Manual vs automatic

[kyrob]

First time posting. I plan on getting a 2026 2door Willy’s next year. I’m having a hard time deciding between manual or automatic transmission. Here’s my deal. The jeep will be my daily driver but I only live like 5 minute drive to work. I live in a northern Michigan city in an area which is very hilly. I also plan to “joy ride” with it on summer days. I don’t plan on doing much off reading if any. I have NEVER driven stick shift before but in theory I know how. I like the idea of stick shift but also worry that with such a short commute to work it will take a long time to get use to and perhaps I wont enjoy it. If I don’t get manual then I will get a 2 door Willy’s with Xtreme 35inch package. Please tell me your thoughts!

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[Flip]

In the past, they had some issues with the manual transmission. I assume the issues have been corrected. I think it would be worth looking into. The automatic transmission seems to be pretty solid from what I've read over the years.

Best of luck my friend.

 

[SadRobot]

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.

 

[Ratbert]

Our manual transmission gets a lot of bad press on many fronts. Hopefully someone like @siggy will chime in to espouse its virtues so you can get a more balanced perspective.

Just don't dive in uninformed. You're taking the right approach by questioning it up front.

 

[Sparty]

If you get a manual, set aside some cash for an upgraded clutch.

 

[desmo2]

I have the manual transmission.

I do really enjoy driving it! If you are primarily driving for fun, shifting gears manually certainly adds to that experience. I bought my JLR for my local driver in retirement.

The JL clutch is a bit wonky at first. I was an experienced (albeit rusty) manual transmission driver, and I stalled the JL A LOT for a while. The clutch pedal had an odd let-off that was difficult to get the feel for. After a few thousand miles, however, the clutch broke in and was easy to use.

There were (are?) known issues with the JL clutch. While I never had issues with mine, it was replaced under recall with only 20k miles on it. My wife drove it home, but the dealership had something wrong and it was sometimes very difficult to shift into 2nd from 1st. I had to take it back in to correct it, which was a pain in my butt, but it has worked fine since.

I have read how great the AT is in the JL, and I have had second thoughts about my decision...but I do not regret it.

There are some off-road scenarios where a MT might be better, but for most off-roading, I think the AT would be better. Re-sale is another consideration, as driving a MT is a dying art. The vast majority of potential buyers want AT.

For ME, I would probably still get the MT if given the choice to do over. If you REALLY want a MT, they are fun to drive! For MOST, however, I would recommend the automatic transmission.

 

[JLGal]

I just picked up a manual transmission 2025 2 door sport two weeks ago. My last manual was a 2014 Willys, followed by a 2017 Rubicon automatic. I am on my sixth wrangler on and off over the past 30 years. I am having no issues with the clutch and really enjoy driving it. I am not planning on taking it off road (if I do, it will be light) and will do some commuting but mostly local run around driving with it. I did test drive the automatic and pretty quickly turned around and brought it back. I didn’t like it at all with the 2.0 compared to the 3.6. I’d strongly recommend driving both if you can before you order. Five minutes in the automatic made it an easy decision for me. Good luck!

 

[NWJeepr]

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.

 

[Twisted10]

auto. all my previous jeeps were manual and they sucked to drive daily.

i honestly dont think id have any manual as a daily. as a toy, sure.

 

[siggy]

Our manual transmission gets a lot of bad press on many fronts. Hopefully someone like @siggy will chime in to espouse its virtues so you can get a more balanced perspective.

Just don't dive in uninformed. You're taking the right approach by questioning it up front.

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.

 

[gek]

I had the luxury of having both in my garage for the last 3 years, but I just traded my manual Willys. Initially it was the worst manual I have driven. The clutch is too light and has almost zero feel. I changed to an ACT at around 15k miles and it made a huge difference. Clutch felt great. It made all the difference, however, there are issues with aftermarket clutches for every brand. After about 10-15k miles it will likely start making a croaking sound and then you'll experience issues shifting into first at stop signs/lights. Then it escalates to other gears later. Only fix seems to be to pull the trans and clean and relube the input shaft. On top of that you might experience issues with hydraulics that are notoriously hard to bleed.


I normally would never tell someone to get an auto over a manual, but I can't in this case. The manual is either terrible or a hassle, and the auto is possibly one of the best automatics I have ever driven.

 

[c20040215]

If you have to ask, auto is the answer.

 

[Ol’ Timey Manual SWB Guy]

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.

 

[Valpo Jeep]

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

 

[wreck99]

If you're considering manual, get it. I absolutely love mine. It's so fun to drive and it's amazing off-road. Since I couldn't put 35's on from the factory, I just upgraded after. So now I'm running 35's and can go most places no problem. I look forward to getting into my Jeep every day. For me, it's a childhood dream that finally came true. I've always wanted one but didn't have the opportunity until recently. I've driven many sticks over the years and I prefer it. Yes, the JL clutch is not the best but you adapt. Maybe someday I'll get an after market one, but other upgrades are more important to me. If you're considering the Willy's, it's a great package now. It's basically a Rubi lite and is super capable. I have a friend in our Jeep Club that's still stock on 33's with her Willy's and goes everywhere I go on the trail lol. It's so cool to watch. I would not recommend any trim below the Willy's because you need the 4.10 gearing for it to drive well. I don't know how anyone with the Sport or Sport S deal with the 3.45 gears.

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