Ford has bent to enthusiast pressure and promises to make the Sasquatch Package available on two- and four-door Bronco models optioned with the seven-speed manual transmission.
When Overland Expo first set out to write our “How We’d Build It‘“ for the all-new Ford Bronco, half of us picked the Bronco with the manual transmission and Sasquatch Package. In between us writing and publishing that story, Ford made clear the Sasquatch Package would only be available on rigs built with the 10-speed automatic. So, we had to edit our builds to accommodate Ford’s oversight.
This morning Ford made official the build combination changes many of us overlanders have been begging for: The blue oval will indeed offer Sasquatch Package on both manual and automatic 2021 Broncos.
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“The Bronco community spoke and we heard them,” said Mark Grueber, Ford Bronco consumer marketing manager. “Our team moved quickly to add Sasquatch with a manual transmission — another example of our focus on giving customers the best possible off-road vehicles and accessories that we can.”
For those who need a bit of a refresher, checking the Sasquatch Package box on your Bronco build sheet adds class-first 35-inch Goodyear mud-terrain tires mounted to 17-inch beadlock-capable wheels, Dana front and rear electronic locking axles with 4.7:1 final drive ratio, and high-clearance suspension with a nearly two-inch wider track, position-sensitive Bilstein shocks and wider fender flares.
Photo: Ford
I have to wonder, though, how many Sasquatch manual Broncos we’ll actually see in the wild.
The build complexity of this truck is already enormous, as there are effectively 14 trim levels (seven trims, including the limited ‘First’ Edition’ across two- and four-door models). Then there are two different transmissions and several other packages to pick from. Adding yet another tweak to the build sheet amounts to huge changes at the assembly plant.
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What’s more, manual transmissions, even when they’re offered, have an incredibly low take rate. For example, the Chevrolet Camaro and Cruze were both offered in manual. Camaro saw a 22% take rate and Cruze a paltry 2%. Even enthusiasts like Camaro drivers weren’t enamored with manual. So, it begs the question: Will even a quarter of the would-be Bronco buyers who made a manual/Sasquatch fuss put their money where their mouths are?
I expect they will not. And the dealers sure as heck won’t order them that way and risk having one sit on the lot for a couple months.
Because of these realities, I’d wager dollars to doughnuts that Ford will remove that build combination within the first 18 months when it sells approximately 1,100 manual/Sasquatch Broncos.
That means if you want one, get ready to order it — and pay a big dealer markup.
Header photo credit: Ford
Written by Nick Jaynes. You can follow Nick @nickjaynes
