2011 deletes some manuals, adds automatics

Yep, oxi come'on man its not like they took away your manual.

Most people buy them cause they are cheaper and last longer than autos.

My days of buying a manual daily driver are over. Had a couple back in the day they were fun, if I got a sports car i would like a manual if you want to drive a truck like a sports car there ya go you can get a manual truck. Just don't expect any manual prerunner or 4*4 truck to shift or hang with any serious sportscar.

 

i don't see how evassive maneuvers are more difficult....if you are paying attention to what is going on around you in traffic. if the kids are that big of a distraction, perhaps you shouldn't be driving.

 

Well said. If things distracts you so much you need an automatic please get off the road. Thank you.

Auto are fine and have a place, but taking away the manual option because of slow sales shows how lazy we're all getting(though smart move for toyota's pockets). That automatic parallel parking thing will probably be standard too someday. Slowly we are getting dumber by the minute. It is just like we don't know our friend’s cell phone numbers - we enter in our phones and we don't need it again.....till we lose that phone. More electronics and safety features are the enemy to me as adding cost to products far outweighs the benefits of making things a little easier and saving a few hundred lives at most(VSC, auto LSD im looking at you). I suppose auto LSD will have me changing my rear brake more often huh? Just keeps some stupid people alive to have the chance to breed all over again. There needs to be a balance in life as with Tacoma models. Sorry.

 

Do you have 2 small children? Do you know what kind of tasks occur with not only one but two small kids in a car?

Simple mechanics.. The more working parts, the more things that can fail.

 

automatic transmissions fail more often than a manual transmission...but that's beside the point.

but anyways, i'm not sure why you are having problems with your kids. aren't they strapped into their child seats? assuming they are, i fail to see why you can't pay attention to the road. perhaps, you should pull off the road if you need to attend to the kids or take care of them before you depart. but what do i know. people are always looking for an excuse to be a bad driver.

 

First of all, I don't have kids. Second of all neither do you, so you have no idea what it is like. I have a niece and nephew and sometimes they can be a handful. I'm not talking auto vs man tranny failures...I am talking about the human factor. You present a situation to a human and every person will do it slightly differently, faster, slower, correct incorrect. Adding a clutch and shifter to some people in an emergency situation can be an accident waiting to happen.

I'm sure every parents dream is to pull over on a busy highway with two children to adjust accordingly. Merging back into traffic can be equally as dangerous.

Bottom line is that the auto is not for lazy people. Different circumstances, make the auto much easier to deal with everyday life.

 

maybe a manual causes issue for a person that doesn't drive a stick on a daily basis, but if you do drive a manual daily, stick/clutch use are second nature. you don't think about them, you just drive.

manuals will also help you stay out of stickey situations. ever drive a stick in the snow? so much more control.

 

In some cases, I would like to believe someone driving a manual transmission is more concentrated on the road and driving, rather than the next person over driving an auto.

Having something to do (shift/clutch) might keep your mind on track, rather than just push pedal and go. But thats just my opinion.

I do believe autos have a place, but I've never visited that place. I've always enjoyed a manual trans so I've always had a vehicle with a manual trans.

Also, there are some people I wouldn't trust with a manual. IMO, I believe driving a manual is a little more difficult than an auto. And I don't want little miss Suzy 16 year old trying to take off on a hill and roll back into someone. People like that and elderly people (no offence gentlemen) and handicapped people (and others I can't think of) would be better off in an auto trans. But then again, thats my opinion.

One other thing, I don't believe "traffic" is a reason to go with an auto. An hour commute to work in morning traffic isn't gonna break your leg (people in good health), but then again, I agree its easier to eat a quick breakfast without having to shift every so often. For some people, thats too many tasks at once. We don't want them to mess something up then cause Mr. Joe CEO man to be even later.

And one last thing, I drive a manual trans (obviously). I eat while driving. Text while driving. Talk while driving. Listen to loud ass music while driving. And even text in downtown traffic while listening to music while driving at night. Of course its not the best idea in the world, and I'd be lying if I said I do it "safely", but that doesn't mean its not possible to multitask while driving a manual trans.



Sorry if you wasted your time reading that. It was a useless dump of my opinions on this subject.

 

Thank god for autos! I can change songs...text...eat a sandwich.....shave.....and beat my kid. Do all that with your manual!!

IBTL!

 

YOU GUYS.

drive what you want
who cares what other people think
stfu

 

I use to like manual transmissions when I was a kid.
And I not so sure that auto trans have more problems than sticks.
Anyway, I prefer auto transmissions now and I am not lazy.

 

Is a effing REG Cab 4x4 V6 too much to ask for!?????!?!

 

i was right there with you until the whole text part. do us all a favor and put the phone down while driving. thanks

 

I have a auto, because I am lazy. Texting, Smoking, Masturbating and trying to shift with all that going on could get ugly.

 

Manual can be great in the snow, but I haven't had a problem in the winter with any auto transmission I've driven. I'm not sure how our little discussion started. I only wanted to show oxi why the british/english and him have no need to consider that autos are for handicapped.

Don't like it? Don't pay attention.. That simple.

 

They havnt made a manual trans 4Runner for almost 10 years! I would bet that the manual trans Tacoma's are soon to be extinct too

 

Damn i guess i'll have to swap a 6 speed into my next taco

 

good post for the most part although I don't agree 100% about safety features. Air bags and ABS are certainly welcome on my vehicles- but a lot of the new features like adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, etc, are a bit much to me.

The % of vehicles with manual trans sold in the US drops every year. I think it is down to ~5% now. I realize driving a stick is not for everyone, my wife doesn't, but I like it as it keeps me involved. I haven't owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission in over 20 yrs. If my commute had terrible stop and go traffic I certainly would consider an AT though- I'm not a stick shift snob.

A 4X4 4 cyl access cab with auto is going to be a dog to drive- the 5 spd is slow enough!

The remark about renting an automatic trans car in the UK was funny to me because when I was renting a car in CA once the guy in front of me was from the UK and was trying to rent a manual trans car. When they said he couldn't, that they didn't have any, he said that he had never driven an automatic and didn't "know how" LOL.

 

Revolver or automatic? I'll take one of each!