The Ford Bronco is quickly becoming a symbol of hope for stick shift enthusiasts. Out of 125,000 pre-orders, 22,500 will be delivered with a row-your-own box — an 18 percent take-rate for the seven-speed manual transmission.

Only the base 270-horsepower 2.3-liter turbocharged four cylinder engine can be paired with the manual transmission. While some may be disappointed the more powerful 310-horsepower 2.7L twin-turbo V6 isn’t available with a manual, it’s important to note that the turbo four is still more powerful than any available engine in any previous-generation Bronco.

The new Getrag 7MTI550 manual transmission operates like a normal six-speed during daily driving. The additional seventh speed is a dedicated off-road crawl gear, marked with a “C”, placed just below reverse on the left side. Crawl is an extremely low 6.588:1 ratio — for comparison, the Jeep Wrangler low gear is 5.13:1. The crawl gear is especially useful on steep rocky terrain and in vehicle recovery operations. To put it another way, the crawl gear will help you be the hero of the day as you pull a buddy’s Jeep out of a deep mud hole.

On the manual transmission Black Diamond trim, buyers are offered two different transfer case options. The standard part-time two-speed transfer case has three selectable drive modes: Two-Wheel High, Four-Wheel High and Four-Wheel Low.  The optional Advanced 4×4 Automatic On-Demand Engagement transfer case adds a fourth drive mode called 4A, which continuously adjusts power to the front wheels based on current driving conditions. As in other Ford systems, 4A keeps the Bronco in rear-drive until slip is detected. Once slip occurs, a proportional amount of torque is sent to the front wheels to keep control. In my personal experience, I have found this mode quite useful on wet pavement in other Ford vehicles.

Also exclusive to manual Broncos are Hill Descent Control and Crank in Gear. Hill Descent Control utilizes anti-lock braking and traction control to manage wheel spin and maintain a constant speed while traveling downhill. Crank in Gear enables the driver to start the engine while in gear in order to execute more advanced off-road maneuvers such as a hill recovery technique.

There are so many different Bronco combinations that the only easy choice is picking the transmission. I would option my four-door Bronco Black Diamond in Velocity Blue with the seven-speed, steel wheels and the standard transfer case for the sake of tradition.

If the global microchip shortage does not hinder production, delivery of reserved Broncos is expected to start in June 2021.  

Miles Wenzel is a manual enthusiast with a love for the great outdoors. Follow #DriveYourCars, a video guide for DIYers who wrench to drive and drive to live.