Jeep Considering Ditching Manuals For New Wrangler

2016 Jeep Wrangler (Credit: Jeep)

A new generation of the Jeep Wrangler is coming in 2018. Anything and everything Jeep does will be highly scrutinized, including any rumored decisions it might be making.

On JLWranglerForums.com there’s a rumor that Jeep is considering not even offering a manual transmission for the Wrangler. Different users say that the company is asking how owners would feel about that kind of a change.

Some people think this means Jeep will ditch even offering a manual as an option. Even if management is considering the option, that doesn’t mean they’ll go forward with it. If you’re a Jeep fan and don’t like the idea, contact Jeep and let it know why.

Jeep definitely wants to keep its faithful happy, although it can’t ignore progress. Another possibility that’s being floated is a three-speed transfer case. Would that even keep everyone happy?

Sadly, most modern Jeeps are automatics. People these days don’t want to row through the gears themselves, especially when they’re trying to stay in the right spot of a difficult trail. The rumor right now is that all Wranglers will be fitted with an 8-speed automatic, and 8 out of 10 people would be okay with that.

If Jeep does kill the manual tranny for the Wrangler, purists will have to stick with older models. Pretty much all other modern off-roaders have gone the same way, leaving really no alternatives.