Title pretty much says it all.... here's why...

MANUAL TRANSMISSION...

I havent been on these boards in a long time, and well, I just decided to go checking out some info on the upcoming 2011 Super Duty, and was disgusted to see that FORD is dropping the ZF 6speed in 2011.. I had to go check other sources to verify this, because it seems so absolutely unbelievable to me that FORD would be so arrogant and disrespectful to do something so ridiculous as to divorce the Super Duty from the most masculine feature any pick up truck can possibly have.

The huge head lights were a turn off I could live with.. The untried diesel too.. But no manual transmission option? What are they thinking?

It's not even a new truck - all the body panels could be switched out, and you'd have a 99 if you wanted..

So let me see.. No real redesign.. Pokemon headlights.. Yet again another untried / unproven engine.. AND NO MANUAL TRANSMISSION OPTION?..

What exactly is supposed to be so exciting again?

Man what a bummer..

Everyone knows that the GM trucks lost their ***** option a few years ago, but never thought FORD would do the same thing in dropping the manual transmission..

Okay, to each his own, but nothing says ***** like seeing that big shifter coming out of the floor board, and nothing says brains, like seeing the third pedal, which means it's a truck made for someone who CAN walk and chew gum at the same time..

You can lift a truck, put fat tires on it, supercharge it, lower it, paint flames from hell on it, whatever, but nothing you can do to it will ever give it the testosterone that a manual transmission does - period. When you see that big gear shifter - you KNOW it's a truck - not a mini van.

So anyway, for chits n giggles, I checked out the upcoming Ram trucks - 2011's.. And while Dodge has castrated most of their trucks as well, when it comes to the Cummins trucks - lo' and behold - the 6 speed is there!

Gotta tell you guys, that new HD Ram out now, is tied with the current Super Duty for THE best looking truck out there IMO. Whats more, Dodge sells alot more manual transmission trucks for one simple fact - dealers ACTUALLY carry them on their lots!

Dodge actually gives their 6 speed more than a footnote followed by a book about the automatic in their brochure. They brag it up - lowest granny gear for better loaded launches, etc... Come 2011, they''ll also be able to brag about being the only company to still offer a manual transmission for serious haulers who work their trucks hard every day.. imagine that..

Listen guys, I'm a truck guy - not a brand guy, and I know what dosen't work for me, is an arrogant company taking away the ONE option I have to have, while still offering a plethora of silly options few people order, and which are even less cost effective to the company's bottom line.

I mean think about it, would any of you guys pick a Ford Fiesta or mini van to drive over a 2011 Dodge RAM CTD? I mean brand loyalty only goes so far right?

I predict Dodge is going to pick up alot of sales they would not have otherwise, and I hope they do, because if so, it might just be enough to cause Ford to rethink this decision..


Fire away..

 

At least the Fiesta will come with a manual tranny.

Jim

 

A Ford Fiesta was one of the best cars I ever had.

 

Man that just sucks... Truth, I'm not ready to buy a truck, and most likely not in 2011 either, but the one truck I had already decided on from 2 years ago, was the Super Duty crew cab 350 4x2 SRW with the V-10 and ZF 6 speed.. Not even a diesel, because though I carry and pull heavy - I can't justify the miles payoff for it..

Then came to see the V-10 was only going to be offered in the 450's on up.. okay, the replacement seems a bit more like Toyota I-force 5.7... could live with that I guess..

But no manual Transmission? Man, I know the auto is a fine transmission - that's not the point - it's just not what I want.. So since Dodge dosent offer a gas engine / manual, I would actually upgrade and pay out to get it..

Who knows, just maybe, if Dodge does get enough extra sales with it - Ford will bring it back by the time I'm looking to buy, but if not, I'd feel just peachy in that new Ram with the CTD 6 speed... no urea either..

I can't believe these companies - it's no wonder they're hurting.. For as smart as this decision is supposed to be (GM started it), it follows many other bone headed decisions which have put these companies in the trouble they're in.

 

I just took a look at a few new HD Dodges and, like the re-design of the RAM 1/2 ton, they have surpassed Chevy/GM and are very, very close 2nd to Ford in the overall package. IMO

If the new 1/2 ton Ram only had a 6 speed automatic......

In closing, I would like to add that if I could get a manual tranny in my Freestar that would kick a**!

 

This isnt surprising at all to me, the sad truth is that the majority of the people who have trucks dont need them. Furthermore the majority of the people that have HD trucks dont need them.

Based on my experience it is my belief that most people who have 1/2 ton trucks are better suited for a sub 1/2 truck or a small SUV, the people who drive 3/4 tons are better suited for 1/2 tons, people who drive 1 tons are better suited to drive 3/4 tons. And almost EVERYBODY I know that drives a deisel truck could get by just fine with a gasser.

The problem with the truck market today is that people who dont need them buy them anyways almost as a social status symbol, like they feel like a bad *** because they have a truck. They want to have the most creature comforts possible while eliminating any discomfort, hence the reason GM trucks feel EXACTLY like riding in a Cadillac but can't do the work they should.

I have an auto in my 3500, not that I dont like it but there are times I wish I had a 6 speed manual. The auto in my 3500 is nice though because I can run through the gears manually. Its going to get to the point in a few years that I am going to have to buy ton and a half trucks just to get a truck to do the job I need it too.

