Ford Bronco to Offer Manual Transmission

Ford heard the complaints of those who were in line for the Bronco and has added the manual transmission to the most off-road-capable forthcoming Bronco.

• Ford heard the call: they're going to offer a manual transmission in the 2021 Bronco equipped with the off-road Sasquatch package.
• The announcement follows months of pushing from enthusiasts to add the manual with this package.
• Nonetheless, the wait time for the Bronco hasn't changed; it'll go on sale next spring.

After months of petitions, tweets, articles, and likely every other form of communication you can voice your complaints through, Ford has announced it's giving the new Bronco equipped with the Sasquatch off-road package the option of a seven-speed manual transmission. Now, the Sasquatch package will be able to come from the factory with just about everything off-roaders want: 35-inch tires, an electronic transfer case, front and rear locking axles, a 1.2-inch lift, heavy-duty Bilstein shock absorbers, and now, a DIY gearbox.

The petition asking Ford to put a manual in Sasquatch-equipped Broncos garnered more than 11,500 signatures. The petition also asked Ford to make the 310-hp 2.7-liter EcoBoost V-6 available in Broncos with the Sasquatch package, and even perhaps mate the manual to that engine, but that doesn't appear to be the case. As with the other trim levels available with the manual transmission, it'll come with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost inline-four, projected to make 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque.

The Bronco configurator is slated to go live in October, and sales for both the two-door and four-door versions will begin next spring.