Many were surprised when FoMoCo announced that that the 2021 Ford Bronco would be available with a manual transmission, given the fact that most automakers don’t bother to offer them in many vehicles these days. Take rates on manuals have declined rapidly in recent years as automatic transmissions become better and better, and it often feels like the manual is on borrowed time at this point. However, a relatively significant number of 2021 Ford Bronco buyers have opted for that model’s seven-speed gearbox thus far.
Roughly 25 percent of 2021 Ford Bronco owners have chosen the seven-speed manual transmission, Bronco Brand Chief, Mark Grueber, told Ford Authority Executive Editor, Alex Luft, in a recent interview. That’s particularly strong, especially given the fact that the manual is only available with Ford’s 2.3L EcoBoost I-4 – not the more popular 2.7L EcoBoost V6.
As Ford Authority reported yesterday, over 50 percent of Bronco buyers have opted for the Sasquatch Package so far. Earlier this year, Ford revealed some more interesting statistics surrounding the (at the time) 125,000 orders it had taken for the reborn SUV, including the fact that 66 percent of reservations were in fact converted to an order.
A whopping 73 percent of order holders opted for the larger four-door model, while 60 percent went for the 2.7L EcoBoost V6 over the smaller I-4. The four most expensive trim levels – Outer Banks, Badlands, Wildtrak, and First Edition – accounted for a significant 70 percent of those orders as well.
Another option that has proven to be rather popular is the molded-in color hardtop, which has unfortunately faced some quality issues in recent weeks after Ford’s supplier – Webasto – struggled to produce enough tops to fulfill demand. As a result, Ford will replace every MIC top that’s been produced so far, and has pushed all unscheduled Bronco orders to the 2022 model year.
We’ll have much more on the Bronco very soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Bronco news and non-stop Ford news coverage.
Ford reached out to Ford Authority on 9/7/2021 to clarify that the 25 percent figure relates to the two door take rate and that the overall manual take rate is currently at 15 percent. More information on that news can be found here.
Comments
I heard Ford fired Webasto. Any truth to that?
It’s partly true. They took the higher end hard tops away from them, but Webasto is still making the MIC hardtop.
Save the manuals! Take rate would be even higher if the 2.7 v6 and sasquatch package were compatible with the MT this year.
The take rate isn’t fully known yet as people who want a manual Sasquatch haven’t been aloud to place their order. My dealer said unless I remove the Sasquatch or manual that my order can’t be taken until later this year. I can’t be the only person who is still waiting to get their order processed and counted.
Completely agree with this statement. A Man-squatch with a 2.7 would be the bomb!
Why do you have all these pictures of 2dr soft tops? Are these all preproduction and just just didn’t take the option to production?
Huge manual transmission enthusiast here, very happy to see such a great take-rate for the Bronco. In my mind, this justifies keeping it around and, perhaps, offering it in more models (ahem, Ranger).
I’m honestly torn between a two door, manual Bronco base, and a Maverick XL AWD. I’ve wanted a two door, true SUV with a manual, and a compact crew cab pickup for as long as I can remember.
I even bought a GMC Sonoma crew cab, a decision I profoundly regretted due to its myriad of problems. (I also owned an older, 2 door/manual Isuzu Trooper, which is how I came to appreciate that combination). So, a new truck with a warranty and all the capability I need in such a vehicle is great. And the fact that its priced like a Corolla, + MPG a Sonoma or old Frontier CC could only dream of, certainly doesn’t hurt.
You’ve given me quite the conundrum, Ford! I really wanted my first new vehicle to have a manual transmission (being a Ford is just a bonus), but the compact Maverick is the answer to a question I’ve asked for years.
BTW, I totally get why Maverick doesnt offer a manual. It could not possibly justify the costs, whereas obviously it was worth coming up with one (via Getrag) for Bronco.
The take rate on Sasquatch package was 50%. If the manual was available with SAS, probably 50% of those would have opted for it. So the take rate would have been 50% overall. In vehicles like this, there is still a market for manual transmissions. Probably more so initially since a lot of enthusiast or Bronco purist are buying. Down the line, it’s probably still a 25% take.
Once Ford offers the V6 with the manual transmission I’ll covert my reservation to an order which also has the Sasquatch package. I’m not going to spend $50,000+ and not be happy. In the meantime I’ll keep upgrading my 2007 Wrangler Rubicon!
I’m going to get a new truck, looking at Rangers, F-150, and going to check out Broncos want regular cab Red in color loaded
why no manual v6? jeep has one