Test drive of TRD-Sport MANUAL trans...

Let me just say I love manaul transmissions so I'm not being a hater here.
I have owned from most recent to old:

1. Honda accord 6mt
2. 370Z 6mt
3. Mazdaspeed 6 6mt
4. Subaru legacy gt 5mt
5. Acura rsx 5mt
6. Nissan Stanza 5mt
7. Driven extensively but didnt own Toyota Tercel 4MT

So it should suffice to say that I'm relatively familiar with clutches and have enough experience shifting that I could do it in my sleep.

With that being said yesterday I test drove a Sport with the manual and hated it. It was very industrial and rough, like dump truck rough.. I really went into it with an open mind but I got no enjoyment out of the stick shifting in the 3rd gen. The clutch pedal wall really odd, didnt spring back up but had a delayed rebound and clutch engagement way high up in the travel. I think passengers would be jerked around in this vehicle with a manual.

Wasnt a fan of the suspension setup either but that has nothing to do with the transmission. The new auto is really good and smooth in the 3rd gen, so much so that It even makes a die hard stick guy like me prefer it. I'm glad I cancelled my order for a manual and went with the Limited. I hadnt slept well for a week thinking I made a mistake buying an auto but after the test drive I slept very well last night. I think perhaps maybe Ill buy a used wrx or regular impreza 6mt as a fun car and to get my manual fix.

For those who are used to car manual transmissions I suggest you test drive before you buy or order as you may be dissapointed. They are rare though so a test drive is hard to come by.

 

Smoooth as butter, have you driven a dump truck?

 

add the short throw shifter and it will feel like all the cars u have driven. the auto is junk and hunts for gears all the time, that motor was gay also it felt like driving a rav4.

 

I've driven a few of those cars and it looks like you were used to quick grabbing clutches and a certain level of "crisp" to them. I've got a B8 A4 manual and like the feel, but I prefer the feel of my LandCruiser better. I'm truck at heart.

 

The guy who has driven a ton of sports cars with a manual doesn't like how a truck with a manual feels. Is this a revelation that a truck drives like a truck? Compared to the auto the manual drives much better and has much more power at lower RPMS.

 

I have a manual on the way; test drove one first. Didn't particularly like the clutch or shifter compared to past vehicles (cars and trucks) but the world's worst manual is better than it's best automatic

 

lmmfao...simple get the auto OP...I could list about 12 manuals past and present that I have own...3rd Gen manual is fine and shifts like a truck should..again get the auto...I'm sure no one here would ask you to turn in your card...

 

Heh...interesting...I guess. I'm eagerly awaiting my test drive in a manual Tacoma.

Has anyone driven a manual 3rd gen Tacoma and a manual Jeep Wrangler Unlimited? Care to compare them? Does a manual Jeep drive like a "truck"?

I have a lot of experience with a 2014 manual Jeep Wrangler Unlimited and it is very smooth...great manual transmission experience and I daily a 350Z...they are certainly different but I would say the Jeep is significantly smoother...

 

I think you used test driving one, after you changed your order, as an excuse to justify your decision! Test driving both is a good thing before committing to any big $ purchase, I'm glad I did & chose the more difficult to find 6SP MT

 

No regrets. Only 500 miles in but the manual is silky smooth. Long throws, but what truck wouldn't? It's no 964 or S2K, but expecting that would be a fool's errand. If you're happy with the slushbox that's great, nobody will give you shit about it and you'll fit in just fine with the other 94% of the US car driving public.

 

I ordered a DCSB OR MT without a test drive. I would consider driving an auto but first I'd prbly need my nuts cut off to make it a good fit.

 

I also ordered my AC Sport M/T without a test drive. I don't have any complaints about the transmission or clutch. It shifts great once you get used to it and my clutch does not "catch high" like some have complained about.

