The unbearable lightness of 4WDing

"Just Jeepin'" (macintux)
09/27/2020 at 12:05 • Filed to: long-winded fluff, unnecessary jeep shopping with jj, 4wd

I started writing a post last week about why I’ve been obsessing over finding a Jeep XJ, and as I started with my technical reasons, I found myself in a bit of a rabbit hole, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

So rather than burden that eventual post with that rabbit hole, I’ll dump it here, and link to it later. Hyperlinks: wonderful things when they work.

One reason I want an XJ is that they’re a member of an exclusive club: vehicles with a stick shift (everyone knows what that is) and a two-speed transfer case (not quite so well-known).

What’s a two-speed transfer case? It’s what makes a true four-wheel drive vehicle. Depending on the design, it allows you to choose between a variety of options, such as normal two-wheel drive (typically rear), four-wheel drive, and four-wheel drive low. Particularly fancy ones will give you even more than one set of low gears, or two-wheel drive low, perhaps even allowing you to choose between front- and rear-wheel drive.

This is the glorious M715 that popped up in Maryland in April, the worst possible time for me to discover it because COVID. I’ll always miss you, truck of my dreams.

The “low” is the key word there: a set of gears that makes your vehicle go slower and torquier (who knew that was a real word) to make off-roading easier.

Anyhoo, it’s hard to find vehicles that meet both requirements, and until the new Bronco starts shipping, Jeep is the only manufacturer selling both a stick and four-speed low (aside from a few pickup trucks, but those don’t count because they don’t interest me unless they’re an !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! in which case swoon but only Kia makes those and only for military buyers).

It’s tricky to figure out what the last non-Jeep true-4wd+stick SUV sold in the U.S. market was, and that’s the rabbit hole I fell down.

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I started my research by using cars.com to search for manual 4wd vehicles, but quickly realized that wasn’t going to work, because cars.com commits the unforgivable sin of lumping AWD with 4WD.

I won’t dive into the difference, because HammerheadFistpunch beat me to...the punch.

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But for my purp oses, suffice it to say that I don’t care about vehicles like the Subaru Crosstrek, which apparently still offers manual + AWD. But, kudos Subaru.

Fortunately, autotrader.com does know there’s a difference, so by searching for used cars with manual + 4wd I was able to make some progress.

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So what is the last manual + 2-speed transfer case SUV sold in the U.S., non-Jeep edition? Glad you asked!

Let’s start with the new kid on the block, Ford. So far as I can tell, the Explorer met my requirements only until 2002. Bleah. Almost 20 years without a real SUV , no wonder they’re spending so much marketing muscle on the Bronco.

Suzuki was once a contender with the first generation XL-7, which honestly I don’t think I’ve ever heard of. Part-time 4wd + a stick, last sold in 2006. Body-on-frame too, big props. I might have to keep an eye out for one of those next time I’m 4wd shopping.

But, 2006 was a long time ago, and there have definitely been other SUVs since then with the bits I want. Maybe Toyota, right?

The 4Runner lost its manual transmission all the way back in 2002 . Shame on you, Toyota. Seriously. That’s almost as criminal as your aversion to interesting colors.

Hummer! I didn’t even spot Hummer in my search, but surely those qualify.

Huh. H1 didn’t have a manual. Neither did H2. Amazingly, the very last, the H3 did have a manual transmission as an option, so that beats Suzuki out, and now we’re up to 2010.

Rover? Well, the Discovery 4 offered a manual transmission, and it stopped selling in 2016, but after more reading I found that the stick was only offered until 2010. Pffft.

The big ungainly impossible-to-see-out of FJ Cruiser is more recent than that. It was discontinued in the U.S. in 2014, and definitely had 4L, although the stick was apparently only offered with full-time 4wd. Not terrible, but I like more control.

Nonetheless, Toyota at least moves the goalpost to 2014, despite the 4Runner debacle.

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But, the winner of our pointless quest isn’t Toyota.

Nissan, that bastion of legacy platforms, outlasted Toyota by a year. The Xterra had manual + a two-speed transfer case until 2015.

So there we have it: for the last 5 years, Jeep offered the only SUV with legitimate off-roading chops and a stick shift. Welcome back to the game, Ford. You’ve got your work cut out for you.

DISCUSSION (27)

OhCrikeyTheRozzers > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 12:23

Great write-up. L ooking forward to the XJ post—growing up in suburban Detroit you couldn’t throw a rock without hitting three of them back in the late 90s/ early 2000s (my wife’s family actually had three at the time, including a manual two-door), but rust and time seem to have killed off most of the line . Hope you find what you’re looking for.

Just Jeepin' > OhCrikeyTheRozzers
09/27/2020 at 12:26

They were also one of the biggest losers in the Cash for Clunkers program. GCs and Cherokees were both in the top 10, sadly.

OhCrikeyTheRozzers > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 12:36

Hadn’t even thought of that but makes perfect sense. Most of the ones I see now are highly modified trail rigs, which is fine, but I love them clean and original, particularly near the end of the run . Really is a shame they’ve become so hard to find —they were honest-to-goodness SUVs and offered a lot of capability for not a lot of money.

jminer > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 12:39

The vehicle that I’ve owned that was best off road was a 1987 F150 with a 4 speed T18 (with granny low) and a 300 straight 6. I could put it in granny and 4 low and climb anything. The TTB axle up front was also durable but articulated pretty well.

