Ruark Audio doesn’t reach a 40-year milestone by looking backward or cutting corners. The British company marks the occasion with the R810 MiE (Made in England) 40th Anniversary Radiogram, a strictly limited production of just 100 units worldwide that reflects how seriously Ruark still takes design, materials, and long-term value. This is not a commemorative badge slapped onto an existing product—it’s a carefully executed statement about where Ruark comes from and why it still matters.
That philosophy was already on full display in our 2025 Editors’ Choice Awards, where Ruark earned two wins for the R1 Bluetooth Radio and the R610 Music Console—products that succeeded because they balanced sound quality, industrial design, and usability without chasing trends. The R810 MiE Radiogram builds on that foundation, elevating it through craftsmanship that is rarely seen in modern audio manufacturing.
At the center of the R810 MiE is traditional marquetry, a painstaking woodworking technique in which thin veneers of contrasting woods are hand-cut and inlaid to create complex patterns and textures. Unlike decorative laminates or printed finishes, marquetry is structural, permanent, and time-intensive, requiring skilled artisans rather than automated processes. In the context of today’s audio market—where efficiency usually wins over artistry—the R810 MiE stands as a reminder that some things are still worth doing the slow, difficult way.
Ruark Revives Its Made in England Project for the R810 MiE
Ruark Audio R810 MiE Radiogram in Leaf-Line Oak
In October 2021, Ruark introduced the R5 MiE, the first product in its Made in England initiative, created in partnership with skilled British craftspeople to deliver a higher standard of finish and build quality than mass production allows. That effort was put on hold as COVID-related disruptions and global component shortages made small-batch manufacturing impractical. Now, as part of its 40th Anniversary, Ruark is relaunching the program with the R810 MiE Radiogram, bringing the concept back in a more ambitious and clearly defined form.
Priced at £6,499, the R810 MiE is offered in two finishes—Leaf-Line Oak with Sycamore detailing and Penta-Chord Walnut with Ebony detailing—with only 50 units of each produced. These are crafted to order in small batches, reinforcing the point that this is not a volume product or a cosmetic variant. The R810 MiE is, at its core, Ruark’s modern take on the radiogram: a fully integrated music system housed in a furniture-grade cabinet, combining contemporary streaming and amplification with traditional British woodworking techniques. It’s designed to be used daily, not displayed behind glass, and it reflects Ruark’s long-standing view that sound quality, design, and craftsmanship should carry equal weight.
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Ruark R810 MiE Radiogram Overview
The Ruark R810 MiE is a fully integrated, all-in-one music system housed in a furniture-grade cabinet. It combines speakers, amplification, DAC, streaming platform, radio tuners, TV connectivity, and a built-in phono stage into a single enclosure. There’s no need for external components beyond source devices and a network connection. Ruark’s intent is straightforward: deliver a complete hi-fi system that replaces a traditional stack of separates while still offering meaningful performance and flexibility.
Amplification & Speaker System
Ruark Audio R810 MiE Radiogram in Penta-Chord Walnut
At the core of the R810 MiE is a fully active Class A/B amplification system rated at 180 watts total, with each driver individually powered and controlled. The speaker array consists of two 28mm silk-dome tweeters, two 100mm NS+ mid/bass drivers, and a 200mm long-throw subwoofer built directly into the cabinet. The enclosure uses a twin bass-reflex design alongside an infinite-baffle subwoofer, allowing the system to produce substantial low-frequency output without an external subwoofer. Ruark rates the in-room frequency response at 30Hz to 22kHz, which is ambitious but plausible given the cabinet volume and driver configuration.
Sound Shaping & System Control
The R810 MiE offers practical system adjustments rather than fixed voicing. Bass, treble, and subwoofer output can be adjusted from –6dB to +6dB, allowing the system to be tuned for room placement and listener preference. A Stereo+ mode is included to widen the soundstage when desired, particularly useful in larger rooms or open living spaces.
Digital & Analog Architecture
Digital and analog conversion is handled by Burr-Brown 32-bit/192kHz DAC and ADC stages, supporting high-resolution playback while maintaining compatibility with traditional analog sources. The system supports a wide range of audio formats, including FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, and WAV up to 32-bit/192kHz, along with MP3 and AAC files. This allows the R810 MiE to function equally well as a high-resolution streamer or a hub for legacy sources.
