2021 Ford Bronco's 7-Speed Manual Won't Be What We Thought

Despite certain setbacks beyond control, the reborn 2021 Ford Bronco will debut sometime in the coming months, though customer deliveries are likely delayed until next year. What's important to know is that development work has largely been completed and it's just a waiting game at this point. Although Ford continues to keep its lips closed, details about the new Bronco are still continuing to come out, and this latest one involves the Getrag-sourced seven-speed manual transmission, a feature confirmed in early March.

According to a report from TFLCar, a source at the Blue Oval claims the Bronco's seventh gear isn't your typical gear, but instead is a "crawler" gear for low-speed driving, or in this case rock crawling. In other words, just six of those gears are actually meant for highway driving. This type of gear enables a vehicle to move slowly through rocky terrain while offering a boatload of torque.

As a result, the Bronco will be capable of excellent off-road capabilities without the need for a two-speed transfer case, though this could still be offered in order to further improve those rock-crawling skills. Given Ford's stated commitment to making the new Bronco a serious off-roader capable of taking on the Jeep Wrangler, we wouldn't be surprised to see that transfer case, at least as an option.

The report goes on to state that this seventh gear will be located "down and to the left of first gear, followed by a normal set of six forward gears." It's also possible the highest gear won't even be marked on the shift knob with a "7", but rather an "L". This gear may also be unsynchronized, meaning drivers won't be able to engage it unless the vehicle is at a complete stop.