Absolutely.

 

This guy gets it

 

Ok this one is painful for me. All my Jeeps have been manuals except one, a 2012 JKU Sport. I hated the fact it was an automatic until I traded it in on a 2013 JKU Rubicon. I do not have a problem with the tranny its the clutch I despise. With all the issues with the cheesy throwout bearing you think I would have passed. Well frankly my issue with this tranny is, at least on mine, the clutch smokes too easily or lugs out and dies under load too easy. Its really bad in reverse. Personally I think it could be a pressure plate issue. Regular driving is fine but put in reverse and its a whole different story. Looked into aftermarket and choices are not a lot. and they start at about $750 parts only. I never thought I would say this and it sounds almost sacriligeous...should have picked the auto.

 

is it just your transmission or all the 2013 jku rubicons that act like this? if its just yours, surely its still under warrenty

 

I've been driving for 17 years, most of that in manual trans vehicles. I don't think of it as "fun/not fun" but rather the better way to have more control over a vehicle, which is fun. Specifically with Jeeps, I've found the manual trans' to be better off-road for what I do. It's definitely more work in traffic, but my back and knees are still good, so I'm usually not even thinking about it. In fact, I think my foot gets more tired in an auto, constantly working the brake, holding back the pull of the torque converter.

My best advice...make your choice only once. People swap new vehicles because of almost arbitrary things like auto/manual transmissions. That's a really expensive way to go.

I think I can (I'm a tall guy) but when I'm shifting, I don't recall my arm being on the console. Driving a Jeep is more of a "captain's chair" position versus a snug, comfortable fit in a coupe. The console is pretty stubby.

 

Almost 50 years driving.....mostly with a stick. Absolutely love shifting, and the active participation I get with driving my vehicles. For me, driving an automatic is like watching TV. Almost a mindless activity. I have an automatic in my Silverado pickup because Chevy doesn't make it in a stick. It's a "ho-hum, I can't stay awake" vehicle. With a stick, I don't even have to think to shift, as I can sense the need to up or downshift, based on the engine noise and the feel of the engine response when pressing on the gas pedal. Kind of like "the Zen of driving".

On a practicality base, if you're using your Jeep as a DD and you do mostly heavy traffic...stop 'n go, traffic light to traffic light type of driving, then to keep your sanity, I think an automatic would suffice.

 

Furthermore manual transmission offers a more affordable wheeling, with a little bit lower fuel consumption.

According to you is this a noticeable fact or is it only a brochure claim?

 

Auto but 95% of that reason is my wife can't and won't learn to drive stick. Last time she tried I had a brand new TJ with under 2k miles on it and she left it sit stalled in an intersection after trying a few times to pull out! She had enough and wanted me to switch and I told her to keep trying she got as far as the middle of the intersection, it stalled and she got out and walked home.... I went with auto this time!!

 

Hey guys. I bought the 6 speed. Hard to find. I have always purchased a manual because I like to work for it. It's never a chore. I like to find the sweet spot and use it. I love how it cruises along in traffic in 2nd-4th, and all I have to do is work the throttle. Never touch the brakes. The engine is super torquey and "brakes" beautifully on it's own. Some say that the manual action is sloppy, but it was engineered to be forgiving. The clutch is super long and you point the stick in the general direction of the gear you want, but that's the charm.

This is the most fun you can have cruising around on 4 wheels. It's like riding a motorcycle. You wouldn't ride an automatic, would you?

 

Before my 2014 Wrangler, which I drive now, I drove a Patriot 2WD, 5 speed. My current 6 cylinder, 6 speed actually took a lot of getting used to. I found myself over-drifting 6th gear and damn near throwing it in reverse. Thankfully it makes a horrendous noise and won't let you do it easily, but I've come close several times. It just doesn't seem like 6th is straight down from 5 to me. I have to have my elbow ****ed up on the armrest to really hit it with ease. I'm not new to driving a stick, just new to this 6 speed. Anybody else? Bueller?