Connectivity & Source Support
Connectivity is one of the R810 MiE’s strengths. Wireless options include Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, and Bluetooth 5.1 with support for aptX HD, AAC, and SBC codecs. Built-in streaming services include Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and Qobuz Connect, with multiroom capability through AirPlay 2 and Google Cast. Wired connections include HDMI ARC/eARC for TV audio, optical digital input, stereo RCA line input, Ethernet, and a moving-magnet phono input with adjustable gain from 2 to 7mV. USB-C support allows for storage playback and device charging, and an optional external Ruark R-CD100 CD player adds disc playback for those who still value physical media.
Display, Control & Software
User interaction is handled through a 4-inch high-contrast color TFT display with automatic dimming, paired with a rechargeable wireless remote control. The system supports 20 global presets, automatic daylight saving time adjustment, and over-the-air software updates via LAN or USB. Additional features, including Bluetooth headphone support and expanded alarm scheduling, are scheduled to arrive via OTA updates in early 2026.
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Size, Weight & Physical Presence
The R810 MiE is a substantial piece of equipment, both visually and physically. The cabinet itself measures 150 x 1000 x 400 mm (5.9 x 39.4 x 15.7 inches). When mounted on the included chrome stand, overall dimensions increase to 660 × 1000 × 435 mm (26 x 39.4 x 17.1 inches). The unit weighs 27 kg (59.5 lbs), while the packaged weight with stand reaches 41 kg (90.4 lbs). This is not a compact system, and it’s clearly intended to function as a room’s focal point rather than disappear into the background.
The Bottom Line
The R810 MiE Radiogram is not a lifestyle accessory pretending to be hi-fi. It’s a serious, overbuilt, all-in-one system that sounds far larger than its 40-inch-wide cabinet suggests—something I was reminded of the first time I heard the standard R810 and walked away mildly depressed that I couldn’t afford buying one. The photos don’t quite tell the story; this thing moves air, fills a room with ease, and feels engineered to last decades, not product cycles.
There are limits, and they’re worth stating clearly. The built-in phono stage is MM only with adjustable gain but no loading options, so low-output moving coils are off the table. High-output MCs may work, but this is not a cartridge-tweaker’s platform. There’s no DSD support, no LDAC, and no aptX Lossless, though that’s missing the point. This system is aimed at people who want something that sounds dramatically better than most wireless speakers or soundbars, supports a turntable, TV, and a proper CD transport, and doesn’t ask them to build a rack of boxes. It won’t do surround formats, but it will embarrass most soundbars on clarity, scale, and tonal weight.
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The MiE premium is real, and so is the value behind it. It’s built like a tank, the rechargeable remote is excellent, and the optional R-CD100 CD player is absolutely worth adding if discs are part of your life. Just be aware of placement: at 40 inches wide, it can look a little undersized beneath TVs larger than 65 inches.
Accessory spending rises as creators invest hundreds and thousands into gear upgrades
AI-driven production growth exposes capture weaknesses and boosts hardware demand worldwide
Smartphones still dominate video creation, but growing evidence suggests their physical limits are driving a new spending wave on dedicated gear among millions of creators, experts have said.
A new report from Futuresource Consulting estimates the global population of online video creators reached 246 million in 2025 and could grow to 267 million by 2030. That growth is only part of the story, however, as spending patterns and equipment upgrades appear to be the real commercial driver behind the next phase.
The research draws on responses from more than 16,000 people across the USA, UK, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil, China, and India, and combines survey data with creator population sizing, forecasts, and analysis of device preferences and purchasing behavior.
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Smartphones have physical limitations
“Smartphones remain the primary video acquisition device for the vast majority of creators,” said Helen Matthews, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource. “But the number of users progressing towards dedicated hardware is growing at a significant rate. The closest dedicated alternative, vlogging cameras, falls far behind smartphones in our survey, underscoring how wide the gap remains, and how much runway exists for manufacturers to capture spend.”
She said that progression becomes harder to ignore as creators increase their output.
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“And although smartphones present almost no barrier to entry for online content creation, they have physical limitations. As creators grow in ambition and production volume, the penalty for weak capture becomes more visible. That’s where the opportunity for dedicated camera products lies.”
Growth in accessory ownership suggests that move is already happening, with the number of creators using more than just a smartphone rising 17% year over year.
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Nearly half of creators with additional accessories reported spending over $1,000 on gear, while 70% said they had spent more than $500.
