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2020 Ford Bronco might get a 7-speed manual, report says

As if the Bronco needed to be any more interesting.

Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
2 min read
Bronco6G.com

When it comes to the 2020 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 .

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.

Bronco6G Ford Bronco Rendering
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Bronco6G Ford Bronco Rendering

Ford hasn't even put out a good teaser for the Bronco yet -- the best we have are these renderings from a fan forum.

Bronco6G.com

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.

Bronco6G forum renders four-door Ford Bronco beautifully

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