2021 Ford Bronco Test Drive Reveals How the 7-Speed Manual Fares on the Road

This particular video is a point-of-view test drive of the Badlands trim level with the four-door body and seven-speed transmission, a combination that’s certain to attract some of the most adventure-oriented customers out there. Finished in Rapid Red and equipped with the advanced 4x4 system, the family-sized Bronco appears to be a joy to drive on the road, even though manuals aren’t as easy to operate as torque-converter automatic transmissions.

From the moment the driver moves the stick shift into first gear and slowly lets off the clutch pedal with less than 2,000 revolutions per minute on the digital tachometer, it becomes apparent that someone at the Ford Motor Company paid a lot of attention to what people want in a manual transmission. Shifting from first to second and higher still seems to be as smooth as it gets, and the 2.3-liter EcoBoost barely makes itself heard at speeds exceeding 50 to 60 miles per hour (80 to 96 kilometers per hour).

Even though it doesn’t have the 35-inch steamrollers of the Sasquatch Package, tire roar is present at motorway speeds. The same can be said about wind noise because the Bronco is a boxy son of a gun. Be that as it may, it’s adequate even if you plan to drive your soon-to-be-delivered Bronco daily.

Those who intend to splash out for a Sasquatch but don’t want the 10-speed automatic will have to wait a little longer for the "Mansquatch" to enter the scene. Further down the road, the Blue Oval will spruce up the Bronco with a more powerful twin-turbo V6 engine for the Warthog, a plug-in hybrid, and 37-inch tires. A battery-electric option is under consideration as well.