Last of their kind? Manual Transmissions and Gasoline Engines

That's half the fun

 

For me, I am sometimes looking for 7th, which would not bother me one bit.

 

If I bark enough times, maybe the Lego Gods will hear me.

 

Yeah a 6MT DCLB would be sick. But Daddy (Toyota) knows best... lol

 

I think the only solution is to buy two kits and mash them together?

 

On second thought, maybe I’ll get my kids a trashy little manual econobox to learn on so they can’t use their phones while they are driving.

 

I tried that. It didn't work out for me. I kept trying to get my daughters to drive the Taco. They did a couple times, but never really caught on to the fun. We ended up with a 2012 Mazda 3 AT. Damn nice handling car that would really shine with the MT.

Our oldest really has a lust for a Wrangler. I told her that would be MT only.

The new turbo AWD 3 looks phenomenal also, but is AT only.

 

The problem is with the lower gears. I find that I have to shift out of 1st as soon as the truck is barely moving. 3rd is equivalent to 2nd in my old truck. So I have to shift 1-2-3-4 to get to what was 3rd in my old truck. This alone means more shifting. On the other hand, 5th and 6th are just overdrives for the highway.

 

I think it's an even bet that the ICE will disappear in my lifetime (fingers crossed, 3- 4 decades), but the probability it will eventually disappear is 100%. I guess the question is, how long will it last. And if even they do hold out in the next few decades, like the increasingly rare MT, I expect our options for what we can get in an ICE will become more and more constrained...and possibly more and more expensive.

 

True - the Bronco does buck the trend. Maybe a hopeful green shoot? I don't have the days and weeks required to decipher Ford's trim option pages, but does anyone know if you pay more, or less, for the MT in the same trim package?

 

16 SR Utility 4x4 2.7 5speed from WA State. The last of its species

 

I bought the Tacoma assuming it is my last manual gearbox.
it is sad... but then I expect all my future vehicles to be electric - which will be great!

I would have happily gone electric now, but the offerings were not there just yet.

I was lucky to find my Tacoma (I realize now), as I was very specific on what I wanted. First of all, It had to be a manual. I would not have bought an Automatic taco.

And I did walk away from the otherwise perfect taco because it was an auto. It was a rare beast and difficult to find at the time... it arrived on a truck as I stopped to check on inventory as I drove by this dealer.

The sales guy tried to entice me by improving the deal much to his frustration. “Yes, it is the exact taco I described - but it’s not a manual” I said...

It was driven off the lot within a couple of hours of arrival.
- I just could not do the auto.

 

I haven't really driven in 6th yet, even on our local interstates. Most standard driving seems to be in 4th. (Equivalent to 3rd in my old Ranger.)

 

Glad you mentioned. I have in my mind for future.
I sure do miss the hood ol’ throttle cable feedback.
Often get the argument that you need to learn to drive the car, yada, yada, yada.
I just like driving how I want to drive. Sometimes I want to short shift and most times I want to use engine braking.
Third gen tacos are great to look at it; but the stock 6spd MT feels like a nanny.

I’m hoping to have more favorable report after tune.

OP, stick shifts have been hard to find in new vehicles for a while. Choices get leaner every year.

MT is make or break for me personally (I’ve never had an AT daily driver) and I think it’s a few Subarus, VWs, Honda’s, and Tacoma’s left. (None of those are possessive, but auto-spell is insistent on the help.)

 

And even the one that are coming soon are full sized. The first mid-sized Taco-like EV is gonna be epic.

 

Same here.
I’ll be back in an older gen 4Runner or Tacoma most likely.

 

That's the beauty of MTs. Drive it however you see fit.


Myself, the gear selection isn't much different than an AT. At times, I've shifted through to 6th at 35 and can cruise there happily. I just like the control, choice, and anticipation that I have on tap.

 

Ford has a been a bright spot in the "Save the Manual" movement. Until the current GT500, they were persistent in making their performance versions of the Mustang "Manual Only"....Cobra, Bullitt, GT Performance Package (I think they offered the auto in the PP cars starting in '19), GT350/350R, GT500 (pre 2020 versions). A LOT of buyers howled about not being able to get these cars with an AT and I admired Ford sticking with the MT.

I think Porsche would prefer to go full AT/DCT across their range but there is enough MT purists that they have even gone back to having MT as an option in the GT3, even though it is technically slower on a racetrack.

 

Ranger is the PU version.

 

Nah. There's actually Bronco pickup concept pics floating around. They seem serious to compete with the Wrangler on all fronts.

https://fordauthority.com/2019/07/report-2021-ford-bronco-will-spawn-a-pickup-truck-variant/