Do you live in a bubble? Seriously? Just because something doesn't happen to YOU, doesn't mean everyone else is "fear mongering." (boy do you love that phrase....I bet you're a hoot at parties).

It's been proven time and time again that the manual system is much more reliable than ESOF/vacuum hubs. Proof is all over the internet (and my own personal experience)...take your blinders off sometime...you'll be amazed at what you see.

 

The horses finally won.


That's it. That's the joke.

 

I'll jump back in. I agree the manual system is more reliable. The post that started this discussion said be prepared for the ESOF system to never work and that the truck would need to go to the dealer every November to be fixed. It can, and does, work fine.

 

Excellent point. I have horses and none of them do any work except to process hay and grain into stinking brown piles.

 

1 & 2) I'm not overly concerned about the lack of manual transfercase. I will say that I prefer the mechanical nature of a floor mounted shifter for this, but the technology for this is so much better now than it was 30 years ago. I also like that the lock outs have the ability to switch from auto to lock. The auto hubs in the 90s trucks were problematic but I think we are passed this. I've had no issues with the electric shift in my '14 F150 over the last 6 years.

3) I haven't checked the transmission dipstick in my '14 F150 the whole time that I've owned it. Unless there is a leak or some other issue, I don't think I'd bother.

4) I like a manual transmission. In my older trucks, I appreciate the mechanical feeling and the feeling of being in connection with the truck. The older automatics (AODs, C6s, even the 4R70Ws) felt fairly sloppy and mushy. The newer 6 (and 10) speeds feel so much better and more responsive than the units of 30 years ago, and it's much less of a hassle in heavy bumper to bumper traffic to just put the column shift in drive and carry on.

5) There's no option for hot pink wheels either, because not enough people would buy them. Ford keeps options that bring money in, and dumps options that aren't profitable.

The changing of features has just as much to do with cost to manufacture as it does with consumer demand. Ford swapping to electric shift transfer cases only means that they no longer have to stock the shift assemblies for the manual versions. That's a savings on the linkage, the shift ****, the processing to differentiate which cabs need a hole in the floor for the shifter and which don't. This stuff adds up over hundreds of thousands of 4x4 trucks. Same story on the dipstick. The dipstick and tube probably cost Ford a whopping 20 cents a truck, but that adds up. The lack of transmission options mimics the same story as the transfer case. Less options means cheaper assembly. I'm sure that if Ford thought they could still get away with painting everything black and not lose sales, they'd do it.

 

Old people! Amirite!?

 

And GM, RAM and Ford disagree. I guess they must believe the sky isn’t falling..Maybe the sky constantly crashes on your world, ever wonder why that is?
Maybe they should install manuals on the Escalade just to be sure...
BTW, our parties are the best because we’re not cheap.LOL...

 

Yes, thanks for the truth..

 

This may be true in this country, but certainly not applicable in Europe and SE Asia, where a majority of trucks are still standard trans. It is indeed a shame that the younger gen won't get that experience by default, unless they actively seek it or it interests them. It's not like all the manual trans are going away; you might even be able to still find one of the original MT-5 non-SHO Taurus specimens out there.

Fortunately tractors and motorcycles still offer a manual transmission. Sometimes you want to stick with old technology, like a pushrod air-cooled Harley.

As for manual vs. automatic 4WD shifting, both seem to be more prone to failure if they aren't exercised regularly. I've come across a few manual shifters that are floating because the linkage has broken off. ESOF is victim to vacuum line deterioration. I myself prefer the manual system, but since it was no longer available, it just means that I have to inspect it at PMI intervals.

 

I can’t speak to Asia, but for Europe this is no longer true. The uptake of automatics has risen significantly and is considered luxury/statues. For Audi and BMW the uptake of manual is greater in he US than Europe for sport/luxury cars.

The last M5 with a manual was only released in the US as Europe had no market interest. The M2 in manual is over 50% in the US where it’s less than 15% in Europe.

 

To clarify, I live in the rust belt. If something can fail on my truck it will fail. The government loves salt cause it's cheap and they're not held accountable for vehicle rot. Ford MoCo loves salt too because it sells more trucks and gets people into their shops.

Murphy's law is much more applicable in the rust belt. Less features = Less to repair. Everything breaks eventually.

 

Agreed on the lux status; the last time I rented a car in Germany the auto trans was significantly more expensive. Also, the higher end rentals all had automatics where the mid and compacts (Skoda Octavia, VW Passat Combi) had manuals.

However, are you sure that automatics have surpassed the manuals? The adoption rate may be higher now (maybe with BMW) but I thought an Edmunds study from 2016/2018 indicated 80% of European cars purchased are still equipped with standard transmissions.

 

That's where I live too. Salt already covers the roads around here and will for the next several months. I especially love the nice little piles at intersections. ESOF is used often in winter and a few times in other months when driving off pavement on my property. ESOF has managed to work so far when needed. Not saying that some owners have not had problems. That is true for anything electronic or mechanical. Just saying it works way more often than never.

 

I’m not sure on other brands, but know that for Audi, BMW and Merc they’ve all seen a big shift away from manuals. I’m sure for the lower cost cars I’m sure it still above US as even the poor here a manual is beneath them.

I would have done a manual truck in a heartbeat if available. My last was a 1984 with the 6.9L.... had a Centerforce clutch and man a few hours in Seattle traffic and one leg will look like Arnold😂

 

Our 2002 Ford Ranger was a 5 speed. My wife refused to drive it to downtown Seattle because of the traffic and hill stops. I did teach my kids how to drive in it, though, so at least a few of the new generation will know how.

Funny thing is, my wife is now refusing to drive the highly automatic Super Duty in downtown Seattle. Too big, or something.