That being said it was awful on-road.

The vehicle I’ve owned that spend the most time off road (and was pretty decent at it) was a 2003 Explorer. It was auto, but did have a 2 speed transfer case.

Just Jeepin' > jminer
09/27/2020 at 12:43

There are lots of good reasons to prefer an automatic off-road , I just enjoy s tick shifts an awful lot.

Except mine. That Chrysler NSG370 is such a fragile piece of crap.

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 12:45

Something else for your search:

I believe the Montero Sport in the 90's could be had with a manual and legit 4x4 in the US market, although only with the smaller 3.0 V6 . I’m not sure the full-size Montero was ever offered with the manual here. For that, you have go the route of my imported Pajero to get t ur bo diesel, manual, 4X4 in the full-size truck with its coil spring and generous travel rear axle.

Fun fact about the 90's Mitsubishi super select (or active-trak in the US market) 4X4 systems: The transfer case has a viscous coupling unit in addition to the normal modes, so they have a full-time 4H mode that can be used on hard surfaces, in addition to the traditional 2H, 4H locked center diff and 4L locked center diff modes.

M.T. Blake > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 12:45

The boat on clean XJs sailed about five years ago. The Rubicon Express lifted 1999 I had is worth around $10k now. I sold it for $7100 in 2017.

SiennaMan > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 12:48

Excellent write up, especially for those of us who only recently learned why one would/should care about such things. Thanks.

Just Jeepin' > SiennaMan
09/27/2020 at 12:50

Glad you liked it. When I bought my Jeep 6 years ago I knew nothing of any of this; I’ve definitely discovered some vehicles essentially compel you to become clueful.

jminer > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 12:54

I’ve owned several manual and automatic SUVs and Trucks and prefer automatics when off-roading or towing. Less to bother with and less clutch to smoke.

In general automatics just do what they’re supposed to and it’s awesome when offroad . You’re not hunting for the right gear losing traction or momentum at the wrong time.

When I was young I’d go mudding too and a automatic is way better there , a clutch gets way too slippy when you’ve buried a truck up past the floorboards in mud :)

I understand your preference for sure though , my last tw o daily drivers have been sticks.

Just Jeepin' > jminer
09/27/2020 at 13:15

It’s increasingly looking like I’m going to end up with something not only not a stick, but not even an XJ. More later this week.

jminer > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 13:56

We ll good luck with the hunt. I’m about to undertake a similar hunt for an off road vehicle. I’ll be lucky to be doing it in rust free california though.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 14:04

Kinja'd!!!

When they go high, we go low!

Just Jeepin' > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
09/27/2020 at 14:27

Once again taunting me with your classic goodness.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 14:27

Yeah the clunkers hammered some vehicle stocks.... My wife rode in my cousins FJ Cruiser and the first thing she said was that she couldn’t see anything haha.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 14:29

Hey it isn’t even on or off a road yet! The guys couldn’t pull the hubs because the smoke was 100 to 250 up there. He will do it Tuesday and ship them out as cores for my disk kit. I am cursed!

M.T. Blake > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 15:05

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/d/campbell-1998-jeep-cherokee-2dr-manual/7203936978.html

Just Jeepin' > M.T. Blake
09/27/2020 at 15:10

And I love that gunmetal blue too. Thanks for the tip.

nermal > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 18:36

Note that it’s only the Wrangler that offered the manuel and low range. The Compass and Renegade were AWD only, with either transmission .

The last non-Wrangler Jeep that met your criteria was the 2008 Liberty. I think the Dodge Nitro of the same year did as well.

Just Jeepin' > nermal
09/27/2020 at 18:43

I was optimistic about the modern Cherokee but it turns out the manual is only offered in Europe.

nermal > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 18:57

Same with the Range Rover Evoque.

Just Jeepin' > nermal
09/27/2020 at 18:58

I never would have thought to look at Range Rovers.

Dr.Jeckyl > Just Jeepin'
09/27/2020 at 22:37

Yay, I win. I kept reading and thinking it's gotta be a Xterra.

Just Jeepin' > Dr.Jeckyl
09/27/2020 at 22:40

Good call, I had no idea what to expect when I started. I was telling my friend yesterday the winner was Land Rover, since I mis-read the Discovery Wikipedia article.

Well, I knew enough not to expect Ford or GM to be the answer. Losers.

Dr.Jeckyl > Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 13:08

I get nostalgic every now and then for my old 2 door XJ Cherokee so I go searching for the closest thing to it that would be a bit more modern.

Just Jeepin' > Dr.Jeckyl
09/28/2020 at 13:16

TJ Unlimited? Just barely more modern.

Dr.Jeckyl > Just Jeepin'
09/28/2020 at 13:42

True. If I were to get another Jeep the TJ Unlimited would be a strong contender. But it seems after a quick interweb search that they may be a bit of a unicorn as I only found 3 within 250 miles.

Now excuse me as I jump down a rabbit hole to find some good places near me to take a 4x4. My old XJ didn’t get enough dirt under its tires when I owned it.