It has been a handful of years since Ford Motor Company offered a manual transmission in the F-150 pickups and although the improvement in automatic transmission technology has allowed the self-shifting gears boxes to offer many of the same attributes as the manual – there are still times when it would be better to have a clutch pedal.
When the 2015 Ford F-150 arrives later this year, it will follow in the footsteps of the 12th generation trucks that were offered for the 2009-2014 model years with the only transmission option being a 6-speed automatic.
The steady demise of the manual transmission is due more to the shift in buyer preferences and with so few new F-150 owners opted for the manual transmission, it isn’t hard to understand why Ford has gone to a strictly automatic transmission lineup. With all of that in mind, we want to know how many of you would prefer to have a manual transmission in your new F-150.
Also, if you could have a new half ton Ford truck with any of the 2015 F-150 engine options, which mill would you pick?
Click here to head into the forum to tell us if you would like to see a manual transmission and if so, with which engine.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