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Microphones, smartphone lenses, gimbals, and compact action cameras similar to GoPro-style devices are among the most commonly planned purchases.These add-ons offer incremental upgrades without requiring creators to abandon smartphones entirely.
Three creator groups appear throughout the data — hobbyists, aspirational creators, and professionals — each with different priorities when spending on equipment. Aspirational and professional creators together account for around 35% of creators today and are expected to approach 38% by 2030.
Artificial intelligence is now widely used by four in five creators, largely speeding up editing, idea generation, and visual effects. Faster production cycles boost output volume, which in turn places pressure on capture quality at the start of the process.
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“As post-production becomes faster and more automated, the volume of content produced rises,” Matthews said. “As a result, the penalty for poor capture quality becomes more visible. We expect this dynamic to drive sustained demand for higher-specification cameras, audio equipment and accessories as creators who produce regularly seek to differentiate their output.”
Regional differences affect how that spending unfolds, with India accounting for 28% of the global creator base and showing strong momentum in dedicated hardware adoption.
The USA continues to lead in equipment spending and upgrade pathways, while European markets show uneven growth tied to cultural attitudes around monetization and creator income.
The browser tab we reflexively open to use Google every five minutes now has a faster, more efficient replacement sitting on the desktop.
Google
What Does The App Actually Do?
The centerpiece, mind you, is a keyboard shortcut: Alt + Space. It summons a floating search bar over whatever is on the screen, similar to how Cmd + Space summons the Spotlight search on Macs.
Once you summon the search bar, you can search across local computer files, installed apps, Google Drive documents, and the internet in general, all from one place.
If I were a Windows user (which I was until about three years ago), I would have installed the Google app for the Spotlight-like search experience alone, but my Mac’s Spotlight has been working fine for the same amount of time.
Quite a bit, actually. Google Lens, the company’s native image-based search tool, is built directly into the new Google app for Windows. It lets users click and search for anything that’s visible on their screen.
From translating on-screen text to solving a maths problem, you can do such things without copying anything. The app also supports screen sharing within a search session, so users can keep a document or webpage open while asking follow-up questions.
Of course, the new Google apps come with AI Mode embedded. So, answers go beyond blue links, responses are conversational, contextual, and connected to the internet with accurate information, along with appropriate citations.
Google’s global Windows app rollout signals something bigger than convenience; it’s a direct challenge to Microsoft’s dominance over your desktop search experience. Copilot is already embedded in Windows, so Google’s presence is also making itself felt. In the future, we might get to see a dedicated Gemini app for Windows.
While Meta partnered with Ray-Ban to position its smart glasses as more lifestyle-oriented than experimental, Apple’s design philosophy remains distinctly in-house. In his Power On newsletter, Gurman notes that Apple is taking an independent approach, choosing to develop the product internally rather than collaborate with an established eyewear brand. Each… Read Entire Article Source link
The finalists for Hardware/Robotics/Physical AI of the Year at the 2026 GeekWire Awards. Clockwise from top left: AIM Intelligent Machines; Brinc’s Guardian drone; Starfish Space’s Otter spacecraft; Orbital Robotics; and Augmodo’s Smartbadge. (Company Photos)
An emerging class of startups is pushing the boundaries of what machines can do in the physical world — retrofitting bulldozers to dig on their own, launching drones that beat police cars to 911 calls, outfitting retail workers with spatial computing badges, building robotic arms for spacecraft, and servicing satellites in orbit.
Those are the innovations represented by the finalists for Hardware/Robotics/Physical AI of the Year at the 2026 GeekWire Awards.
The finalists are: AIM, Augmodo, Brinc, Orbital Robotics, and Starfish Space.
Now in its 18th year, the GeekWire Awards is the premier event recognizing the top leaders, companies and breakthroughs in Pacific Northwest tech, bringing together hundreds of people to celebrate innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit. It takes place May 7 at the Showbox SoDo in Seattle.
Continue reading for information on the Hardware/Robotics/Physical AI of the Year finalists, who were chosen by a panel of independent judges from community nominations.
You can help pick the winner: Cast your ballot here or in the embedded form at the bottom. Voting runs through April 16.
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AIM Intelligent Machinesretrofits heavy earthmoving equipment such as bulldozers and excavators to operate autonomously, using sensors and an edge computing system to build real-time 3D maps of a machine’s surroundings and navigate without a human driver.
