Those who settled for the auto, your $0.02 please.

I want a DCLB and we know Toyota doesn't offer the manual in that configuration. Curious if any others were in the same boat and had to reluctantly get their truck with the auto. How has it been?

 

I have only driven manual shift vehicles since I learning how to drive (two of them being Toyota trucks).
Honestly, I test drove a manual shift DC when I was looking for a bigger truck and didn't like the way it felt.
Went with the auto and I will say I do miss the manual shift a lot but I got used to having the automatic.
I sometimes get to drive my friends manual Tacoma.

 

You used to the lackluster acceleration off the line?

 

I wanted to order a manual, but the dealer told me I would have been waiting a while to get one. I have mixed feelings about the switch. I know for damn sure the auto is a lot more convenient in this Austin traffic though.

 

I love mine, but I live in NoVA and the traffic here in the Washington, D.C. metro area is the most outrageous in the country so I learned long ago a stick here is useless and more pain than pleasure, when I do want a little more aggressive drive though I just turn on the ECT and it does the trick. No complaints here.

 

I would have waited for a manual if I wanted the short box.

 

I ended up going with the automatic mainly because I didn't want to wait on the manual and ended up getting a decent deal on this one. All the complaints I did have went away after getting about 3000 miles on the truck.

 

Why 3,000 miles? What happened then?

 

Please.

 

Prior to that the transmission really liked 4th and 5th gear, 6th was rarely seen. I was getting about 15 mpg doing interstate driving (65-75 mph) because it wanted to stay in 5th all the time and quite frequently drop to 4th on any small uphill. Now it chooses gears more like I would expect and is running in 6th most of the time and will drop to 5th as needed. It still hits 4th sometimes on the bigger hills but not nearly as often as it did in the beginning. Fuel economy has also improved 2-5 mpg.

 

Interesting to note. I wonder if this happens to everyone with the auto.

 

From what I've seen so far it seems to be the case. In a couple other threads multiple people have said the same thing happened to theirs sometime around 3,000 miles.

 

Got an automatic as my wife can't drive a manual, and she has needed the truck at times. I came from a 12 sport manual, and don't really miss it. My normal commute is 8 miles through traffic and stoplights. The auto is a breath of fresh air during my commute to and from work. I'll reserve detailed comment on performance as I only 400 miles on the truck, but I'll say this, I don't hate it so far and don't regret buying auto. I don't off-road enough to enjoy the full benefit of a manual, but feel ill be able to off-road with my auto and be more than good.

 

auto here, traffic is a pita in socal.

 

First two Toyota trucks were manuals, last three were autos, I don't miss it.

I have another car that's more fun to drive with a manual transmission if I need that fix.

 

Have you even driven one??

 

Once.

 

Last Taco was a 5 speed, I wanted this one to br the same. However I wanted the double cab long bed, and it's not available as ya know... But overall the auto is not bad. I love the truck.

 

Yes I only tested the auto once but the lackluster acceleration is not just something I am nit-picking at. It's a pretty common complaint among many who drive it. I am not trying to troll.

 

it changes a bit after a few thousand miles, at least mine did.