 

Good post and lots of truth there. And, as the years go by, with not so hot knees, the auto is easier for me to drive and easier on knees that got worn out playing football, lifting weights, and doing flooring work for a long time. I love manuals but they just don't work so well for me anymore in a daily driver which is what my truck is. Nowdays, the auto is the only one for me.

That said, I think ford should have kept the manual as standard. Not everybody drives them but many love them and would prefer to shift their own gears. Maybe if sales start to drop off and they see a lot of customers defecting to Dodge, they'll re-think it.

 

Ford already knows how many sticks Ford sells.

Ford also knows that not every stick driver will shift (pun intended) over to the Dodge, only a certain percentage will.

Apparently, Ford is willing to live with that percentage, most likely becaue the lost profits are less than the cost of Fed certifying the stick.

If you want a worse crime than that, it appears from the Order Guide that the Crew Cab short box only gets a 26 gallon fuel tank.

 

My truck is automatic. I do love the truck, but wish I had the manual. The only reason i bought the auto was because it was on the lot, and NO ONE had one in even close to my home. I would have driven 100 miles away to get a manual, but no one had one. Though now that I cant get a manual in any new truck, ( dodge doesnt offer a gas with manual, I dont want a diesel), Im prob still goign to dodge simply becasue I despise the looks of the 08 and up fords, and will never buy a GM truck.

 

I don't care about ahveing a manual anyway, I would rather have an automatic. I used to have to have a manual but grew out of it. As far as Ford versus Dodge, when it comes to gettinga truck with a deisel, I would have gone to Dodge anyway (put on flame retardant suit here) I like the Cummins better. When 2011 rolls around, Dodge trucks will no longer exist, Fiat has decided that the truck line will stand alone as Ram trucks. They will look the same, you just won't find the Dodge name on them.

Chris

 

I agree with the poster who said it's become a status symbol of sorts. I also agree there are alot of people who own these trucks, who never needed a heavy duty pickup to begin with. These are the soccer moms and dads who would never bother with a vehicle which included only the necessities required for fulfilling the purposes for which it was designed.

They are also too lazy to drive a manual transmission, or simply don't know how.
Most have more money than sense - kudos to them. It's a free country, you can buy what you like - regardless of how wasteful you are being in the process.. My problem is with the companies who take options away from the heavy haulers and construction guys, in order to better accommodate all the soccer moms and dads who have moved up from their PT Cruisers and Plymouth Voyagers to Super Duty 350 Crew cab 4x4's DRW turbo diesels for their grocery getters..

None of these companies can claim to really give a toss about the working men, when they price their product to the point it's only affordable to the suits - who then have all the accomodations made for them, thus changing the product entirely from the purpose for which it was originally intended..

And I say again - the mindlessness of decisions like this last one, is what has caused these companies to go into the dumper to begin with.

This is'int a dis on the auto - today's autos are awesome - especially these new 6 speeds, but a manual is still unique, has it's own driving characteristics, and most of all, some people just want one - and not on some entry level hatchback economy car - you aint doing much work with that.. I say give the soccer moms all the choices you want - just don't take em away from the working guys..

Oh, and from what I've read, there's no transmission certification for EPA on vehicles over 8000lb GVW - could be wrong there, but I remember reading it somewhere..

 

Thats what I ran into and why my SD is an auto. I couldn't even find a 5.4l with the 6spd to test drive (wanted to make shure I liked it) let alone a 6.8l 6speed. Got a great deal on my current truck so I settled.

What dealers have in stock plays a role in demand as most people buy off the lot and some dealers can be real ****** about special ordering vehicles. The people who flip cars every few years for the most part don't want manuals. Ford should keep the manual as an option but I suspect Dodge (Fiat) will drop the manual trans option in the future.

 

I actually think quite the contrary, Dodge has always enjoyed good sales of their Cummins / manual equipped Rams, and Fiat, being a European gig, has more respect for the manual transmission than American companies do, just look at Mercedes, they brought in an entirely new line of their own manual transmissions for Dodge trucks and SUV's.

Further, I think they're really going to push the fact that they alone offer the choice of a rugged manual transmission in their trucks. The hemi equipped Rams never sold very well, but then the hemi never sold very well in the heavy duty line up either.

I think if anything, it's more likely that the G-56 six speed will also be offered with the new 6.4L hemi in the HD trucks when it debuts in 2012, since it's apparently being designed specifically for truck use, as opposed to the 5.7L

 

Don't you think that companies like Ford and Chevy actually research what options in trucks are more "desirable?" Which ones make them money?

Have you seen an Ford Truck or Dodge commercial lately? If so, common sense would determine that they are advertising FOR the working man. ( ie, the farmer, construction worker ) I have yet to see a commericial where a soccer mom or "suit" is exclaiming how they love the ride and creature comforts of their brand new truck.

So what do you think would happen to sales if the Big 3 started offering trucks for the purpose in which it was originally intended?

 

I live in ranch country. at least half of the trucks I see every day are driven buy women who have come in to town to buy the weeks, or months, groceries for the ranch. While here in town they are probably going to pick up parts, feed etc. for the husband for the ranch. They are almost all driving one of the Big 3 makes 1 ton DRW, diesel, 4x4 trucks and a lot of them are automatics. Not because these women can't drive a manual but because an auto is easier to handle in town. Their husbands trucks, for the most part anyway, are manuals.

Chris