Always Had A Manual Transmission.. Can You Tell Me Your 3rd Gen Automatic Experiences?

I have an off road manual and one of my best buds has an off-road Automatic. We've both driven each others trucks quite a bit. There is no doubt that the truck is 100% more rewarding to drive with the manual. He regularly comments that he wishes he would have got the 6 speed (only reason he didn't is so his wife could drive it). Like most vehicles these days, the tuning seems to be way too concerned with maximizing mpgs on the auto.

 

I owned a 2017 AT taco for about two years before locating a sweet deal on a 2019 MT taco in early January and than i decided to reset that car payment debt and take the plunge

So far , I wish I would have purchased the MT in 2017 if not for the sparce availability here in Cali of said MT .

My opinion , the MT is a little cheaper which helps when you can purchase the 4x4 MT model for almost the 2wd AT OR Model for that price !!

Besides the long throws in the shifter it's worth sacrificing the auto ( lazy tranny ) option . I would definitely invest in a short shifter though ...

 

1st time Taco owner here, coming from a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi. I have an Off Road with the automatic, and I did test drive the same in 6MT just to make sure I didn't want that. I just thought that the MT was a little clunky. Granted, it was brand new and would probably wear in some, but 1-2 gears just seemed lurchy. I guess I'm getting older too and just wanted to be able to continue to just "drive" when I'm in my truck. That being said, do I 100% love the AT in mine? No, it does seem to "search" for the right gear alot, and it does want to upshift from 2-3 too soon. I definitely have to pay attention a little more to make sure I don't get the sudden downshift going up a slight hill. My Hemi was very smooth, so this is taking some getting used to. I really do like it though, and I am getting more used to how it likes to drive.

 

Manual transmissions were great decades ago, when autos were junk. Despite the issues I've had with them, I was a diehard MT guy for decades, but the newer autos shift so well, and actually last, so I've converted. 30 years of driving and owning 20 vehicles (not including company vehicles), I've only had 1 auto fail, and it was on a 79 Datsun 210, my parents paid 300 bucks for, and I've had about 5 or 6 MTs have issues with syncros going bad.
My 2019 Tacoma auto shifts great, no problems so far. Oh, I also got rid my flip phone years ago too....

 

It's my truck, I bought it new, I do all the maintenance. It has the original brakes.. all the way around.

Some folks go instantly from the gas pedal to the brake pedal. No need to do that when you have a manual transmission. That's why I'm looking for real world user input on automatic transmissions.

 

I had a 2000 Tacoma Manual that I got rid of at 101k, it still had the original brakes which were only about half worn.

 

I have the TRD off road with a manual transmission if you already have a manual I wouldn't go to the automatic

 

@lakeroadster I'm in Salida and have had No problems with the auto in my Tacoma. This is my second automatic vehicle, the one before the Tacoma was a '94 K2500 Suburban 6.5TD.
If you are nearby and want to go for a ride, let's go! I have not seen a manual 3G Tacoma in the area, many of them are owned by people I know.

 

That works for an auto too. These trucks (and anything else for that matter) get best MPG rolling along with your foot off the gas. All too often I’m on a 2 or 3 lane road and idiots are blowing by me (seen other Tacos do it too) only to slam on their brakes at the light that’s been red since I could see it. The truck is heavy, use it. You paid by stepping on the gas to get it moving, why step on the brake and light that money on fire. If the light is red take your foot off the gas and roll to it. As you slow (it takes a while in these things), the tranny will down shift on its own and slow you as you get to the light requiring minimal braking. Saves both gas and brake maintenance.

 

Forget reading through the long thread and just pull the trigger on the OV Tune and have your mind blown at what you've been missing from your truck. Its hands down the best under $750 mod that you will do to your Tacoma.

 

I would sure consider a AT in a hybrid 4 runner in a few years for the wife, that’s if they make one then.

In the MT to highway speeds and down, it’s simple and fun. You run up/down to gear, maintain or change for preference or as necessary. City stop and go feels like work. Transmission is smooth 6th gear is nice. AT will do it all for you. How involved do you want to be?

