Manual vs automatic

[Dgr401]

I have been driving many years more than I care to remember and have had a combination of manuals and automatic transmissions over the years (it was a lot). I honestly can’t give an opinion on the JL manual because I have never driven one but the automatic is by far the best automatic transmission I have ever owned or driven. Good luck with your choice.

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[wibornz]

I test drove a manual. I drove it about 10 miles and hated it. I have had many manual vehicles through out the years. I currently have a 86 Comanche. After driving the JL manual, there was zero interest in it. Compounded with all the clutch failures it was a solid no.

The auto is one of the best auto transmission I have owned. If you want to shift it manually, slide it into manual mode. Then you have all the same feelings of a manual but with excellent reliability and way better to off road with. There is no downside in the auto.

On a side note, I will be leading a group ride on September 27th from the Harrison area to St. Helens by trail for a local Facebook Jeep club. If you want to ride along, my passenger seat is open. Then you can get an all day experience with a Jeep on the trail. I don't even care if you drive my Jeep. It would give you some real seat time. We will leave from here. Meet at 10 am and head to St. Helens at 1030am

https://maps.app.goo.gl/aSyHbW9sDkg2m8UB8?g_st=ipc

The reason I love the auto is it is rated for about 450hp so our Jeeps really never tax it limits even when we add bigger tires. It is super reliable, very smooth and with manual mode, a full rounded great off road transmission.

 

[Blacksport]

Couple of points on the manual...you can only get the V6 with a manual now, I did NOT want the 4-cyl turbo (no disrespect, just didn't want it). I've owned probably 25 M/T cars, so I have "some" experience with them. The gearing, both final & tranny, is excellent IMO, with stock tires. The Japanese built transmission is superb. It's certainly possible to damage a M/T transmission and the clutch with abuse...if you're doing rock climbing & hill climbs, probably best to get the auto, but then you're stuck with the 2-liter 4 cyl. Yes, the clutch is usually the weak link in a M/T drivetrain, fortunately it's not all that difficult to replace/upgrade. Not expecting to have to do that to my 2025 2-door, with only 4000 miles on it, the feeling I'm getting is both tranny & clutch will be around for many miles. I live in Florida, there's no rocks & hills around!

 

[wreck99]

Couple of points on the manual...you can only get the V6 with a manual now, I did NOT want the 4-cyl turbo (no disrespect, just didn't want it). I've owned probably 25 M/T cars, so I have "some" experience with them. The gearing, both final & tranny, is excellent IMO, with stock tires. The Japanese built transmission is superb. It's certainly possible to damage a M/T transmission and the clutch with abuse...if you're doing rock climbing & hill climbs, probably best to get the auto, but then you're stuck with the 2-liter 4 cyl. Yes, the clutch is usually the weak link in a M/T drivetrain, fortunately it's not all that difficult to replace/upgrade. Not expecting to have to do that to my 2025 2-door, with only 4000 miles on it, the feeling I'm getting is both tranny & clutch will be around for many miles. I live in Florida, there's no rocks & hills around!

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.

 

[VKSheridan]

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….

 

[Mr. Tahiti]

I bought the MT to feel more engaged and I have no regrets. There is a learning curve with the clutch as others have mentioned.
I have done some crawling and as @wreck99 said, in 4lo the Jeep does all the work; feel like you are just sitting back being pulled up and over obstacles.
...Going to increase the difficulty level for me next week in Hollister Hills, so we will see if I feel the same afterwards.

IMO, even driving around town is much more fun with a MT.
I had zero expectations of having an "easy, comfortable" driving experience - just fun!

 

[BobW]

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!

wibornz is probably completely correct.
Nevertheless I'm happy with my MT. I drive the jeep almost exclusively for fun (camping, skiing, offroad), very seldom around town. The recall-replacement (problem free experience for me) improved the clutch. I am pretty old school (I like paper maps, ski free-heel).

Another thought: it might be your last chance before all vehicles are electric drive-by-wire!

 

[Old Dogger]

Welcome to the Forum!
The 8-speed auto is hard to beat. We have three Wranglers and a new Gladiator Mojave in the family. They all have automatic transmissions. Manuals were the in thing back in the 40's, but this is 2025.