The Seattle-area startup announced $50 million in funding in 2025 and was founded in 2021 by engineers with experience at Waymo, SpaceX, Google, Stripe, Tesla and Apple. CEO Adam Sadilek leads the company.
Augmodo makes wearable “Smartbadge” devices for retail store employees that use computer vision and 3D mapping to collect real-time inventory data as workers move through aisles, tracking empty shelves, overstocking and product availability. The approach is designed as a cheaper and more efficient alternative to robot scanners.
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The Seattle startup, founded in 2023, raised $37.5 million in a Series A round on top of a previously announced $5.4 million seed round. CEO Ross Finman previously co-founded Escher Reality, which was acquired by Niantic Labs, and spent more than four years at the “Pokémon Go” maker. The company recently hired a new CTO from Microsoft HoloLens and Amazon Alexa and has grown its team nearly fivefold.
Brinc builds drones for police, fire and emergency response agencies, recently unveiling Guardian, the world’s first Starlink-connected drone. Guardian can auto-launch on a 911 call, fly up to eight miles at 60 mph for more than an hour, and deliver payloads such as defibrillators and emergency medication.
The company’s products are used by more than 900 public safety agencies and more than 20% of SWAT teams in the U.S.
Founded in 2019 by CEO Blake Resnick, the Seattle-based company raised $75 million in a round that included a strategic alliance with Motorola Solutions, bringing total funding to $157.2 million. The company now employs 160 people and is moving to a new 35,000-square-foot headquarters and factory in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood.
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Orbital Robotics is developing AI-powered robotic arms for spacecraft, tackling the challenge of manipulating objects in orbit where every movement of an arm causes the spacecraft itself to move in response.
Founded in late 2024, the company has raised about $310,000 and is working with a stealthy space venture on an orbital rendezvous project for the U.S. Space Force. Co-founders Aaron Borger, Doug Kohl, Riley Mark and Sohil Pokharna are former Blue Origin engineers.
Starfish Space builds satellite servicing spacecraft designed to autonomously inspect, dock with and reposition satellites in orbit — including satellites that weren’t originally built for on-orbit servicing. Its Otter spacecraft can extend satellite lifespans by boosting them to higher orbits or move them to lower orbits for safe disposal.
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The Tukwila, Wash.-based company, founded in 2019 by former Blue Origin engineers Austin Link and Trevor Bennett, recently raised more than $110 million in a Series B round, pushing total funding past $150 million.
Starfish has completed three demonstration missions in orbit and has Otter missions under contract with the U.S. Space Force, NASA, SES and others, with its first operational mission expected to launch this year.
The event will feature a VIP reception, sit-down dinner and fun entertainment mixed in. Tickets go fast. A limited number of half-table and full-table sponsorships are available. Contact events@geekwire.com to reserve a spot for your team today.
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As evidenced by the Hyundai Boulder Concept and some statements in Kia’s 2026 Investor Day announcements, Kia is getting serious about building a truck. Kia already has a body-on-frame truck, the Tasman, which launched in global markets in 2025, but this potential new offering seems to be different from that particular mid-sized truck.
The new truck, as yet unnamed, will ride on a body-on-frame platform like other American-market trucks from the likes of Toyota, Ford, and General Motors. Whether Kia’s new pickup offering will be able to compete with those well-entrenched models is a question only the future can answer: Kia’s truck isn’t even scheduled to hit the market until 2030.
However, Kia is at least giving the truck a pair of drivetrains that might edge out a win, or at least help it stand out from the competition. More specifically, Kia is aiming to offer two hybrid drivetrains, one of which will be an extended-range model.
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An electrified boost
Two giants in the truck industry, Toyota and Ford, already offer hybrid versions of their trucks: Toyota has the newest-generation Tacoma and Tundra, while Ford has the F-150 PowerBoost. However, an extended-range electric vehicle pickup, as the new Kia is supposed to be, would be unique, at least in the North American market.
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BYD, the Chinese automaker well known for its electric cars, produces the BYD Shark, a body-on-frame plug-in hybrid pickup, but that truck probably isn’t showing up on American streets anytime soon. As far as American automakers go, Stellantis has teased the Ram Ramcharger — which would have a gas motor to charge its onboard batteries — for years, but it has yet to materialize. Ford has, admittedly, announced a range-extending gas engine for the second-gen F-150 Lightning, but it hasn’t revealed a release date yet.
