The Ford 2.3L turbocharged in-line 4 cyl is, in my opinion, one of the worst engines I've ever experienced. I drove it in a 2020 Mustang. I knew within 2 miles why Ford needed a 10 speed automatic. The torque power curve feels only 1000 RPM wide, so the transmission is constantly shifting like it's on ritalin. ( I ended up test driving two cars just to make sure one wasn' t kust a fluke.)
Manually moving through the gears will give you tendonitis. I can't imagine how it would be much better with only a 7 speed manual tranny, rather it will likely be worse with such a narrow torque curve. The previous V6 that the I4 replaced in 2018 was a far better engine with only slightly less gas mileage but orders of magnitude better driveability. The only hope is to see if the Bronco becomes available with the turbo 6, assuming the torque curves aren't compromised on that engine as well.