 

I also bought a MT without a test drive and I love it. Auto in my dodge was fine but these trucks are awesome in a manual

 

I am closing in on 500 miles on my 2016-AC-Sport with a MT ....This is my 5th Toyota Pickup (82,88,01,10) all with MT's and this is the best yet! The throws are like they should be -this is a TRUCK not a (your butt is 2 inches off the ground) sports car. As for the Clutch - It's perfect - Just like my 2010. If the take-up point is not where you like it - adjust it!
There are some things I liked about my 2010 better (Change Drawer, place for the G-Door opener, better high-frequency speakers) but as for the running gear - I have ZERO complaints. With well over 1/2 Million miles in a Taco - I feel I am qualified to comment

Clay

 

Man, these posts are killing me. The manual transmission in this truck is banger. I love it, and it's damn smooth. People forget that you can't do the same things with an auto as with a manual. You weight out the pros and cons. Who cares if the throws are longer, it has a clutch, and an automatic doesnt. All I care about is rowing my own gears and being able to tell my transmission to do what I want, when I want. I want complete control. @jmn69 I guess these things arent as important to you, but an auto will never be a stick, and vice versus. #ManualTransmissionFTW

 

I moved from a 2003 WRX to a 2014 Tacoma. I miss the feeling, sound, confidence, engagement, and grip of the wrx. It was a manual and my taco isn't; which was a decision I previously sweat over and now don't regret at all. In fact, I'm even more pleased with it being automatic as time goes on for one reason after another. As an example I had to park on several feet of compacted snow for a few weeks...blizzard conditions...and it would have been a nightmare to crawl up and down the mound for me had I been working a manual. Instead I crept up and down like a spider in 4L, relatively easily and in comfort. I've had plenty of time of rowing it myself through various cars in hideous traffic, steep hills, and terrible weather so now I just want that sensation from a sports car; a toy. We've got a 1991 bmw 325ci which is manual and has a great driving sensation just for those occasions when one needs to be engaged but honestly it's never driven. Even our newer 335xi is automatic, no regrets there either because she's plenty of car for me. A proportionally small number of vehicles are manual transmissions anymore, and while I continue to love them I feel they're mostly novelty on new production vehicles.

 

I'm gonna have to quote someone from a different thread, as it applies here...

 

I found the opposite of what a lot of people are saying... I didn't find the throws long at all; quite the opposite actually. Realistically, it's probably comparable to any mediocre shifter in a non sporty vehicle... my last truck was a 96 GMC fullsize with a 5 speed and the three foot long shift lever; I also spent a fair bit of time in a 96 Taco 5 speed which was much the same. THOSE were truck shifters; I find this one to be just like the 2nd gen, which was very car like in feel.

As for the clutch, there is nothing wrong with it, it's just limp feeling compared to my Mazdaspeed3's clutch, which is to be expected.


Again though, it's a manual so It's awesome by design.

 

I think you mean engine instead of motor. Please tell me what makes the engine "gay". Is it because it's actually a mid size engine that fits a mid size truck? Have you seen the size of minivans recently? They are just as large if not larger than these trucks. Is it because it's not a 4.0 v6 which is getting close to a v8 size, but a lot less power than a v8? Is it because Toyota tried to cater to everybody under the sun and new laws regarding MPG, so it makes it sip gas with low revs and give you more power when you need it in the upper rpms?

In case you want to talk about the engine versus motor concern, take a read at this:

http://www.differencebetween.net/technology/industrial/difference-between-engine-and-motor/

Engine:
Engines are basically the devices which convert any form of energy to bring about mechanical effects. These are made up of pistons and cylinders.

 

I'm certainly not fat. And I've driven manual transmission vehicles all my life... Mustangs, 280ZX, Acura Integra, Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, 240SX, MINI Cooper JCW, and a couple others I'm sure I'm forgetting. But driving in the DC Metro area with 54 years old knees and hips has become a bit difficult. I'll be spending most of my time in sport mode so I can still have some control over the shift points.