When did you last see a car or truck with manual windows? Of course, your uncle’s 1979 TransAm doesn’t count. If you grew up in the 80s and 90s, hand cranked windows were a regular fact of life. The time before backup cameras was a time of manual locks and manual windows. It is a feature that is slowly disappearing. Still, let him keep alive a nearly dead feature in the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator. Aside from the manual transmissions, the base and Gladiator trims let buyers save money with this old-school feature.
Do Jeep Wranglers still have manual windows?
Jeep has never been one to change too much. The transition from is not much of a journey. Despite the changes, there are some great features that have stuck around. The manual transmission is notable because it’s so unpopular these days. The removable roof is one of the best Jeep features due to its uniqueness within the segment. But strangest of all, for some reason, are the manually cranked windows. It seems like an option that would remain as an easy way to create a budget template. While Jeep understands this, many other automakers have given up on cranks.
explains how to get there. The Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator configurator shows the Sport version and the trim levels with manual windows as standard. Electric windows are also available. While it’s an interesting thing to highlight, window cranks are unlikely to sway most shoppers one way or another.
Manual window cranks are better for off-roading
This might sound a little silly, but as The Drive notes, having a smaller, cheaper version of the Wrangler and Gladiator only increases the likelihood that people will actually get theirs.
Having crank windows not only reduces the cost of the Jeep, but it’s also a more reliable off-road system. Let’s say your battery dies or there is an electrical malfunction while crossing a river or some other very wet scenario. If so, power windows have a (technically) higher chance of malfunctioning than manual ones. Basically, the less things that can go wrong off-road, the better.
Again, The Drive strongly points out that while simplicity certainly isn’t a bad thing for 4x4s, the truth is, if your window electronics have broken, you most likely have much bigger things to worry about.
Do cars still have manual windows?
Manual windows aren’t gone, but they are quickly going the way of the buffalo. The Drive has dug in and while the Ford Bronco is the Wrangler’s closest competitor, it still doesn’t offer manual windows. The Nisan Versa, the cheapest new car on the market, also has power windows as standard. The only other model they could track down was the Ford F-150 XL Supercab Regular Cab Work Truck.
Manual windows aren’t a significant thing one way or the other. The point here is that the world is changing rapidly and we are rapidly losing aspects of driving that have been an integral part of the industry since its inception. Some of these things, like manual windows, are evaporating before our eyes and most of us won’t notice. Well, call us nostalgic, but we notice.
