The new 2020 Ford Bronco is rumored to be getting a brand new 7-speed manual transmission, according to reports.
We’re all patiently waiting for more news from Ford on their upcoming Bronco SUV. They’re supposed to be taking on Jeep for supremacy of the boxy ute market, which remains surprisingly robust despite the general expense and lack of aerodynamics.
According to a new report from Jalopnik, we also know that Ford is probably going to take on the Wrangler in another way: by offering a big 7-speed manual transmission.
Ford normally puts their ultra-efficient 10-speed automatic in everything they make and we expect that to be no different with the new Bronco, but a 7-speed manual would be something a little different. You don’t typically see that many gears in a manual transmission these days, with notable exceptions being the Porsche 911 and Chevy Corvette.
RELATED: FORD'S BRONCO SUCCESSOR TO BE BASED ON NEW FOCUS
The new manual is to be produced by Ford partner Getrag, which already produces the MT-82 6-speed manual transmission used in the current Ford Mustang. Called the MT-88, this new transmission will likely be an iterative improvement over the MT-82 and also be paired with the 2.7-L EcoBoost V6.
Jalopnik did plenty of digging on LinkedIn to support their argument, finding several Getrag employees working on something called the 6/7MTI550 manual transmission. The base-model 6-speed was designated 6MTI550, while the upgraded 7-speed was designated 7MTI550. This nomenclature follows with the MT-82 transmission, which was designated 6MTI500 during development for the Mustang.
The MT-88 is rated for 405 lb-ft of torque, which also fits comfortably with the 2.7-L V6’s 400 lb-ft. It can also be used for an AWD transmission, according to the spec sheets.
There was also plenty of other stuff to support their assumptions, like a factory in China that made the MT-82 is also working on the MT-88, and a design team in Britain working on increased durability for the MT-82. But the long and short of it is that this definitely looks like it’ll be a thing, so we should all be prepared for a return of the 7-speed manual with Ford.