Manual vs automatic

[Blacksport]

In stop and go traffic, the manual loses its appeal. In situations requiring frequent gear changes, same.
Stick shift is fun until it isn’t.
I’d go with the automatic and manually shift it if changing gears is your thing….

To each his own...Like I said, I wanted the V6, which only comes with a M/T. Besides, the auto adds $2500 AND a 4-cylinder engine...again, to each his own, but not for me. Yeah, stop & go is a pain, but I do have C8 Corvette, which is (unfortunately) auto only, but is extremely comfortable in traffic. IMO, NO clutch - NO fun!

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[SadRobot]

I will say that the M/T climbs rocks very well. I know the auto is probably "easier" but it's not as hard as some people make it out to be. I have a 2024 Rubi and it's got the 100:1 crawl ratio. Put it in 1st gear and it damn near will climb up a vertical wall. The Jeep does 95% of the the work for me. It's pretty effortless imo.

That's another reasons I suggested @kyrob get the auto when he said he was looking at a Sport or Willys. He said he had no plans to offroad but that's what I said when I got my Sport and now I regret not buying a Rubicon. The 6MT T-case is not fun offroad. If I put my Jeep in 1st gear 4lo it's not gonna drive up anything without hitting the gas.

 

[TikiRick]

If you go manual, sticking to a Willys or a Rubicon with the lower gearing is a solid plan...as has been said, the gears in the other trims are pretty tall, which will make learning more difficult.

The other thing that makes it harder to learn on a JL is the flywheel. With the auto stop/start, they made the flywheel lighter to reduce wear on the starter motor (which now has to start the engine way more often). A lighter flywheel does make less work for the starter motor, but less rotational inertia means more revs to get you going from a stop. Not a big deal if you're good at driving stick, but it will mean more heat and wear while you're learning, which is where their new software (meant to keep you from overheating the clutch) may show up....

That said, I still like driving my manual (and will like it even more after it's re-geared to 4.56 in two weeks!), but it sounds like the automatic is a great transmission (I have not had the opportunity to drive one).

Whichever way you go, enjoy the ride!

 

[Aonarch]

The manual is one of the worst I've ever driven. Its cable operated and feels very poor, the clutch is not the best either. I also would smack my hand into the dash, especially on 3rd gear shifts. Super light flywheel, weird programming, not the greatest ratios, pressure plate woes. The whole thing is a mess.

Meanwhile the automatic offering is the ZF8 speed, one of the best automatics in the business.

It is a no-brainer to me, go with the automatic.

 

[RubiSc0tt]

I've driven manual trans all my life including heavy trucks, and the JL manual just sucks.

The clutch and pedal have springs for people with weak and skinny legs. Light as a feather.
The friction zone begins with the clutch pedal about 1/4" off the floor, it feels like. Had to get used to depressing the clutch just about all the way between shifts.
The shifter changes gears with cables, making for an imprecise and rubbery feeling. It's no longer a top-loader with the stick going straight into the gearbox.
The clutches were under recall for quite some time; early failures are well documented.

The ratios are stupid with the 3.45 gearing. First is decently low, but the rest are too tall and far apart. 6th is basically unusable, 5th is for the highway only, and you'll be grabbing 4th just to ascend rolling grades to maintain speed at 60-65mph. (Again, 3.6L engine with 3.45's)

The JK manual before it was worlds better. If you do go with the manual, I'd set aside money for regearing if you have 3.45's and plan to do anything with larger tires or taking it off-road.

As someone who has only had manuals and currently has a manual JL.... save yourself the headache and get yourself an auto.

The stock clutch on the JL is a mess. The software they use to keep the pressure plate from exploding causes all sort of problems. Also something else to think about is that dealership "techs" don't know how to work on manual transmissions so if you have any issues at all taking it to a dealer has a high probability of them not being able to fix what went wrong.

Both of these. 100%. Short story is Jeep fucked up with this iteration of the manual transmission.

Both my TJ's were manuals. I am a die hard manual transmission guy. I've driven both, and the Auto is the better transmission.

I love my Jeep. I still have fun with the manual transmission SOMETIMES. But more often than not, THIS manual transmission sucks the fun out of driving it. The upgraded Clutch and flywheel help it a lot but apparently the slave cylinder can't keep up with that, and you can follow @SadRobot ' s thread on their woes from there if you want a good read. I'm starting to see some of that a year later, with it not going into gear fully and having to double clutch, etc. Likely going to have it looked at by my shop in the near future.

Will a buy another manual transmission? Maybe in something older. But not in another JL.

 

[SadRobot]

Both of these. 100%. Short story is Jeep fucked up with this iteration of the manual transmission.

Both my TJ's were manuals. I am a die hard manual transmission guy. I've driven both, and the Auto is the better transmission.

I love my Jeep. I still have fun with the manual transmission SOMETIMES. But more often than not, THIS manual transmission sucks the fun out of driving it. The upgraded Clutch and flywheel help it a lot but apparently the slave cylinder can't keep up with that, and you can follow @SadRobot ' s thread on their woes from there if you want a good read. I'm starting to see some of that a year later, with it not going into gear fully and having to double clutch, etc. Likely going to have it looked at by my shop in the near future.

Will a buy another manual transmission? Maybe in something older. But not in another JL.

