Which transmission

Nah. I got "S" mode.

In all seriousness, I wrestled with this quite a bit. They both drove nice. Stick was nice when I wanted to get on it and drive a bit more aggressive. Not from a performance standpoint, but just more engagement and the "fun" of it. Like I was back racing in HPDE events.

But when it came down to it, the auto did all I wanted it to do, including selecting gears. Nope, not as fun when driving 9/10, but I don't do that very much, and let's face it--it's still a truck, not a race car.
Back to "Control"....I guess auto is more dependent on the computer, but in reality, I'm not sure that has any significance at all. Performance is the same, gear selection is a wash. So why choose one or the other? Just personal preference--nothing more. You can say you've got more control with the stick, the auto is faster, MT has cheaper maintenance, one crawls better, etc. End of the day, it's because you like the physics of rowing your own gears (or not). That's it.

 

If Tacoma's were not offered with a manual, I would not own a Tacoma right now. It's the only way to go in my opinion.

 

I'm in the same boat. I would have probably gone with a 4Runner if I had to get an automatic.

 

After reading the age old MT vs AT posts, It will be interesting to see what the hard core MT guys are driving in the not to distant future when the MT completely goes away.

It IS coming.

G.

 

you shut your mouth right now with that speak!!! Even though you are right

 

Keep restoring and driving older vehicle's or convert something, there will always be a way for those hardcore guys.

 

I really hope the manual transmission lives forever, but if it does die, I will just have to rebuild another 77 Blazer with a four speed.

Saw a blip about Honda wanting to keep manual transmissions alive and have courses for people to take to learn on them.

http://www.thedrive.com/news/20271/honda-is-teaching-the-next-generation-how-to-drive-stick

 

When it comes to trucks, I dont disagree that manuals will end in the distant future, but there will still be plenty of manual options for years to come. Europeans love their manual transmissions, and I can't see BMW, VW, and Mazda going away from them anytime soon.

I actually read an article a year or two ago about the GTi, and how in 2006 everyone said the DSG would kill off the manual. Since then, the GTi has doubled in sales, with manual transmission models steadily holding the market share they had at that time. I read a similar piece on the Mazda3 hatchback, where Mazda was shocked by the demand for the manual transmissions. You make a good manual transmission, and people will continue to buy it.

The sports car segment, especially entry level, like the Miata, FR-S/BRZ, and hot hatches will always demand manuals. People buy cars like that for the fun factor, and flappy paddles don't engage drivers the same way. As long as cars like that exist, so will the manual.

But in terms of trucks and SUV's, yes, the manual is dying. The Wrangle may be the only manual that lives on, but I'm hopeful Toyota sticks to the Tacoma heritage and keeps making manuals. Hard to get a good read on this forum since we aren't the whole demographic, but I think as long as they can sell 5-10% a year, they will. If they weren't planning on it, I think they would have axed the manual when they switched to the 3.5 from the 4.0.

Long live the manual!

 

Whichever transmission you choose, just make sure it has proper fluid amounts!

 

I would get a MT if it came with the 6' bed.

 

It does in a Sport AC.

 

The more I drive mt AT, the more I like it. I had to have the 4 door Long Bed which does not come with the MT, and the AT does get better mpgs! Win-win!

 

The Taco. I foresee rolling around in it for quite some time in part because MT's continue to dwindle. That aside though I'd be okay with a dual clutch transmission. I do prefer a traditional manual but a dual clutch is on a completely different level than a torque converted automatic.

That being said I do agree with @TRD86WI. Not a chance that MT's will be discontinued in sports cars. Far too much demand and no reason for manufacturer's to ignore it.

 

Hmmm, perhaps the kids don't really need to rind in my truck - thank you for that fact!

 

I agree it is mostly personal preference. Make sure you do a thorough test drive including freeway speeds before making your decision. I test drove a manual to see what it was like and it was good. My last 3 cars were manual (currently still have my 6MT 128i). I could not find a manual in the configuration I wanted so ended up with an auto. It is objectively the worst automatic I've ever driven, but it does get the job done. The Shift Sense Pro helps around town but on the freeway it is pure garbage. OVTune is another solution, but $800 to make the truck shift the way it should is ridiculous. I'm also not sure that it will fully solve the problem.

My biggest gripe is that the truck has too many gears (6) to choose from. So it is constantly changing gears. It needs to just hold a gear longer and let me put my foot down before downshifting. The problem is that you might be at 1/3 throttle and need just a touch more power. So you push the pedal down and nothing really happens, a little further and nothing happens. Then you hit 1/2 throttle, the truck will downshift twice and take off like a rocket. So you back off the throttle and it upshifts twice. There are scenarios where it is nearly impossible to keep the truck at one speed.

My wife's auto 2016 Mazda6 in S mode will let you choose a gear. It will let you lug it or hold redline without shifting automatically. This is the best automatic I've ever driven. The Taco's S mode lets you choose a highest gear, but it will downshift unexpectedly to avoid what it thinks is lugging.

TL;DR - the automatic is not a good automatic, but the manual is a pretty good manual. Your personal preferences should be the deciding factor after test driving both.

 

If it's down shifting, you didn't put it low enough. S-mode will allow you to put it in any gear you want.

If you think 6 speeds is too much just wait. Jeep already has 9-10 speeds. The new Ranger has a bunch too. It's the new way if we like it or not.

I drive the snot out of my AT in S mode and ECT with no issues. Took some learning, but it's great once you get it.

G.

 

Manual trans all the way.

 

Get a truck in auto. And a Porsche in manual.

 

Just don't go with the problematic!!! You will regret it if you do want the manual.