Originally Posted By: Chris142
When I wear out my f250 I doubt I will be able to replace it with a stickshift.
The only full-size pickup currently available with a stick is the Ram 2500/3500. Its been that way for a number of years now, and rumors abound that it will eventually disappear from the option list on the Ram, too.
Automatics are objectively better-performing than manuals in almost every way now. Better overall fuel efficiency since the computer can fully coordinate the engine and transmission parameters together. Ditto emissions. They've always been better for towing heavy loads, other than the purpose-built manual gearboxes like those found in 3/4 and 1-ton Rams. And even then, lifetime cost of the manual is often higher because of clutch replacements. In cars, they've been faster down the dragstrip since the early 1960s, and that advantage has only widened (compare ET's of a manual Hellcat vs the automatic, nevermind the Demon that integrates a trans brake and sophisticated launch controls into the automatic version). Manuals have continued to hold the advantage on road courses, but given that F1 and Indy cars have been paddle-shifted automatics rather than real manual transmissions for years, and fast paddle-shifted automatics and dual-dry-clutch automatics are showing up in production cars, that advantage is pretty much gone, too.
All that said, I love driving a manual. Which is why I made sure to get one in my Challenger while I still can.