Make an Argument for Manual Trans

Whatever "issues" have been listed for the manuals on this forum are either very rare or minimal compared to the issues that the auto trans have. I believe the only issues are sticking in gear and increased effort needed to shift (which I think effected a handful of owners, if that.)

Manuals dont search/hunt for gears, they dont shift way too early to get out of the powerband, they dont rely on the watered down tune that Toyota placed in the ECU. And this is an issue countless auto owners have been dealing with.

Manual transmission helps alleviate the horrid response these trucks are plagued with.

 

I have had Tacomas with manual transmissions since I was 16. I am 25 now. I also live in the Poconos and honestly I prefer the manual over the automatic. Just more control and it is more fun. The control def helps in the winter and the rain.

 

ill throw my opinion out there but im biased towards manuals so take it for what its worth.

I have both a 5spd and a 6spd and i would recommend both of them in a heart beat. I live in the hill country so i enjoy rowing the stick versus pressing on the gas and waiting for the truck to get up and go. If i lived in the city and had to sit in traffic i would highly consider an automatic, but this is really the only time id choose to drive one.

You didnt mention which motor you were planning on going with but the 5 speed comes with the 4 cylinder. Although its slow, its a bullet proof motor and trans combination and its still fun to drive. My 2.7 5spd has 220k miles on it and its been great, never any problems.

If you plan on going with the v6 6spd you cant go wrong with that combo either. I have a 2nd gen 6spd and its buttery smooth and a blast to drive. From what ive read they made improvements to the new 6spd in the 3rd gens but i havent driven one of those yet so i cant speak from experience there as to how they drive

 

Its the best shifting vehicle I own. I never have an issue finding/engaging a gear.

 

To me, there is very little fun in driving. Driving is an evil nessecity. If I want fun I'll take the motorcycle. If I could have a vehicle that I could push a button and it would take me where I wanted to go while I texted or slept, I'd buy it in a heart beat.

 

I notice you have a 2013, have you had a chance to drive a 3rd Gen 6 speed yet? The effort to shift is dramatically different from the 2nd Gen, I could not believe the difference the first time I got in my 17.

 

You must have some really boring vehicles.

 

I need to go to a dealership and drive one, im curious how they compare to the 2nd gen 6spds.

 

What he said....

4 cyl -> manual
6 cyl -> whatever works best for you

I went from a 4cyl / manual to a V6 / auto, and I'm very happy with the upgrade. The manual is a little tedious in daily traffic, and from what I've seen here the mileage is actually better with the auto (on the 6).

 

I chose manual because things are getting way too complicated.

I like to keep it simple

 

The dudes that complain about manual being difficult in traffic are the same to do the following:

-Come out the shower with a towel around their head.
-Help ex-gf move her stuff into new bfs house.
-Shakes hands after the first date
-Gets matching ankle tattoos with GF.
-Gets wanted star in GTA and turns himself in.
-Walks in on GF cheating on him and says "sorry I came in at a bad time" and leaves.
-Has nightlight on before he goes to bed.

 

There's really only a couple problems with the auto as well.

 

Beautiful. I was waiting for this one.

 

I will say the 3rd gen auto was a deal breaker for me. Had they offered the manual in DCLB I would have bought that. I settled on a 2013 DCLB with 23,000 miles because the auto on the 3rd gen sucks. I tested the manual third gen and it drove great. Probably because it has lower gears and you feel more low-end torque. If the short bed or AC config is okay with you, GO MANUAL!

 

I'd disagree with those who say its a blast to drive this truck with a manual.

It's too fast and too slow to be fun. Fast vehicles are fun to drive for obvious reasons. Slow vehicles are fun to drive because you get to shift like crazy trying to keep them going. This truck is in the middle where it's kinda boring. Don't need to shift much and don't get to go real fast either.

It's a great truck and I would never want the automatic. It's just not exciting on the road. Not sure it was suppose to be.

 

Please let us know when you do. For me coming from 09 4 cylinder 5 speed to 17 v6 6 speed manual is a step up, but not sure about from 2nd gen v6 to new v6 manual.

 

I live in AZ and I have no problem with traffic. I love my manual and I seriously wake up every day looking forward to using the truck.

I've taken her to Los Angeles and I've sat in traffic, but this truck is geared nicely where I can put it in first and just tap the gas to keep me crawling through traffic. I did this for 5 miles without changing gears and moving around 2-4 mph.

This is my first manual that I've owned, but I've driven my dad's first gen and my grandpas 98 f250 in manual and this is just beyond smooth.

 

I strongly recommend getting the manual trams. The hearing is spot on except for reverse. It's a little high, but fine if you aren't towing too heavy. I've driven both and didn't care for the auto

 

Hello someone who struggled with this choice as well as 4x4 vrs 4x2.

Came from drifting. Love driving stick. However. Bad knees and bad back mean some days shifting in traffic is just not so fun. I still work 9-5 in a major city so traffic is a thing. I also I'm a paradnoid veteran who wants the ability to shoot, move, and communicate from my truck (yes I'm insane and I'm at peace with that). It is a shiftable auto so you always have to option to be in whatever gear you want if the situation dictates. So auto was the right choice for me.

For my drive choice... I like hanging the back end out soo...I want long travel pre runner long term. I live in the desert. No snow. Very little mud. Don't plan on much rock crawing (duh rwd). The auto lsd and locker for the rear is plenty for out here and my driving style.

In regards to the doggyness of the auto... it can be jerky and search for gears at times but you save on fuel particularly with the 4x2 (I aslo hear it smoothes out after learning your driving style 1500k or so). Tired of the doggyness and awkward shift points? Hit the magical ECT button and all your troubles wash away. I read about tons of complaints for the auto. But I literally has two maps for the engine, trans and throttle pedal. It drives like two different trucks. I wish it was a bit smoother and did not hunt gears so much without ECT on but the solution is right there. ECT on gives you higher shift points, better throttle response, and it puts the motor in direct injection in Otto cycle instead of running Atkinson (more dinos for more POOOOOWWWWWWWAAAAAHHHHH!!!!).

Edit: It's "S MODE" not a shiftable auto. What the difference is? No idea. But the semantics police @Spare Parts @specter208 threw me in sematics jail. Now I'm in super big trouble for giving out misinformation. I so super duper sorry to every tocoma owner ever. I now know that everyone would have no idea what I was going on about. Glad you guys could point that out. It's people like you that let me sleep peacefully at night. You two are doing gods work and I salute you and so does north America. Thank you for your service.