KJ and a manual transmission...

[SAF16055]

Hey yinz guys, I'm wondering how the owners of manual transmission KJs have been pleased with the overall performance of the powertrain. When I bought our Liberty I almost bought one with a stick but remembered that my wife is manual transmission challenged...sigh.
We're considering selling my 01 Grand Cherokee and replacing it with another KJ since we've been very happy with ours. Since I'll be the primary driver it will defiantely have a standard transmission.
So, hows the 3.7L and a manual trans been working out for yinz?
Thanks in advance for everyone's replies.

steve

 

[BlueJeep07]

I've owned my 07 Liberty with the manual 6 speed for a week. The vehicle is very noisy, but it is also pretty strong running. I'm going to add some interior insulation to try to quiet it down. I bought the ad car at a dealer in Tenn. and paid $15995 for my Liberty with 40 miles on the odometer. I've gone through two tanks of gas and am averaging around 20-21 mpg. This is my first jeep and I feel like the build quality is pretty good. I also have a wife who is manually challenged, but that just means that she can't drive my car. I'm not complaining.

 

[JeepJeepster]

what is a yinz?

Some people love them and some people hate them.. Be sure to test drive and make sure you are one that likes it..

 

[adamkrz]

I own a 2004 with the 5 speed and I'm very pleased with it,My last 2 cars were both auto's with trans problems,This past weekend I towed a 2500 lb camper very smoothly.

 

[Dave]

what is a yinz?

Some people love them and some people hate them.. Be sure to test drive and make sure you are one that likes it..

ditto.........double ditto.......and give it a really good test drive including 4hi and 4lo on the dirt before you plunk down your hard earned money.

Dave

 

[thecause17]

what is a yinz?

Some people love them and some people hate them.. Be sure to test drive and make sure you are one that likes it..

Something us Southwestern PA people say...I knew as soon as I read it where he was from without even looking at his location. replace it with y'all, or you guys if you're from anywhere else in the world.

 

[Prospect62]

I've had mine for almost a month and I love this thing more than any vehicle I have ever owned. I'm going to love it even more when I get my lift and MT/R's on it.

I absolutlely COULD NOT imagine driving this vehicle with an automatic, that's how fun the NV3550 is. It is noisy, as everyone knows the NV3550 is noisy. I kinda like it. The gear noise makes it feel more like the full size trucks I'm used to. Mine has 83k miles on it and the clutch and ****** work and feel like new. I think the manual gives the Liberty a whole new feel. It was a major part in my decision to buy it!

 

[Gris]

I've had my '02 with the 5-spd manual NV3550 for over 3 years. I love it. Great transmission and very strong. yeah, a wee bit on the noisy site, but when you run MT/Rs and have a giant roof basket, noise from the ****** is strangely eliminated. I've off-roaded it pretty heavily. It's a PITA off-road if you don't know how to drive a stick expertly. I stall at least 20 times a day off-road.


That being said, my wife has an '06 with the 6-spd. Not as much towing power, and we never took it off-road, but good god the thing is fast. doing 85 in 6th, hit the gas and you go, no down-shifting required.

 

[Atrus]

Are you looking at an '07, or are you looking used? I ask because in 2007 they went to the electronic throttle - no throttle cable. I've already gotten used to it (I have 2500 on my '07), but there are times when it kinda bogs from a takeoff. I've read some people had issues with the electronic throttle and manual trans (they just didn't like the combo).

I was in the same boat as you, I was heavily considering a manual...I found the exact Liberty that I wanted with an Auto, so I went with it.

I'll also say that some people are more sensitive to these things than others, or are just more picky . The wife's G6 is drive-by-wire (hell, that thing has electric - not hydraulic - steering!) and the '07 Libby we have is electronic throttle. Sure, I can notice very subtle differences on rare occasions, but I hardly notice anymore, and even when I did notice I'll stress that I thought it was very rare.

 

[SAF16055]

YINZ = y'all, all y'all, you guys, you's guys, everybody, everyone...it's a 'Burgh thing. Having grown up dahn by Pittsburgh I still speak fluent Pittsburghese even at my age,haha.

Yep, looking at an '07 Liberty for myself with the 6 speed transmission, the wifes '06 is an auto which works great but I prefer the stick anytime. I'll get in touch with the dealer we bought the '06 from and see what they can do for me.

Please keep the replies coming as they have been very helpful.
Thanks yinz guys!

Steve

 

[BoyNamedSue]

I had an '07 Manual Liberty, and I traded it in for an Automatic. I thought the 6-speed was horrible !!!
People would take off from a stoplight and be way up the road while I was still messing around in 1st and 2nd gear.

1st gear is extremely low and you only need to stay in it for a second. 2nd gear on mine had a flat spot, so you could never take off without jerking around some which gets annoying. The driveline was very clunky when shifting in the lower gears. I think the main cause of the problems is the new electronic throttle control on '07's. With a manual you need good timing, but with mine I never knew when the throttle was going to kick in or when I would have a delay. Totally ruined the driving experience for me.

If you're in 4th gear for instance and want to downshift to 3rd for some passing power, you get a really harsh jolt as you go to acclerate. I thought for sure my Jeep would start falling apart within a year with all the jerking and jolting I went thru with that thing. Was there something wrong with mine? I really don't know. I tried another one to compare, but the test drive just wasn't long enough for me to know for sure.

