About to pull the trigger on a 2020, looking for advice

I enjoy my manual Off-Road, even commuting 50 miles each way in Northern Virginia rush hour traffic for the last 3 years.

That said, I would feel better about other people driving it if it were an automatic. Fortunately it's our second car and my daily commuter, so nobody drives it but me. And on the plus side, it stays much cleaner than my wife's Pilot as a result.

I wouldn't hesitate to choose either, but for me the MT has been more satisfying to drive.

 

My 2020 was my first automatic vehicle I've ever owned. Traded a 15 access cab and needed the extra space of the double cab. It came down to short bed/manual vs long bed/auto. I decided I'd rather have a longer bed over the manual. Two months in and absolutely no regrets. I don't notice a lot of gear hunting and I drive a lot of hilly, curvy back roads and steep grades. Get what you want, but I'm pretty happy with my automatic. That said, if they came out with a dclb in a manual, I'd be at the dealership to immediately trade.

 

If you’re a LC guy, stay away from the tacos! Import a diesel Land Cruiser and build that! I love my two Tacoma’s, but regularly think about getting rid of them for a land cruiser

Edit: The vehicle that got me into Toyota’s was a beat to shit FJ60 that was my high school rig. Ended up rolling it. When I have excess income, I’ll be going back to the land cruisers. You just can’t beat them.

 

Some very good points here. I have an auto, and the things mentioned above were all pluses for me. That being said, I love driving, and have owned many 3 pedal cars, and trucks.

 

Some rental car companies like Enterprise rent tacomas and some toyota dealers do as well.

 

Agreed, a diesel LC would be nice. I'll never part with my Land Cruiser, but I'm excited about building a new Taco. Here's a pic of a frame off project I did on a 1974 Fj40. I regret selling the 40. Bad mistake on my part.

 

I have a 2020 off-road with right over four thousand miles I love it. Zero issues with transmission.

 

I’ve had 3 Tacoma’s so far. 2016 AT, 2017 MT, 2020 MT. I actually thought the AT was pretty good for an automatic but it just boring to drive for me as I’m a MT fan.

 

I test drove both and walked away with a MT. For me it came down to lower gearing and more control. Plus, who knows if a MT will be offered by the time I buy next. This allows me to teach my three boys how to row gears when they start driving in the next 3-8 years.

 

I've always driven a MT. Bought a 2017 Offroad AT to change things up and its boring. A plus with MT is its cheaper.

 

I enjoy my MT. Just fun to choose the gears. This is a debate as old as time itself. The only thing I have to say is I cringe when other people drive it.

 

Get the AT unless you're 24 or just need something to talk about.

 

Get what you want.

the auto has two overdrive gears so it goes from 6 to 4 when it needs it. On long highway trips I leave it in s5 which keeps it in 5th max. Still an OD gear but has more torque for the hills, doesn’t change down to 4th nearly as much. Keeps it around 1750rpm too. Less shifting and less time in 4th my mpg is about the same or better.

 

I drove multiple third gens trying to like them. The transmission is “not that bad” to some, but in my personal experience it was completely unbearable. Tried to like it.

I personally think a lot of the justifying it is because you have to justify a 40k purchase to be worthwhile rather than a bad choice haha.

Don’t much like the high revving vs tractor-like engine either, but many who DD their truck will maybe prefer it. Doesn’t seem worth it for 1-2 mpg difference.

Getting a used 2nd Gen you could save a lot more money on the initial cost than you will in a mile per gallon over the decade you drive it. Just one person’s two bits. Here we go...

 

6MT

 

I think the automatic “problem” is about 75% perception from how you drive other vehicles. I have a 2020 TRD OR and I think the transmissions shifts pretty good. But I also drove my last car which was a 5 speed scion XB, about how this auto drives. I would always be 1 gear to high so I would be chugging along at low RPM’s 90% of the time. In reality the only issue is people not liking how it drives. There is no mechanical problems or issues with trannys going out. Also I’m 31 with 2 kids and hated driving my old Scion and trying to grab something for the kids or fiddling around while trying to shift. The small annoyance of this auto is 10x better for myself than the annoyance of driving a manual in daily life.

 

You really have to drive it and decide. I’ve had a 2016 AT TRD OR for 75K miles and it sometimes drives me nuts. But there’s nothing “wrong” with the automatic, what’s wrong is that it’s a fairly peaky, high rpm engine coupled with a 6 speed transmission. Almost by definition, it will shift more when left in D than the 4 speed in your 80. And probably not when (rpm, road speed, throttle) a good driver would shift an MT for smoothness, economy, acceleration, or whatever. I’ve been driving MT’s for almost 60 years and I think I’m pretty good, and the Tacoma AT and engine and programming is not as good as I am. But I also had an FZJ80 for about 15 years and the Taco with AT is far faster, quieter, and smoother while delivering much better fuel economy. And on all those mountain grades where you pushed the OD button in your FZJ80, and droned along in 3rd at 60 mph, stick the Taco in S4 or S5 and go 75 mph. The Tacoma also has an ECT button to change shift points, but the difference is marginal; if you want to control what gear it’s in, just slap it into S mode and it’s almost like an MT. Our other car is an MT and it is fun to drive, but honestly the Tacoma is still a truck and the transmission won’t transform it into a sports car.

 

I truly want to thank everyone for your feedback! Those are some great comments. I appreciate your time.

For those of you who have driven both the AT and MT... did you notice a power difference?

I can't find an MT in Texas. All salesman tell me an MT is a special order vehicle. I'm not opposed to ordering, but would like to know if there is a power difference before I do.

Thanks again!!!

 

There is no problem with autos. There never was. Just a bunch of cry baby bichos that didn’t realize what they were getting into. 17’ DCSB OR 4x4 auto and it has been a doll.

test drive it YOURSELF, PAY ATTENTION and see if you like it.

 

I purchased a ‘20 at the end of January, but haven’t driven it much at all. However, I can say that the tranny hunts much less than my son’s ‘18 OR. The difference between the two is quite noticeable.