THERE ARE ONLY 2 PICKUP TRUCKS LEFT IN AMERICA WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION

The pickup truck is synonymous with blue-collar Americans as a vehicle doing double duty as both a mode of transport and a means of carrying out hard work. The latter is a trait that would seem to perfectly line up with the concept of a manual gearbox, as both the pickup truck and the stick shift are signs that the operator is not afraid to put in the effort. The manual gearbox is simple, robust, and hard-working, as are America's pickups. So why, then, have their numbers dwindled?

It's almost hard to believe there hasn't been a single full-size pickup with a manual transmission since 2018, with the Ram 2500 going automatic-only as of 2019. There are no more compact pickups with a stick shift, either, and in the midsize segment, they're in shorter supply than ever. As of July 2024, there are just two trucks in the mid-size category (and in the whole of the USA) that you can buy new with a manual gearbox: the Jeep Gladiator and the Toyota Tacoma.

• 2024 Jeep Gladiator

  Base MSRP $37,895

  Base Trim Engine 3.6L V6 Gas

  Base Trim Transmission 6-Speed Manual

  Base Trim Horsepower 285 hp

  Base Trim Torque 260 lb-ft
• 2024 Toyota Tacoma

  Base MSRP $31,500

  Base Trim Engine 2.4L Turbo Inline-4 Gas

  Base Trim Transmission 6-Speed Manual, 8-Speed Automatic

  Base Trim Horsepower 278 hp

  Base Trim Torque 243 lb-ft @ 1600 rpm

2024 Jeep Gladiator: The Wrangler Of Pickup Trucks

A mid-size pickup with the adventure-vehicle spirit of a Jeep Wrangler, the Jeep Gladiator hits the dirt with nearly a foot of ground clearance if you go with the Mojave trim and a minimum of ten inches on the entry-level model. It can tow up to 7,700 pounds with the Max Tow package, it can run in rear- or four-wheel drive, and you can pop the doors off for the full Jeep experience. Plus, the V6 engine is the 3.6-liter Pentastar we've come to know and love as a real workhorse. If the Wrangler remains the superior off-roader, it's only because the Gladiator's longer wheelbase can make it a bit trickier to maneuver on tight trails.

While technically classified as a midsize pickup, the Gladiator is a hybrid of sorts, combining the Wrangler's platform with the Ram 1500's rear end to support enhanced towing capabilities. But you can't get the Ram 1500 with a manual, while you can in the Gladiator. Best of all, the six-speed manual is available on all trims except one special edition, meaning you can get any flavor of Gladiator you want with the stick shift.

2024 Toyota Tacoma: America's Favorite Midsize Pickup Truck

Americans love the Toyota Tacoma, and it's been the best-selling midsize pickup for what feels like an eternity. That's partially because Tacomas tend to stick around for a long time without updates, but that can't be said of the 2024 model, which is all-new on a new platform with new powertrains to boot, including new turbo and turbo-hybrid four-cylinders for the new generation. It's remarkably versatile, towing up to 6,500 lbs, and available in a variety of cab and bed configurations. Thanks to the new architecture, it packs the latest technology, too, with an eight-inch touchscreen in the lower trims and a 14-inch fully connected display on the upper trims.

Where the Gladiator packs a six-speed manual as a standard feature on almost all trim levels, the Tacoma is a little more specific in how you need to order it, with only specific trims and specific cab/bed configurations available with the manual. You'll need a double cab with a five-foot bed and 4WD before you can add a manual transmission, and even then, you can't get it on all trims. But there's another caveat. With the optional eight-speed automatic, the 2.4-liter turbo base engine produces up to 278 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque, yet with the manual, these figures are cut short at just 270 hp and 310 lb-ft.

The Manual Pickups We've Lost Along The Way

It stands to reason that trucks like the Tacoma and Gladiator would still have a manual, given they're popular among off-road enthusiasts, many of whom prefer the control of a manual gearbox. Still, it;s surprising that the manual isn't prevalent in the truck segment. This wasn't always the case, though, and in the last five to six years, we've lost a few trucks that once would've shared a piece of the manual truck pie:

• 2018 Ram 2500 - When the fifth-gen Ram 2500 launched for 2019 with no manual transmission option, it was the end of an era. The light-duty 1500 hadn't featured a manual transmission since its 2013 facelift, but the 2500 Heavy Duty stayed true to the six-speed manual until the fourth-generation Ram 2500 was finally retired in 2019.
• 2018 Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon - Available with a six-speed manual or a six- or eight-speed automatic, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon twins had a variety of options until the 2019 model year when the six-speed manual was sent packing.
• 2019 Nissan Frontier - It seems 2019 was a bad year for manual-equipped trucks, but the Nissan Frontier managed to at least survive until this point with the six-speed manual. At the time, it was one of only two trucks available with a manual (the other was the Tacoma), but for 2020, the Frontier got a new V6 engine and a nine-speed automatic, signaling the end of the stick-shift Nissan pickup.

Sources: Toyota, Jeep, NHTSA

2024-07-24T06:17:13Z dg43tfdfdgfd