2020 Ford Bronco might get a 7-speed manual, report says
As if the Bronco needed to be any more interesting.
When it comes to the 2020 Ford Bronco, the "stuff we don't know" bucket is still much, much larger than "stuff we know" bucket. But a new report has us intrigued, even though Ford isn't about to confirm any of it.
The 2020 Ford Bronco will sport an available 7-speed manual transmission, Jalopnik reports, citing sources familiar with the matter. The sources told Jalopnik that Ford has commissioned Getrag to create a manual transmission for Ford's forthcoming off-roader, and it will likely mate to the 2.7-liter turbocharged V6 found in the F-150 .
Automakers routinely decline to discuss future products until the timing is right, and that is once again the case here. A spokesman for Ford declined to comment on speculation. Magna, Getrag's parent company, declined to comment to Jalopnik, as well.
Ford hasn't even put out a good teaser for the Bronco yet -- the best we have are these renderings from a fan forum.
Jalopnik's piece digs deep into evidence that lends credence to the sources' claim. The outlet found LinkedIn profiles for Getrag employees that mention a new manual transmission that's been in the works since 2015. Its internal designation evidently carries relation to a prior Getrag project that ended up in the Mustang . Getrag currently supplies the Mustang's six-speed manual, and Jalopnik speculates that this new 7-speed could eventually end up in Ford's venerable pony car, too, but there's not any evidence to back that up at the moment.
Jalopnik also found a spec page on Getrag's website that claims this new transmission, code-named 6/7MTI550, is rated for 405 pound-feet of torque, or 5 pound-feet more than what Ford's 2.7-liter V6 puts out. It is reportedly cleared for use in all-wheel-drive vehicles, but the page also says the estimated start of production is 2021, which would be a bit later than the Bronco's estimated release date.
It's rumored that the Bronco will finally show its face during the upcoming US auto show season. A debut at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show in January would make sense, but nothing has been confirmed yet. That's not the only Bronco in the works, either -- Ford has already teased a "baby Bronco" that will slot beneath the standard Bronco, giving Ford's fleet of small SUVs a bit more off-road cred.
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