Manual vs Auto

6MT.

My '13 was a 5AT. After having a transmission replaced under warranty and still having TC lockup issues due to the wonky program I was done with autos. When that truck got totaled on me, I decided the new one needed to be 6MT.

Manuals are a dying breed, I fully anticipate the next truck I purchase to not have a manual option, regardless of size and/or make, at least in a trim level I want.

I am shocked that Toyota allowed a manual in the higher trim levels with the add-on packages. 6MT and a sunroof is my dream truck.

 

Ditto!

 

I get 23 all day long on long roads trips. Keep her below 115 km / h for that though. I get 16 mpg towing 3500 lb travel trailer.

 

If your main concern is mileage, get the automatic. I've tracked every single drop of gas since I owned this truck (8000 miles) and never gotten over 20mpg. You can check my autosig for details on every single fill-up. Like others, my fuel gauge frequently shows to be getting in the mid 20s on trips. I don't doubt that it's possible to hit 20mpg if you keep the truck at exactly 55mph on a flat road, but there's little chance of me maintaining those ideal conditions for an entire tank.

 

If you're going 55, you'll get right at 20mpg.
65-70, it's about 18
Over 70 it drops off pretty quick.

 

I don't understand this. My commute to work is 30 miles of mostly highway. I usually take most of it at 70-80 mph. I get 19-21 mpg no problem. If i stayed at 60-65 the whole time I would get 22, maybe even close to 23.

And the highway portion includes a couple hills, one of them i go to 5th for and the other 4th to climb. The non highway portion is me driving through a few stoplights and then across my work parking lot and up the parking structure.

I've been really happy with the mpg for this truck. Gets better MPG than my old early 2000's 2WD auto truck....

 

I had a MT with moonroof on my 89 sr5 AC 4x4.. Best truck ever. Made me love Toyota

 

You're definitely an outlier. I couldn't get that mileage downhill with a tailwind in neutral. If you look on Fuelly for ALL 2016 Tacomas TRD Offroads (which I would imagine are 95% automatics and many 2WD), the following is true. "Based on data from 68 vehicles, 1,445 fuel-ups and 420,480 miles of driving, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma gets a combined Avg MPG of 18.48 with a 0.13 MPG margin of error. " When you sort by ALL 2016 Tacomas, regardless of engine or drivetrain, it only goes up to 19.13MPG.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/toyota/tacoma/2016?engineconfig_id=102&bodytype_id=14&submodel_id=75309.

I see you're in Cali, so I doubt you run the A/C as much as I do. I also have a camper shell, but wouldn't think that would affect mileage much. Do you calculate your mileage manually, or are you just basing it off what the truck says?

 

How does it tow?
I am considering a tundra for future towing needs, but LOVE my current tacoma--even though 4 cyl it gets 25.2mpg and is easy to drive the area around here, but it can barely pull its own weight

 

They tow like a Toyota. It'll get the job done, but it's definitely not the right tool if you have a heavy trailer. Under 5K pounds is no problem though.

 

Yeah I am looking up towards 8000 pounds.. So I guess a tundra is in my future--thought about a chevy, but I swear every chevy dealer has dicks working for them. I will stick to my toyota lol, even though they basically sell themselves, it is nice to have someone work with you without acting like an ass.
My father has a tundra, towed about 7200 pounds for a 5000 mile round trip, flawlessly! That thing is a beast, but I do like the agility of the tacoma compared to it because its soo much smaller.
I wouldn't mind a diesel tundra if they come out with it. Should be around when I am looking for a half-ton

 

There were only two MT DC in all of Ontario in mid July when I bought mine. One dealership was almost $5G less than the other so I phoned up, put a deposit on it and picked it up two days later.

I didn't know it at the time but it had the Sport Upgrade package.

So yeah, I have a MT with a sunroof. And I rarely use the sunroof. Lol.

I too fully expect that the future probably has an auto transmission for me --- I wouldn't be surprised to see manual transmissions become essentially extinct over the next 5 years.

 

I do just read off what the display says so you are right that that could cause some error. I don't know a way to do a real manual check after one commute from home to work. I get that mileage in the morning when there is no traffic, so in the morning no AC.

My overall average, mixed with my around town driving is about 18.5. All based on the computer though.

EDIT: decided to check on my way to work. There was a little more traffic than normal so I had more of the 65 mph speed going, but still got up to 70-80 for a bit. So for a 28.3 mile trip, the display said 21.7 mpg. I don't know, computer could be off, I'll check by hand when I fill up one of the next couple times.

 

It's auto for me, clutches wear out and need to be replaced and it's not a fun job on a 4x4, but 2x4 not too bad at all.
And if you ever do sports and sprain an ankle, pull a muscle, break a leg or pinch a nerve, you'll love the fact you have an auto. You're wife or girlfriend will appreciate you more too.

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

My wife won't buy an auto either, she like playing with the stick

 

You married well.

 

^^ ++1

 

Until the day you need to do a valve body rebuild on an auto transmission or replace solenoids because it's starting to slip. A lot of people just give up and buy a whole new transmission.

Clutches need to be replaced but it is still cheaper overall to even have somebody else do it (based on the initial cost of manual vs auto at purchase)

I can't argue the broken leg thing though

 

I agree, manuals are easy to R&R but parts and labor is thru the roof now a days too.

My first Toy truck was a standard transmission, I loved it and drove it to some 300k before I gave up on trying to kill it or run it to the ground.
But It was a 2x4 and did the clutch, plate & throwout bearing at 120k. Easy 3 hr job, but a 4x4 is a real pita.
I sold my last Toy auto with 200k without doing anything to the transmission and it was still going strong like new, could have prob easy went to 300k I believe, so it's a wash for me. What really hurts autos is ppl overfilling and messing with the fluid all the time, hence sealed transmission are here to stay.

Cheers!

 

Yep, I also found a lot of people gave their autos the kiss of death by not routinely maintaining them and then having them flushed at 120k miles. Maybe it is just a ford thing, but the number one way to kill a ford auto transmission is to flush it. Drop the pan and change the filter every 20k miles or so and it will go forever. Flush it, especially one that hasnt been maintained, and you can kiss that thing goodbye.

Sounds like you know how to maintain your vehicles though so I'm sure the auto will last a long time.