Those with Manual Transmission...why?

ATRAC > CRAWL

 

Read a statistic from an article the other day claiming that only 18% of Americans can drive standard. That seems surprisingly low to me. I think if you don’t learn at an early age, you will likely never even attempt nor care to.

 

Was on vacation in Italy a couple of years ago and called for a taxi to the train station. Guy showed up in a late model Mercedes with a manual transmission. He even wore driving gloves! Took a bunch of taxis and busses while there and can't recall any of them being autos. Something else you don't see in North America, Was in Florence enjoying the sights and scenes when a cute little thing sporting a dress and high heals chucked her bag over her shoulder, hopped on her scooter and off she went.

 

My daughter asked me once if everyone in the family will learn how to drive withthree pedals, at the time she was 3, I said yes, when you can reach the pedals we will go out to a parking lot and drive.

 

Perfect description!

 

I even have a sticker in the back to let everyone know.

 

1) No automatic can anticipate upcoming conditions. You may hold a gear longer seeing a hill coming up, or refrain from shifting up when you know you're about to slow down.
2) Stone dead reliable. The auto in these trucks is the WORST part of the truck
3) It's fun.

Disclaimer: I have a 6 speed in my car. Would have gotten a manual in the Taco if it was offered as specced.

 

1) No automatic can anticipate upcoming conditions. You may hold a gear longer seeing a hill coming up, or refrain from shifting up when you know you're about to slow down.

You can shift in S mode with your auto, and still select the gear you would like to be in.

2) Stone dead reliable. The auto in these trucks is the WORST part of the truck

I actually don't think so. This Toyota auto is notorious for reliability (maybe not shifting right) but as far as breaking down , I think you are more likely to have to change wear parts like a clutch/fly wheel in the manual or deal with squeaky pedal and master cylinder issues. In the rare event the whole transmission breaks down, then yes auto will be more expensive (but that's uncommon for Toyota auto)

3) It's fun.

I agree. I daily drive a manual transmission . I drove both manual and auto 3rd gen Tacoma's and the manual is fun no doubt....however, it is also fun to be faster(auto) , not worry as much about getting stuck in the sand dunes, or feathering the clutch over obstacles in 4 Low. Also on long road trips or long off road trail rides the thrill of manual shifting and using a clutch gets old real quickly.
I was trying to buy the manual when I got my 3rd gen. The wife was pregnant at the time and didn't want to have to shift + deal with baby BS , so I went auto. I though it was a compromise but after see how it drives side by side vs manual 3rd gen Tacos I was happy. Always pulls away much quicker at green lights, you can see them slow down or get stuck in deep sand more often. It's also more stressful "crawling", where in the auto I'm just duhhhh gas go vroooom over rock.
One big thing that is noticeably better in the manual are the manuals 4.33 gears! It's no joke, much more control in 4Low 1st gear, vs the autos 3.9 gear ratio. But that's a gearing thing and not so much trans issue.

Can't go wrong either way I think.

 

Double like again for Mrtacomaan88 !

 

Next time I’ll make sure to snap a vid and a few pics for Instagram and stuff. Need to find my skinny pants first though.

 

No, but maybe I do add it to my calories burned count.

 

Use low range it half's you top speed.

 

I understand the purpose of low range. I’ve only had 4 wheel drive vehicles for the past 35 years. Crawl Control only works in 4 Lo and it actuates the throttle and brakes in ways a person can’t and will also work on hill descents.

 

Looking back, I wish I would have chosen the manual with the gearing issues on the auto.

 

Have such a dislike for the AT I'm taking a substantial loss on the current truck just to upgrade to a MT Sport. So I feel this comment deeply.

The ECT button helps a bit, but the transmission is still an idiot.

 

What's the "R" stand for? Is that for race mode?

 

REALLY Fast = R