Oh I did test drive the auto, the downshifting and gear changing was like an old ranger I drove, its ok, liveable if it kept me out of a full-size!

 

Bingo! I had a '13 OR with a manual and switched to a '19 OR auto so my wife would drive it occasionally when I need her to. Everything about the '13 drive train was better. Torque, smoothness, especially when towing. With the new engine and trans there is way too much hunting and overshifts when kicking down for hills etc. OVTune is in my future.

 

3rd gen Tacoma AT is the most annoying AT I have ever driven, so if you’re asking this question, stay away from it

 

I have owned many vehicles in the past, 48 cars and trucks to be exact. About 20% of them were automatics, the rest had manual transmissions. I still own two vehicles at the moment, one truck and one sporty car, both manuals.
I am currently in the market for a Tacoma and decided to buy one with an automatic transmission because I think it fits the vehicle better. It is not designed for spirited driving, it is a utility vehicle. If I feel the need for rowing gears I can always jump into another car/truck.
The way Toyota packages these trucks is somewhat weird (in Canada). If I were to choose an manual transmission, I would loose options like keyless, and push button start, hill descent, crawl control etc.. Maybe the 2020 will have a different packaging but this is still unknown.
I am not trying to offend folks here. but what I noticed on forums (not only this one) is that people with manual cars/trucks are like the 'vegans' of the car world. They take every opportunity to explain how awesome driving a manual is. And they are annoyingly vocal about it, as if driving a manual is an art form that can only be mastered by a real enlightened auto enthusiast. I however do not think the type of transmission gives anybody street cred. A manual transmission has its place and can be extremely fun in especially in a small and low powered car, which a V6 Tacoma is not.

 

you're getting lots of opinions... i suggest you take that 1st gen to a dealer, park in front, walk in and ask for a full weekend test drive with a Tacoma AT. check it for yourself.

 

In your situation, I recommend finding a manual. I don't have any complaints about the auto transmission and engine pairing especially after TSB. That being said I have always drivin manuals until my 2015 tacoma. I regretted getting an automatic and misseed the control that I had with my manual in my first gen. Its not a 2nd vs 3rd gen question. You would likely miss your manual transmission in either generation.

 

Thanks for all the advice! Much appreciated. You guys have pretty much convinced me to keep my 2002. It's been a rock solid reliable truck. The more I look at the new models they have all kinds of "crap" I don't need nor want. And I honestly have never been a fan of monochrome paint.. I like chrome bumpers and a chrome grille.

I guess I'll replace the timing belt on my '02 myself (with the help of this forum) and drive it for another 17 years.

How did you know ? I'm still using a flip phone... but that mindset allowed me to retire 4 years ago at 54 years of age.

I'm frugal, what can I say. I had a smart phone when I was working and the company paid for it but I refuse to buy an expensive phone, or pretty much any luxury item, that has monthly costs associated with it.

 

Absolutely. Hate. It.

It basically just feels like its always in the wrong gear either dogging along at 20mph in 6th or fucking screaming in 2nd at 50mph when you give it gas. ECT helps but not enough to change my mind.

Its not all the transmissions fault though, the motor/trans combo just isn't great together. You couple a transmission that always wants to be in a high gear for fuel economy with a motor that makes all of its power high in the RPM band your just asking for a shit experience. I want to wrap out an S2000......not my pick up truck trying to maintain hwy speed over the mountain pass.

 

Hmm. Sounds like a setup... oh well

I had second gear synchro issues on my 05 tacoma and 07 fj. Both around 100k, both bought used, so who knows how they were treated. That said, my wife and I have an 18 tacoma with auto, and it is definitely a little weird with downshifting. I know there were issues with early 3rd Gens, which have hopefully been cleared up. If I buy another Tacoma just for me, I may go manual, but I must admit to laziness. Probably stick with automatic.

 

I use ShiftSense Pro. Works great.