The Truth Behind 2020 Ford Bronco 7-Speed Manual Transmission
An insider information, a leak, a speculation, or a rumor that has spread like wildfire. This is where things stand at the moment unless Ford breaks its silence regarding the 7-speed manual transmission in its 2020 Ford Bronco.
In fact, no one other than people at Ford has the full details on the Bronco itself. What does it look like? Will it really have a manual transmission with seven gears like Porsche 911 Carrera and compete with the Jeep Wrangler?
Let’s Start With The Bronco
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the looming manual transmission for the 2020 Ford Bronco got people more excited about it.
Well, everyone will have to wait until 2020 for the grand reveal of the Ford Bronco or at the 2019 Dallas Motor Show at the earliest if we get lucky.
Scraping the details that Ford and sources have thrown far and between, dedicated auto blogs and websites were able to come up with an image of the highly anticipated Bronco:
- The design is boxy just like its 1960s predecessors.
- The size is a cross between the 1960s Bronco and 1980s Bronco 2 versions.
- Doors will be four, unlike Bronco 2’s two-door version.
- Hybrid powertrain.
- Not an Everest but a Ranger.
- Seven-speed manual transmission (?)
Seven-speed Manual Transmission
It’s a case of will the 2020 Ford Bronco get a seven-speed manual transmission or will it not. And if you have been following the saga closely, you’d know that the Bronco is touted to be up and against the Jeep Wrangler.
The Jeep Wrangler comes with a base two-door model as well as four doors. The engine is a 3.6-liter V6 to cross the Rubicon, perhaps. And it has a six-speed transmission.
While a few drivers are a bit confused about having a sixth on top of their five gears and what it does, some are happy cruising with the six-speed manual. Others find driving using manual transmissions in general as more immersive.
So, you can just imagine what happens if a car like the 2020 Ford Bronco indeed has a seven-speed manual transmission — that’s a gear above its “competitor” Jeep Wrangler!
The MT-88
Jalopnik is arguably the first to break the news about the seven-speed manual transmission. Its report, which has now been widely cited as the source, revealed that Getrag is working on Bronco’s manual transmission system.
Getrag or GETRAG is a company known for developing and producing drivetrain solutions for some of the world’s top car brands. It is part of Magna, one of the top automotive suppliers in the world by revenue.
Speaking to its own sources, the report went on to say that the system will be called MT-88 that refers to a seven-gear manual. The transmission system will go hand-in-hand with the 2.7-liter V6 engine for the Bronco.
Indeed, Getrag is in charge of Mustang’s transmission system that might be similar to the Bronco’s. A roundup of projects that Getrag’s employees, especially in its Chinese facility, also point to the existence of an MT-88.
If MT-88 is indeed the manual transmission for the 2020 Ford Bronco as it is in the same facility that developed the MT-82 for the Mustang, no one can confirm.
It’s a plan at best, as what the report intimated, and remains to be so until it comes to fruition.
