An online petition is calling for wider availability of a manual transmission in the 2021 Ford Bronco.
First spotted by Muscle Cars & Trucks, the Change.org petition asks Ford to make the 7-speed manual available across the entire Bronco lineup. Right now, the manual is only available with the smaller 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo-4 engine and can't be combined with the Sasquatch package, which includes the most hardcore off-road hardware.
The Sasquatch package comes with locking front and rear axles, a high-clearance suspension and fender flares, 17-inch beadlock capable wheels, Bilstein dampers, and 35-inch 315/70R16 Goodyear Wrangler Territory tires.
The petition's organizers want the manual to be offered with the Sasquatch Package, and with the larger twin-turbo 2.7-liter V-6. This engine is projected to make 310 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque, compared to 270 hp and 310 lb-ft for the base turbo-4. The Bronco's best crawl ratio of 94.75:1 is achieved with the manual, but buyers can't get the best off-road equipment with it.
2021 Ford Bronco
While not specifically mentioned, it's also worth noting that the manual isn't available on all Bronco trim levels. You can get it on the base, Big Bend, Black Diamond, and Badlands models, but not the Outer Banks and Wildtrack.
Ford also offered the First Edition model exclusively with a 10-speed automatic, but it's sold out anyway. First Edition production was initially capped at 3,500 units, but Ford upped that to 7,000 due to high demand.
As of Friday, the petition had accumulated more than 4,400 signatures, with a goal of 5,000. But Ford has racked up more than 150,000 Bronco reservations since the SUV's July unveiling, indicating many customers aren't bothered by the way Ford structured the Bronco lineup.