The good points are that the higher gears were great. Didn't experience the problems above in higher gears 4 thru 6. It was a lot more fun to drive on a curvy mountain road than an automatic. Even with all the bad points I sure do miss driving a manual. If someone offered to trade me a new Manual Liberty for my Auto Liberty I would probably do it and just get used to all the bad stuff. Driving an Auto just doesn't compare to driving a Stick ! It's just sick and wrong !!!

 

[Prospect62]

Yeah yinz, I can't speak for the NSG 6 speed. But I hear alot of yinz who don't like it - far more than yinz that don't like the NV3550.

Driving a manual is for yinz who appreciate driving - which is not to say automatic driver's don't. But if you drive a manual, you need to love driving and be interested in the Jeep enough to care about every shift. It requires attention, timing and knowledge of the drivetrain (to drive it well on and off-road). Yinz.

 

[Atrus]

couple of comments:

1) I agree that a stick is better for the most part. My issue was that I drive quite a bit in traffic, and I can see a stick getting real old real quick. The KJ will probably see about 99% usage on road, so the auto was a better choice (although I was still considering a stick). Unless you really plan on doing some very heavy off-roading or rock crawling, I see no reason why an auto wouldn't do you well.

2) CRD's aren't available here in the States for 2007. I think 2005 was the last year they were offered.

 

[thecause17]

Drivetain loss is evident in both manuals and automatics, not just automatics...most manual transmissions exhibit somewhere in the 18% range drivetrain loss, while an automatic will lose closer to 23%.

I have an automatic, if I would have found a manual, I would have probably bought it instead...mostly because I just enjoy driving a manual transmission. However, if I were to be towing on a regular basis, I would prefer an automatic every time, as they have a higher towing capacity than a manual transmission.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

couple of comments:

1) I agree that a stick is better for the most part. My issue was that I drive quite a bit in traffic, and I can see a stick getting real old real quick. The KJ will probably see about 99% usage on road, so the auto was a better choice (although I was still considering a stick). Unless you really plan on doing some very heavy off-roading or rock crawling, I see no reason why an auto wouldn't do you well.

2) CRD's aren't available here in the States for 2007. I think 2005 was the last year they were offered.

The year is 2006. How do I know for sure? I have one.

 

[Dave]

I have an A/T because most of my driving is on road and I need the towing capacity.

When I'm off road and I do not want the A/T to get shifty on me I just put it in first gear. With your A/T in first and your T-Case in 4Lo it's pretty good. You're not going fast anyway.

Anyway, I'm sure the standard ****** is better off road but I have never driven one in the KJ so I couldn't really tell you how they both compare. I have driven standard shift 98 and 05 TJ's though and I like the standard off road.

The standard in the KJ up to the 06 models (drive by wire I believe - starting in 07) might behave differently.

Dave

 

[BoyNamedSue]

Another big thing I like about manuals is that no service is required.

The less a stranger touches my jeep the better.
With an automatic, unless you do your own work, they have to remove the pan, remove the filters, flush the transmission if you desire, clean the pan, put gasket material back on the pan, not too much, not too little, put it all back together, then you pray that they put in only the specified fluid.
I don't know about you, but I don't trust someone I don't know to do a quality job at this. (that's not to say they won't, you just don't know).

Also I understand how a manual works a lot better. Much simpler. Less to go wrong. Significantly cheaper to replace if something does go wrong.

 

[Dave]

I meant to also say that I do not think the CRD was offered in the USA with a standard ******.

I am not positive. Marlon would know for sure..........hello Marlon...

Dave

 

[Atrus]

Another big thing I like about manuals is that no service is required.

The less a stranger touches my jeep the better.
With an automatic, unless you do your own work, they have to remove the pan, remove the filters, flush the transmission if you desire, clean the pan, put gasket material back on the pan, not too much, not too little, put it all back together, then you pray that they put in only the specified fluid.
I don't know about you, but I don't trust someone I don't know to do a quality job at this. (that's not to say they won't, you just don't know).

Also I understand how a manual works a lot better. Much simpler. Less to go wrong. Significantly cheaper to replace if something does go wrong.

I'll agree that major repairs are cheaper, and although I can't say on the Libby exclusively, traditionally the longevity of a manual is better.

I heavily disagree on maintenance though. Flushing and changing fluid can easily be done at home in my opinion. I do them myself (although I haven't on a KJ yet). My arguement is, how simple is it to replace a clutch when a manual needs it? Also, how well do they fare off-road in water holes? Water/Mud in a clutch can be a pain. No worry about that in an auto

6 of 1, 1/2 dozen of another - they both have their strong and weak points. I like both, I just happened to find the auto with the other options I wanted, and although a manual would be fun, I think the auto is a better choice for me.

 

[Marlon_JB2]

I meant to also say that I do not think the CRD was offered in the USA with a standard ******.

I am not positive. Marlon would know for sure..........hello Marlon...

Dave

It wasn't. Of course I have SEEN one.... but it had a DCX owned Michigan plate on it. It was also a 4x2!