Last year I had a crazy idea I wanted to buy a TJ and test drove one and that clutch/stick felt way more normal than my JL ever has.

 

[wreck99]

Did you regear in order to put the 35s on?

I have not regeared. It still drives great almost a year later since installing the 35s. When I go to 37s I may regear but we will see how it feels first. Currently im at 2100 rpm at 70 in 6th gear. 2400 in 5th gear at 70. Still plenty of pick up to get out of the way and performs flawlessly offroad on the rocks.

 

[SlickRicksWilly]

If you want a manual get it. Since you have little experience driving manuals I recommend finding one and test driving it first.

I have driven only manual transmissions for my DD since 2004. The Jeep JL manual is by far the worst manual transmission I have driven but after a while you get a "feel" for it. The clutch and gas pedal are so light they don't give any real feedback so it's different from any other manual I have driven. The automatic is great, but auto park drives me nuts. If I had to get another JL I would still get a manual transmission.

 

[Badunit]

I applaud you for wanting to learn how to drive a manual. I had to laugh at "I have NEVER driven stick shift before but in theory I know how". In theory I know how to do a whole lot of things, but real life proves me wrong. Learning how to drive in urban traffic will be challenging and nerve wracking, but you'll get a lot of practice with the clutch and shifting in a short period of time.

I went looking for a Jeep (Gladiator in this case) a few years ago because I wanted a small truck and it was one of the few trucks still sold with a manual transmission. I far prefer manuals over automatics. But then I drove it and hated it. The clutch felt weak and weird and grabbed at a strange place. I've driven manuals all my life but I kept stalling this one. I figured I'd probably get used to it but wasn't so sure I wanted to. Also, the shifter was just out of my reach. It is fine to be a little out of reach if its an automatic because you only touch it once in a while but you need it comfortably at hand if its a manual. it required me to stretch or lean forward to reach it.. It was not comfortable. Plus I felt like I was going to jam my fist into the dash when shifting, it is so close. And, lastly, with the limited low-end torque of the 3.6L, I was concerned I would have to be downshifting too much on the highway vs it being able to pull most little hills in high gear. The automatic has to downshift for little hills but it is seamless; barely noticeable. I bought an automatic. That didn't make me happy, I really wanted a manual, but I think I would have had more issues with the manual.

 

[AK66]

If you've never driven a stick, starting with a JL manual will be disappointing to you, I'm afraid. It takes time to get used to even for lifetime stick users.
I'd suggest getting an auto JL. And, if you really want to have some fun rowing your own gears, get some cheap old VW or something and see if its yours. If not, sell it.

 

[JT1]

OP, I know you think you’re asking about the transmission. Then, in response, a lot of people here are replying about the clutch. Both conversations are fine.

However, in my humble opinion, that’s not really the game here.

The (EPA friendly) 3.45 differential gear ratios that you’ll find in the lower trim JLs are really the heart of this conversation. To wit:

• Don’t get a manual with a 3.45 gear ratio as the vehicle on which you’ll learn to drive a stick in commuter traffic. It will drive you absolutely insane. The lower gears are “too tall” for a gasoline powered car. You might get away with it on a diesel, but that’s not currently being offered. So you will stall. A lot.

• If you’re gonna buy such a thing anyway, then re-gear to 4.10 or 4.56 (possibly even 4.88) immediately. The reasons for, and the considerations of, have been much discussed in these forums. For example, Dana HD44 (10mm tubes vs. normal 7mm tubes) may have no problem going to 4.88, while a stock Dana 30 will become more prone to failure at numerically higher gear ratios (because the pinion is inherently smaller on a 30 to fit in the pumpkin, etc. etc.). Like I said, differential gearing is discussed exhaustively in other threads.

• The path of least resistance (and least research) is to just get a Rubicon. I’m not sure if they’re always 4.10. But they’re usually 4.10.

The Willys comes with Dana 44s front and rear and 4.10s already.

If you won't go bigger than 35's, you're probably fine.

 

[Trout Slayer]

On the JL I have an auto trans and it has been quite responsive and problem free.
On the CJ I have a manual 6 speed and it serves me well on the race circuit.
On pavement the manual trans on the 911 is a dream to drive.

Test driving both trans on flat/hilly/congested situations will give the OP a better idea for what feels better under their butt.
What feels good to one person might seem like shit to another.

 

[Ratbert]

I just show your posts to my 6 year old on what it's like to be immature. I have higher expectations for a boomer.

Did this Gen Xer say something inappropriate? How was it immature? Was it less mature than attempting and failing to shame someone for being part of a generation that they're not part of?

To be clear: the previous posts were very clearly trashing manuals. I was merely giving you the opportunity to provide a rosier perspective.

 

[Ratbert]

Been almost 25 years since I have owned a manual trans. Don't miss it.

Oh, I definitely miss driving good manuals. You're significantly more connected with the vehicle and the road.

 

[SlickRicksWilly]

If you've never driven a stick, starting with a JL manual will be disappointing to you, I'm afraid. It takes time to get used to even for lifetime stick users.

If OP has never driven a stick how will he be disappointed? He has no frame of reference of how awesome they can feel. Maybe he will think it's the best, he will tell all his friends how easy and awesome it is, he will be excited that it doesn't have auto park, and that is $4k cheaper, he could be the savior of the manual transmissions in new vehicles.

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