There was a time, not terribly long ago, when manual transmissions were everywhere. In fact, back in the 1980s, ’90s, and even into the 2000s, manual transmissions were standard equipment on many of the new vehicles sold in North America. This was true not just on inexpensive economy cars or high-performance sports cars — but on family sedans, pickup trucks, and SUVs as well. While stick shifts are enjoyed by car enthusiasts today, opting for a manual used to be something mainstream auto buyers did just to save money on their purchase or perhaps to get a bit better fuel economy. That’s not the case anymore.

Today, the decline in manual offerings is well known, with what seems to be an ever-dwindling list of new vehicles available with a stick shift and a clutch pedal. As you’d expect, with the manual transmission very much becoming a niche option for drivers, the vast majority of today’s manual offerings come on enthusiast-oriented sports cars, hot hatchbacks, and muscle cars.

So what about manual SUVs? While SUVs and crossovers dominate the sales charts overall, you’ll need to search far and wide for a manual-equipped SUV on a dealer lot, with just two models currently offering buyers the option of a stick shift. Those two models are the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler, both of which are adventure-oriented 4x4s, rather than mainstream family SUVs. Even on these models, manuals are only found on certain trim levels and with certain engines.

With their iconic names and rugged body-on-frame construction, the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler make sense as the only two SUVs available with a manual transmission. Both 4x4s are offered in two or four-door body styles, and both have removable tops and doors for an open-air adventure experience. A manual simply makes them that much more fun.

However, you can’t simply add the manual option to any Bronco or Wrangler model. The Bronco offers an available seven-speed manual transmission — which is technically a six-speed with an extra crawler gear — but only on models powered by the base 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. The more powerful EcoBoost V6-powered Broncos are automatic only. 

The Jeep Wrangler is available with a few different powerplants, including a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and a 6.4-liter HEMI V8. However, Jeep’s six-speed manual is only available on Wranglers powered by the 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6. For a time, the Wrangler’s V6 engine was actually manual-only, though Jeep recently brought back the V6-automatic combo following customer demand.

There’s one more new vehicle sold with a manual transmission that deserves an honorable mention here, and that’s the Toyota Tacoma — which was as of this writing the only pickup truck sold in the United States with a manual transmission. While it’s, of course, an open-bed pickup rather than an SUV, a Tacoma with a camper shell is the closest you can get to having a new Toyota SUV with a stick shift. Despite having a similar powertrain and essentially being the Tacoma’s SUV counterpart, the Toyota 4Runner is only available with an automatic.

Toyota has said that there’s low demand for a manual 4Runner, yet there’s also some evidence  that the manual transmission has been undergoing a bit of a resurgence as drivers look for an extra connection between them and their vehicles. So, is it possible that we could see other manual-equipped SUVs joining lineups in the future? 

Subaru recently generated some speculation by asking its buyers if they’d be interested in a new, manual Subaru SUV. The company had previously offered its Crosstrek CUV with a manual, but the stick shift was cut from the option sheet for 2024. Whether or not Subaru’s interest pans out into an actual product remains to be seen, but manual lovers can at least have some optimism for the future. Until something else comes to the market, though, SUV buyers who desire a manual will have to make do with a Bronco or Wrangler.