It hasn’t been too long since the Jeep Gladiator lost its manual option…and now it looks like it could return.
After Jeep’s most recent updates to the Wrangler and Gladiator, there’s been quite a bit of hubbub about both models losing access to their 6-speed manual transmission options at various points in time. First it looked like it was going be 8-speed auto all the way, then Jeep relented and brought back the manual Wrangler with the 3.6-liter Pentastar…and now it seems the automaker could do the same thing for the closely related Gladiator pickup.
That nugget of information came from Easter Jeep Safari, where Jeep’s global off-road chief Aamir Ahmed mentioned the manual’s significance with these off-roaders. Provided you go for the three-pedal arrangement, the company can claim a 100-to-1 crawl ratio when paired to the Rubicon’s 4.88:1 axle ratio and the Rock-Trac 4:1 transfer case low-gear ratio. That acknowledgement further came with a nod that a former manual option would return from the dead.
Ahmed’s statements do beg an obvious question, and that’s why did Jeep kill the manual Gladiator in the first place?
Anecdotally, at least, you could probably chalk that up to “nobody wanted them” even without getting any official word for why the automaker discontinued it. Even with a low take rate, you peruse social media groups and owners’ forums, and you’ll still find a dedicated group of folks who do indeed want that maximum capability or just the ability to handle their own gears. While you could also make a business case that it does technically cost money to keep an otherwise unpopular option going, apparently it’s not such a huge burden that Jeep would never bring it back to the Wrangler…and to the Gladiator, for that matter.
Right now, the only 6-speed manual option you can have is with certain trims of the Toyota Tacoma. I was surprised the automaker kept it going with the model’s redesign, but it does make for a more engaging driving experience.
It’s the same sort of deal with the Gladiator, at least for those folks who genuinely enjoy the opportunity. It’s unclear exactly when Jeep could revive a manual Gladiator. That said, the truck’s sole engine option was (and remains) a naturally aspirated 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. Again, it’s also back in the Wrangler, so you can’t imagine it’d be that hard for the company to shake loose a few units to fit in the Gladiator in the coming months. We still have to await official confirmation on that, but there you go: manual lovers rejoice!
Admittedly, it’s been a minute since we’ve driven a manual Gladiator ourselves, but you can check out more below (as well as the latest 2026 Gladiator in another video):
