Toyota Tacoma is now the only truck in America with a manual transmission
- Jeep will stop offering the six-speed manual option in the 2025 Gladiator.
- The price has also gone up, but if you take the added equipment into account, it’s actually a savings.
- Stellantis has confirmed that the Gladiator 4xe plug-in hybrid will go on sale late next year.
There’s one less manual pickup on the market now that Jeep has announced that the 2025 Gladiator will be offered exclusively with an eight-speed automatic transmission. That means the Toyota Tacoma is now the last truck to be offered with a DIY transmission.
This is sad and confusing, because the only powertrain combination available for the 2025 Gladiator is the one that was recently eliminated in the 2025 Wrangler. In that model, the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 is now paired exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission, while the eight-speed automatic is reserved for the four-cylinder, Hemi V8, and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
MORE: 2025 Jeep Wrangler drops manual windows, V6 gets manual transmission
In addition to eliminating the manual transmission, Jeep also announced a “price repositioning.” While that sounds like a long-overdue move, the Gladiator is thousands of dollars more expensive than other midsize trucks, with prices increasing from $37,895 to $38,100.
That’s not a good thing, but it actually saves money, since the automatic transmission was previously a $2,500 option. Also, like the Wrangler, it loses the manual windows, since power windows and locks are now standard.
The picture shows the 2024 model
In addition to the extra equipment, there are two new colors, Fathom Blue and ’41. The latter is an olive drab hue that pays homage to Jeep’s military history. Like the Wrangler, this truck also offers the newly available Active Cabin Ventilation system, which enables customers to exhaust hot air from the cabin through the Jeep Connect app.
While some customers will understandably be unhappy about the disappearance of the manual transmission, new powertrain options are on the horizon as the company reiterated plans to launch the Gladiator 4xe plug-in hybrid as part of its plan to offer “electric models for all Jeep vehicles sold in North America by the end of 2025.”
The model is expected to follow in the footsteps of the Wrangler 4xe, with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, a 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack and an electric motor. This gives the SUV a total output of 375 hp (280 kW / 380 PS) and 470 lb-ft (637 Nm) of torque, with an all-electric range of 21 miles (34 km).
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