The new Kia model has the potential to shake up the market, providing American drivers with something unique at a price point that will likely be very competitive. While Kia hasn’t even announced what the truck will look like or what it will be called, it’s certainly a truck to look forward to.
Pellet grill converts aren’t shy about their love for these versatile outdoor cookers, and many, including CNET, regard Traeger as the best in the booming alternative-grill category. Traeger’s pellet grills allow for precise temperature control via convection heat, easy low-and-slow cooking with minimal oversight and wood-fired flavor you won’t get from gas or charcoal setups. But they aren’t cheap.
A full-sized Traeger typically costs the would-be pellet griller about $1,000, but the brand just launched its most budget-friendly line, the Westwood series, ahead of summer 2026. That means you can haul in one of Traeger’s cult-favorite pellet grills with most of its signature bells and whistles for less than $700.
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Pellet grills are praised for delivering woodfire flavor and precise temperature control.
Traeger
The new standard Westwood has 653 square inches of grilling space and sells for $699. The XL sports 823 square inches and will cost you $799 — still cheaper than any other large grill in the Traeger lineup. Until now, the cheapest full-sized Traegers, the Ridgewood series, started at $899.
The Westwood series builds on the advanced engineering and flavor-forward technology that Traeger has refined across its top-of-the-line grills, according to a press release shared with CNET, and fuses them into a grill designed for everyday cooking.
Key Features of the Traeger Westwood series:
Woodfire flavor with minimal fuss: Natural hardwood pellets and convection airflow work together to deliver richer wood‑fired flavor and consistent results.
Easy use: WiFIRE with Bluetooth compatibility lets users monitor and control their grill from the Traeger App for effortless, precise cooking.
More cooking options than most grills: Grill, slow cook, smoke or bake with Traeger’s precise temperature control and convection technology.
Generous cooking space: Dual‑tier grilling area provides room to cook multiple dishes at once.
Space to prep: Integrated shelves and storage create a streamlined workspace, keeping tools, ingredients and pellets within easy reach.
With the launch of its Westwood Series, Trager’s pellet grills are more affordable than ever.
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Traeger
The Westwood Series is now available online and in stores through Traeger retailers.
Per the agreement, Amazon will take ownership of Globalstar’s existing operations including its low Earth orbit satellite network and supporting infrastructure, as well as related assets like mobile satellite service spectrum licenses. Amazon is paying $90 per Globalstar share – available either as cash or in Amazon stock – which… Read Entire Article Source link
512GB of fast, well-organised storage changes how you actually use a phone, especially when you are shooting 8K video and saving high-resolution 50MP images without a second thought.
The camera is the obvious starting point, and on the Pixel 10 Pro it earns genuine attention rather than just marketing language, because the triple rear system pairs a 50MP main sensor with 100x Pro Res Zoom for the kind of detail you would normally need a much bigger camera to capture.
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That reach is backed by Google’s Tensor G5 chip, which has been purpose-built with an improved TPU and CPU to run Google’s AI processing on-device, meaning tasks like computational photography and Gemini Live happen faster and with less reliance on a network connection.
Gemini Live itself is worth dwelling on, because it turns the phone into something closer to an always-available visual assistant, letting you point the camera at your surroundings and have a natural back-and-forth conversation about what it sees, which feels meaningfully different from tapping through menus.
The 6.3-inch Super Actua OLED display hits 3,300 nits of peak brightness, so reading the screen outdoors in direct sunlight stops being a frustrating experience, and the 120Hz refresh rate keeps scrolling and transitions feeling fluid regardless of what you are doing.
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Build quality matches the ambition, with durable aluminium framing and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back meaning the phone can survive the kind of daily contact that would leave cheaper handsets visibly worse for wear.
The Pixel 10 Pro is a strong fit for anyone who wants Google’s best camera and AI experience without paying the full flagship price, and at $969 this is the most accessible that combination has been since launch.
The RAMpocalypse continues. Microsoft just revealed across the entire Surface line of products, . The updated pricing has already hit the official Microsoft Store, with other retailers expected to follow suit in the near future.
These are fairly significant upticks. For instance, the base model 15-inch Surface Laptop 7 now starts at $1,600. It cost $1,300 when the laptop was first released back in 2024. It did receive a price increase last year to $1,500, so today’s increase tacks on another $100.
The cost balloons even further when upgrading components, as a top-end Laptop 7 with a Snapdragon X Elite, 64GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD storage now costs a whopping $3650. As a comparison, a 16-inch MacBook Pro with an M5 Pro, 64GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD comes in at $3,300, and the .
