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The only manual transmission Aerostars I've ever seen either had the 3.0L V6 or a 4-cylinder (my aunt had an early '86 with 2.0L/5-speed combo - couldn't get out of its own way). I didn't think Ford offered a manual gearbox otherwise. However, I recently saw an ad in the Detroit-area Craigslist for a van that claimed to be a 4.0L/manual. I've also seen another that claimed to be AWD/manuals.
Did Ford ever build them that way? Obviously, the parts existed in-house to make it possible (and I've often thought of swapping a Ranger M5R1HD into an AWD van) but I'd surprised if they ever actually offered the Aerostar in those combinations in reality...
a loaded down 4L EXT with 7 passengers and gear or even an lightly loaded 3L shorty with their narrow engine torque band needs the assist of a torque converter
a 3L EXT with even a wide spaced 5 speed and a low granny gear would be a pain to drive in a hilly town with lots of traffic lighted 50 mph suburbia arterials and on ramp lights
lt. passenger vehicles with a manual transmission are a thing of the past with all the emissions requirements on new veh.s
much easier to design and control with a PCM and auto tranny
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.