Mountain Man Tim

in the winter when the ground freezes 3-6 feet down for 5+ months, and the pavement gets so cold it might as well be ice for all the traction it gives, and the gravel roads are a layer of ice with the snow plowed to either side, you are glad to have an auto with traction control and 4wd to keep you between the ditches.

InfoJunkie

To me your complaint is unwarranted as I have the same 6 speed and as long as you shift with softness moving the shifter slightly to the right and then down going beyond 6th to reverse is impossible and likewise finding 4th by mistake is just as unlikely. The system wont allow you to hit reverse by mistake so I dont even worry about it. In fact to hit reverse when stopped I find I need to very deliberately slam shifter hard to right and then equally as hard down to feel the "trap door" open.

If someone has problems finding a gear on the 6 speed I would argue that 1) they need to look up tips or hints online or receive some - for example you slightly and softly move the shifter to the right before going up or down into 5th or 6th gear. 2) there is something wrong mechanically with their gear box.

InfoJunkie

I grew up in snow country (110+ inches per winter) and the "traction control" you have built in with a manual gear box is best you can get! I learned to drive on an automatic but quickly bought manual transmission Jeep and was pleasantly surprised how much better control I had in icy and snowy conditions (especially in 4 wheel drive).

Honestly I don't "get" the last two negative comments about the 6 speed transmission... It's like these folks have no idea how to drive stick but they are commenting on it as though it sucks. For the benefit of future purchasers, just know that I've driven both, have decades of experience, and there is nothing wrong with the manual transmission. Works awesome.

Greep

I've had several autos and manuals. I like them both for different reasons. At the end of the day, you don't find as many manuals (like you could 20 years ago), because it simply hurts resale value too much. I currently have a 4 door auto, but when I pass it to my son in a few years, I'm going to at least try looking for a 2 door manual.

Chango

I am a manual transmission fan. I almost always buy M/T. My JKUR is also 6 spd but I've gotta admit the JK's M/T is not the best. It works, but the shifter whips around like a stick in a blender on rough roads and is very noisy, like I'm driving an old whiny dump truck. It's especially noticeable because the Pentastar is so quiet and smooth.

My previous JKU Sport was also a 6-spd and it popped out of gear a couple times; it seems to be less of a problem with the new Rubi (maybe due to the Pentastar?) but it still hasn't been entirely resolved. Otherwise, I have no problems idling at very low speeds off-road and in 4-low you can drop the clutch from a standstill without touching the gas pedal and not stall... in fact, you can even idle up walls this way.

My parents recently bought a JKUR which equipped virtually identically to mine but is an auto so I have a good comparison vehicle; it's not a bad tranny but their Jeep feels less gutsy than mine and seems to wanna rev higher during regular driving than is necessary with the 6-speed. Off road, it is far less annoying with no stick bouncing around and both vehicles are equally capable. Fuel economy seems to be exactly the same in real-world driving.

So, it's really a matter of persona preference. All and all, I'd still take a manual over an auto in a Jeep but I still wish Chrysler had picked a new M/T to mate to the Pentastar.

Brizio81

I've no direct experience as I'm waiting for my JK... But I thought that auto transmission was more helpful in off road than a manual one.

Not having to deal with the clutch in extreme situations should be a pro, isn't it?

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods...

Mark Doiron

Honestly, once you've driven a standard long enough, there is no thinking involved in what your feet and legs and shift hand do. You gain a feel for what motions are needed, with the plus that you can feather that clutch a tad to give just the right amount of torque--you don't pontificate, you just do it. I'd say six months of daily driving a standard is sufficient. Off-road, at least technical stuff, is NOT the place to learn how to drive a stick properly.

rozzman10

100% agreed. After enough seat time it becomes second nature. My JK is an auto, but my CJ and many farm rigs are manual.

Jeepstin12

I suppose flying 4-5 times a week and being driven around will play against me. Now I have a good excuse for owning an auto.

jk_sea

Practice doing it (with the jeep off, not moving) where your arm doesn't hit the armrest, and the motion is kind of a backwards swat. Feel the shifter slide past the gate for reverse, and go straight into 6th. Then practice it at least 21 times to write it to muscle memory. Consciously practice when you're driving.

My father (60+) has been racing professionally for 20+ years and has owned manual trans vehicles all his life. I threw him the keys to my JK on a long road trip when I was too tired to drive, and needless to say, I never slept. He consistently missed 6th - grabbed either 4th or tried to snag reverse. He's never really driven a 6-speed manual. In fact, a couple of times I had to remind him there's a 6th gear. The trans should lock you out of the reverse gate at speed, but on my '09, it most definitely did not. On my '12 I'm pretty sure it does. It takes practice. By the end of the trip, he had it down pat. And he still rev-matches better than I do.