 

[gpassida]

After doing a lot of reading about the JL clutch issues we still went with a manual transmission and V6 on my wife's new 2025 2-Door Willy's. We just brought it home 3-days ago. She has had a 1995 Wrangler YJ with a manual transmission and was adamant about her new Jeep being a manual too. We had to drive 2-hours to a dealer that had a MT Wrangler to test drive. It was a Rubicon so it had the 4.10 axle gears which is the same as the Willy's we wanted. The clutch feel is very light as everyone says and she stalled it a few times but quickly got used to it. I think the 4.10 gears give it decent gearing and you would have that in the Willy's package. The 3.45 gears would be too "high" with the 33's in my opinion.

After driving the MT, I made her drive the Auto. Within 60 seconds, she said she wanted the manual for sure.

The Willy's will also have "Hill Start Assist" that prevents you rolling backwards when starting on a hill. Have not used that much but it is helpful. You also have the parking brake lever to use in that situation.

We had to order her Jeep. It is the 2-Door Willy's with the hard top and red paint as the only options. The Willy's package on the 2024 and up Wranglers is really nice and adds a lot of great capabilities.

We used Rob Trachtman at Tuttle Click Jeep in Irvine, CA. Great guy and easy order process. We live 10 hours away and drove it home over the weekend. We did vary the RPM's and broke it in on the drive.

We both got used to the clutch and when we got home and she had to move her YJ out of the garage, she said "Jeez - that clutch is so stiff..." So you do get used to the feel of the new one.

I also was very impressed with the adaptive cruise control. I've never had cruise control on a MT vehicle. It actually can vary your speed up and down a decent amount in the same gear. And if you need to shift, you just shift with the cruise engaged and it accelerates back to the set speed in the new gear. You don't need to disengage the cruise control to shift.

We used 4th and 5th on the grades and there were some big ones in Interstate 5. And 6th gear on the flat parts of the highway was very usable. Again, that's with the 4.10 gears.

Hopefully we won't have any of the V6 issues or clutch issues but we will see... So far she's all smiles!

 

[Chris D]

PERSONALLY, I like the MT. opted for the 4.88 gears which are better suited than the 4.10's first is low, but on my massive 10 mile commute in N Phoenix I routinely run all six gears. But then again, I really like my millennial anti-theft device.

 

[GabeBoyTheGreat]

As a die-hard fan of manuals and owner of 2x JLs with manuals, I have to admit that the 8AT is the better transmission. For one, it is probably the best AT on the market. For two, the MT could have been great but has known issues that hold it back.

That being said, if I were to buy another JL, it would still be the 6MT. To me, ATs are boring, whereas an MT can make even the most boring car (like a Chevy Spark) fun to drive, and driving experience is high on my priority list.

You are getting a Willys, which means you have 4.10 gears. That is good, because the 3.45 gears on the Sport are a TERRIBLE match for the 6MT.

I wish you didn't have to learn to drive on a manual JL. I learned to drive on a manual TJ, which IMO is much easier to learn on. However, my wife is currently learning on our JLU, and she had no knowledge of how manuals worked going into it. If she can do it, you can do it, especially since you have a basic understanding of how it works. On my TJ, I basically taught myself on a 4-hr drive to college.

Best of luck in your decision!

 

[kyrob]

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.

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

 

[MarkInSATX]

This is the best kind of decision because it's a personal one and it's fun! You're not solving a utility or functionality problem. You're determining a preference. So that you don't get a whole back story, I'll just share that I had been hoping to buy a Jeep for a long time. One of the primary reasons for that was because it still came in a Manual option. I learned on a lovely Mazda 626 way too long ago. Have driven Automatic up until my Jeep purchase. Not a car expert but anything new these days drives like a dream. However, it really was my preference to have fun driving again, feel connected to the experience, have full control, and be fully engaged in the decisions the vehicle is making.

This may not align with what you're seeking but sharing for context.

Anyway, I picked up a 2025 JLU Rubicon Manual in April. Sought out factory 4.88 and immediately put 35" tires (really 34" but there are separate threads for that) on as well as a new steering damper (again, search it up). I love it. Daily driver, over-ranch, ran the Alpine Loop in the San Juan's in July. Super fun in a Manual. Love everything about it.

Yes, it'll take some time to get used to (what doesn't). Yes, the hill assist feature is really useful. Yes, you'll stall out as you learn (so what). As other have posted, there are some down-sides. For my, I'll always drive a manual because of what it IS and what it ISN'T. I know I will always have the opportunity to get into a automatic and it may be top quality. But I don't care .

Best of luck and enjoy it, whatever decision you make.

 

[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….

 

[Mifsuud]

If people were honest they would admit the manual transmission and clutch are worse than the 4xe on a case by case basis regarding failure rates.

The auto is a much better unit.

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