all worked based on the throttle pedal and are almost completely invisible to the driver.
The only positive I can say for JEEP’s implementation is that they gave you a setting to turn it off!
I never found it to be that bad in my JKs, but since 60+% of the miles I put on them was off-road, I was mostly happy to have anything at all to help when I was crawling up a steep hill or rock shelf. I haven’t sampled Fist’s implementation, but you are correct that the Subaru implementation is pretty seamless.
I was just at an off road park last night with my buddy and his 49 cj and my 12 JKU. I was saying that I would not want a manual wrangler unlimited but would love a small hot hatch with a manual. I switched to an automatic for off-roading about 3 jeeps ago and now would not want to go back to a manual. I do want manuals to be sold in theory and nostalgia. I also thought the automatic cost $4500 more on a wrangler as an option. It was only a $1125 option on my 2012.
I like MTs as much as the next guy, but they don’t have much place in a 4WD truck. An auto crawls better and tows better – and that’s what you’d buy one of these for. Anyone whos wheeled with a stick knows that it can be pretty frustrating – 2-footing is harder, you have to worry about burning the clutch up on climbs unless you’re geared to high hell and back, and if you stall in deep water, you can’t do anything but get someone to pull you out.
Well, that’s what about 10% of owners buy these for, anyway.
I’ve only wheeled with stick and it’s half of the fun. Why are people even out there if they just have one hand on the wheel and the other on a latte?
I know, right. And they’re using full locking diffs and lifts. F all of that. It aint wheel’n unless your 2wd on an open diff with stock clearance and wheels. Like a damn LLV. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Thank you. This is my point about manuals in general.
I’ve been taking stick shift Jeeps to Moab for 21 years and have never once been frustrated with the transmission.
I wouldn’t worry. As you mentioned, Jeep went out of their way to make an enthusiast spec Wrangler with the V6 that’s only available as a manual. For pretty much anyone who frequents this site that’s far and away the most desirable combination anyway, so for once they seem to know what they’re doing.
If you still find yourself concerned about the state of the stick in the Wrangler then go buy one. Jeep literally made a configuration just for us and at the end of the day what a tragically large quantity of enthusiasts don’t seem to get is we have to…you know, buy cars if we want them to stay alive. Waiting 5 years to pick one up secondhand doesn’t help the cause….
Right now according to autotrader, there are 842 new jeeps (wranglers and gladiators) available to purchase right now with a manual, vs 52,002 with automatics.
So how much of this is dealers requesting autos because they are easier to sell vs stelantis desperately trying to not make/sell the manuals to save money?
Exactly. The dealers are just as much of a problem. They know that if somebody asks for a manual, they can probably be convinced to take an automatic that is on the lot. Or they offer to order the manual and you wait.
Believe me, If I could have 10 manual gladiators on the lot right now I would.
Stellantis offers different dealers different allocations. We’re a small one in the middle of rural Ohio, where stickshifts DO still sell well. But the lions share of stickshift ones that do sell quickly are the base sport models. If I have to buy 4 Overlands to get allocation for 1 stickshift sport, it makes it a tough scenario. Luckily, Wranglers and Gladiators get built very quickly when someone custom orders, so we always have that option.
But man, If I had a dozen or so base stickshift gladiators sitting here, I’d have them all gone by the time we sell our next Grand Wagoneer.
As a former gladiator owner, i want to say- Jeep dropped the ball. People asked about a regular or extended cab- no, heres a super crew cab only. Longbed? Nope, shortbed only. Diesel? Sure, but not for long. And it has less towing because cooling. V8? Nope! Even though itnbolts into the wrangler and the wranglers offered with it. A 5.7 would have been perfect.
The gladiator was a bunch of compromises, and lack of options to make it more ‘truck’and less ‘wrangler’. The OG gladiator/J-trucks were real trucks. The MJ could be had witg higher payload capacity. But the gladiator, while it could tow, was not a happy tower. It was a truck for those that needed a bed now and then. Yeah, we used the bed. But when I needed to tow things that should have been easy? Nah, used my dads F150.
I wish they would’ve just facelifted a ram, then it would have at least done truck stuff well. But the gladiator sucks at everything.
Remember when Apple removed charging bricks and everyone got mad and Samsung blasted them with ads about how their phones still came with bricks? Do you also remember how at the very next release of their flagship the charging bricks disappeared from the boxes?
Their statement means nothing.
I think its funny that the last pickup with a manual option sold in America, is Japanese.
Further proof Toyota is better than American companies. Sorry guys.
Considering the taco is na market only, I’d consider it pretty damn American
NO.