If I were a betting man, it has to do with fuel economy or emissions with the 35" tires and the 4.70s.  Being a manual, shift schedules play a big role in emissions and EPA defines the shift schedules or requires you to prove that the average consumer will shift differently than the pre-defined schedule.  I bet the…

Plus when you take the torque converter stall ratio into effect you soon realize the automatic has far lower gearing than the manual. Just saying.

Why does everyone that drives an automatic think offroading a manual involves riding the clutch to death?

This.  I had a wrangler, had to give it up.  I want this, but I want the full option set too.  I appreciate the manual and the 2.3 being on all trims, but I’d really like sasquatch as well.  

But offroading is fun in the first place. I never had a bad time in my auto-trans ‘90 Bronco...

While it's been many years since I drove an automatic offroad, I have not previously encountered one that can hold gears in 4-low properly without me telling it what to do with the shifter. If I already have to shift the stupid thing, why wouldn't I want the further advantage of a clutch?

It’s like the small cars from 10 years ago or so, which are only interesting to drive with a stick, but if you want a stick, you get roll up windows, no A/C, radio delete and no carpeting.   “You can have a bit of fun with our car, but we will punish you for thinking of doing so.”

I also much prefer the clutch off road compared to a torque converter. I can feel exactly what’s happening when I’m engaging the clutch in the gear I’ve selected whereas with the auto you just kinda push the gas and wait for something to happen. Especially with the super low crawl ratios, stalling really isn’t a…

Well, off-roading is typically done for the challenge, making it specifically easier doesn’t necessarily make sense either. It’s a preference thing.

because some of us truly enjoy mastering a vehicle as opposed to letting the computer do everything for you. I can more precisely pick my gearing for the conditions (10 gears is a LOT to hunt through) and ford built a box specifically for this situation. and because i enjoy driving a manual in day to day situations…

It’s more fun to some people, including me. Wheeling doesn’t need to be about optimization or ease-of-use. It’s an inherently illogical hobby, after all!

The Dodge Journey: The cheapest crossover for people who bought the cheapest condoms.

And by fight back, you mean it activates the turn signal autonomously and politely changes lanes.

I don’t understand why I have to keep reiterating this. They work, they just flash in a color that the poors can’t perceive. 

I think they made turn signals a subscription service a long time ago. Seems to be going ok.

It’s a full-sized truck, so it’s probably better that its styling is a little understated compared to much of its competition that look like they are auditioning for the next Transformers movie.

Bland is good.  I was wondering who would be the first to step back from the war on sanity that half-ton trucks have been waging, but I didn’t expect it to be Ford.  Good for them, this is a good-looking truck.

In the age of rampant overstyling and questionable styling themes (cough Silverado yak yak cough cough), I’ll take a little bland and understated that also looks quite good.

I don’t mind bland in a truck. I prefer it to over-wrought like the new Tacoma. 

I think Ford stylists looked at the latest Silverado 1500, then looked at the latest Ram 1500, looked at their relative sales, and decided that there’s merit in taste and restraint. Not that they’d ever admit that to Auburn Hills, of course.