Microsoft
This trend continues with the Surface Pro line of hybrid computers. The 12-inch Surface Pro starts at $1,050, after launching at just $800. The flagship 13-inch Surface Pro cost $1,000 in 2024 and now starts at $1,500. That’s a $500 increase in just two years, though the base hard drive did get a bit bigger.
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These price increases are, of course, being blamed on generative AI’s penchant for . “Due to recent increases in memory and component costs, Surface is updating pricing on Microsoft.com for its current‑generation hardware portfolio,” Microsoft wrote in a statement.
Industry reports that the company is currently readying refreshes across the Surface line. It’s highly likely these new prices if component prices don’t decrease.
These aren’t the due to AI. Motorola recently instituted increases that even . Samsung has also pushed up the cost for its .
The PS5 when compared to the 2020 launch price, though Sony didn’t explicitly blame these increases on RAM, but rather “continued pressures in the global economic landscape.” There are also rumors that the continued RAM shortage has made it difficult for and likely pushed back the release of the .
There was a time, not terribly long ago, when manual transmissions were everywhere. In fact, back in the 1980s, ’90s, and even into the 2000s, manual transmissions were standard equipment on many of the new vehicles sold in North America. This was true not just on inexpensive economy cars or high-performance sports cars — but on family sedans, pickup trucks, and SUVs as well. While stick shifts are enjoyed by car enthusiasts today, opting for a manual used to be something mainstream auto buyers did just to save money on their purchase or perhaps to get a bit better fuel economy. That’s not the case anymore.
Today, the decline in manual offerings is well known, with what seems to be an ever-dwindling list of new vehicles available with a stick shift and a clutch pedal. As you’d expect, with the manual transmission very much becoming a niche option for drivers, the vast majority of today’s manual offerings come on enthusiast-oriented sports cars, hot hatchbacks, and muscle cars.
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So what about manual SUVs? While SUVs and crossovers dominate the sales charts overall, you’ll need to search far and wide for a manual-equipped SUV on a dealer lot, with just two models currently offering buyers the option of a stick shift. Those two models are the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler, both of which are adventure-oriented 4x4s, rather than mainstream family SUVs. Even on these models, manuals are only found on certain trim levels and with certain engines.
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SUVs with manual transmissions are rare breeds
With their iconic names and rugged body-on-frame construction, the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler make sense as the only two SUVs available with a manual transmission. Both 4x4s are offered in two or four-door body styles, and both have removable tops and doors for an open-air adventure experience. A manual simply makes them that much more fun.
However, you can’t simply add the manual option to any Bronco or Wrangler model. The Bronco offers an available seven-speed manual transmission — which is technically a six-speed with an extra crawler gear — but only on models powered by the base 2.3-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine. The more powerful EcoBoost V6-powered Broncos are automatic only.
The Jeep Wrangler is available with a few different powerplants, including a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder and a 6.4-liter HEMI V8. However, Jeep’s six-speed manual is only available on Wranglers powered by the 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V6. For a time, the Wrangler’s V6 engine was actually manual-only, though Jeep recently brought back the V6-automatic combo following customer demand.
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There is some evidence more stick shift SUVs are on the way
There’s one more new vehicle sold with a manual transmission that deserves an honorable mention here, and that’s the Toyota Tacoma — which was as of this writing the only pickup truck sold in the United States with a manual transmission. While it’s, of course, an open-bed pickup rather than an SUV, a Tacoma with a camper shell is the closest you can get to having a new Toyota SUV with a stick shift. Despite having a similar powertrain and essentially being the Tacoma’s SUV counterpart, the Toyota 4Runner is only available with an automatic.
Toyota has said that there’s low demand for a manual 4Runner, yet there’s also some evidence that the manual transmission has been undergoing a bit of a resurgence as drivers look for an extra connection between them and their vehicles. So, is it possible that we could see other manual-equipped SUVs joining lineups in the future?
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Subaru recently generated some speculation by asking its buyers if they’d be interested in a new, manual Subaru SUV. The company had previously offered its Crosstrek CUV with a manual, but the stick shift was cut from the option sheet for 2024. Whether or not Subaru’s interest pans out into an actual product remains to be seen, but manual lovers can at least have some optimism for the future. Until something else comes to the market, though, SUV buyers who desire a manual will have to make do with a Bronco or Wrangler.
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