Ford recently listened to customer demand for the Bronco by making it possible to pair the off-road-oriented Sasquatch Package with a manual gearbox. Don’t look for the three-pedal setup to be available with the twin-turbo 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 anytime soon, though.
“So basically when you look at what’s going on in the marketplace with similar competitors products, the take-rates for models with manual transmissions is relatively low,” Bronco Chief Engineer Eric Loeffler told Ford Authority. “So what we wanted to do is to provide it to the traditional user that wants the manual transmission and wants to do things that are very technical that are afforded by the manual.”
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As a refresher, the Bronco’s 2.7-liter V6 is good for 310 horsepower (231 kilowatts) and 400 pound-feet (542 Newton-meters) of torque. It exclusively hooks up to a 10-speed automatic. The SUV is available with two four-wheel-drive systems. The standard one has a 2.72:1 ratio low range. The other offers on-demand 4H engagement and 3.06:1 ratio low range. With the optional Sasquatch package, the SUV gets locking differentials at the front and rear and a 4.7:1 final drive ratio.
The 10-speed automatic also includes Ford’s Trail Control system. The tech is basically cruise control for off-roading so that drivers can focus more on steering the vehicle.
Loeffler also told Ford Authority that offering the manual with the V6 on the Bronco was a matter of demand. “If customers start asking for it, we’ll end up having to consider it,” he said. If you’re desperate for this setup, then keep pestering the automaker, and maybe the seven-speed would become available with the bigger engine.
