Only Two Trucks Have A Manual Transmission

And the crazy thing is that lots of those automatic transmissions are the weak link, especially on Dodge 2500 and 3500 when hauling a lot.

I currently have several trucks but the one I plan on keeping forever is a 1998 Dodge 3500 Cummins Diesel with 200k miles and it has a manual transmission with the granny gear that only goes about 20’. The one thing I’m not worried about going out is the transmission.

But yeah, the new full size trucks are getting ridiculous with the bells and whistles. You know it’s bad when tail gates have electric latches, shocks, cameras and everything else in them. They are catering to a public that is plain lazy, too lazy to shift a manual. :)

This really surprises me to be honest because I would've considered pickups and pickup drivers (predominately men) to be the last bastion of the manual transmission. I did a bit of research and counted 26 cars currently sold in the U.S. that have manual transmissions. I'm really curious about the dynamics that dropped MT pickups down to just two examples but keep the car numbers much higher. Manuals are associated more with sportier vehicles and car enthusiasts, maybe?

I learned to drive a manual on a 1993 Ford Ranger that I still own and drive occasionally around the neighborhood to keep it limber. I currently drive a 2022 Toyota Corolla XSE hatchback with a manual. After driving my Toyota, I'm struck by how easy it is to drive with its butter soft clutch compared to my Ranger. It even has an intelligent manual feature to make it even easier if people are learning, but I don't use it. So to build on the reply above that said the public is just too lazy to drive a manual, I agree.

I really love my car, but strangely enough, when I drive that old Ranger, I feel like I've driven a real manual in the old tradition.

Too bad, I always loved the Manuel Transmission, it’s really lots of fun and SO much power!

I suppose the auto trans is a bit more convenient but it’s a bit of a gasoline sipper.

My Manuel pickups did fine on fuel, heavy as they were…the auto trans just blow through the gasoline.

Is just tech evolution.

What would sell better:

A basic truck

Or
A truck with safety backup camera, sensors for auto breaking, 360 dash cam, a large screen with a map on it, blue tooth telephone calling, voice activated controls, and moving motion led turn signals, and remote app controls for all of it?

Yeah.

Bells and whistles are just on cheap chips now, and the minimum standard. No reason to not have them on everything. Might save a life too.

Transmissions have evolved also, getting equal or better mileage now. Some are worse yes.
I will always have manual just for fun in my sports car, but will never again in my luxury daily driver. There s just no point. And I'm a life long manual fan and driver.

Evolve or go extinct.