It has been less than two years since Jeep killed the manual-equipped Gladiator. At the time, the automaker said most Gladiator buyers opted for the automatic transmission, which wasn’t a surprise. Manual transmissions aren’t popular, but it now appears the automaker is reconsidering its decision.
In an interview with CarBuzz, Aamir Ahmed, Jeep’s global head of off-road and EVs, said, "We have another car that looks like a Wrangler that’s getting its manual back. Stay tuned.” While he didn’t specifically mention the Gladiator, we doubt Ahmed was talking about the new electric Recon.
Jeep discontinued offering the six-speed manual transmission in the Gladiator for the 2025 model year. The company said that the eight-speed automatic maximized “the best-in-class V6 towing and payload capability demanded by our mid-size truck customers,” and that it was dropping the option. Jeep still offers a manual-equipped Wrangler.
The automaker has never disclosed the take rate for the manual-equipped Gladiator, but we expect it to be quite low. In the United States, less than 1.0 percent of new car sales were manual-transmission models, which are even falling out of popularity in Europe.
Motor1’s Take: Jeep’s decision to resurrect the manual-equipped Gladiator seems like a big move for very little gain. The truck’s starting price only increased by $200 between 2024 and 2025, so adding the manual back likely won’t reduce the price by a noticeable amount, unless Jeep is planning other cost-saving measures.
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Source: CarBuzz
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