6 speed manual any good?

Yup. It's mildly upsetting to me that 6th is geared so much lower on the manual, but it's not a deal breaker. I think the whole manual vs. auto thing is really just a matter of personal preference. I personally prefer manuals, and once you get adjusted to it, the Tacoma 6 speed is fine.

 

For me it's just more of an issue of cruising at interstate speeds... The speed limit around here is 75mph, and I'm running around 2800-2900 RPMs at 75mph, which seems awfully high to me. I commute 17 miles each way every day on the interstate, so it'd be nice if the 6 speed was geared a little taller like the auto.

 

I have an 07 6speed and I like it except the fact that I can't speed shift. I have been searching for a while now on this site and others but I was told that there is some sort of clutch engagement valve or something like that or an accumulator. Is this the case with these trucks that makes it slower for the actual engagement to take place?

 

Love my 6 spd, the money you lose on gas mileage you'll make up by downshifting and saving the brakes. Not sure how much winter you have, but again downshifting keeps you off the brakes when conditions are slippery enough that the ABS doesn't help a whole bunch.

 

It's not a bad tranny. My observations in my 08 are:
1) like others the hanging between shifts
2) the revving up while braking in neutral to 1500 rpm then to idle when i stop
3) the revving up to 1500 in 2nd gear in traffic...i have to ride the brake in traffic
4) consistent 16 mpg (no matter how its driven) over a tank
5) shifts "smoother" with synthetic fluid (subjective opinion)
6) takes me awhile (read that: longer than normal) to get used to driving it again after driving my other manual vehicles

 

I love it, though driving a 5 speed all my life then going to the 6 speed was a little weird. once in a while i look down and see it in 6th gear on the freeway and think im in 4th. (if that makes since) kinda a trip but i love it. and in slippery conditions it is a savior. If im not mistaken it is a little cheaper for the manual. Which leaves a little extra money for mods. Also you cant bump start an auto when the battery dies.

 

I went with the manual - the wife can't drive one.

 

x2 on the wife not being able to drive one.
she has an automatic, and after being able to drive both for a year now. I really love my manual. Her's does get better mileage but she also drive's nicer than me, and once you put bigger tires and mod's on your truck your mileage is just a number that the slow people get to brag about!

 

I was dead set on the manual until I was forced to test drive the auto. Sure glad I did, the 6 speed feels like driving a semi truck. If they made it more like the '80s 5 speeds, I would be in heaven.

Auto though isn't anything bad. Smooth as butta and they give you access to 4-3-2-L. Sure is nice now with the icy roads, putting it in L holds the truck at 10mph on those steep hills with the stop sign at the bottom.

 

Take the 6sp out on some sports-car road and give it a good thrash. If you like to drive, the 6sp is the cats ass. The auto is very good and you will probably get 1-2 mpg better in every-day ho-hum driving. The sound of the V6 winding out with the 6sp does it for me.

P.S.I'm 61 yrs old and I don't know what I want to be when I grow up!

 

I drive big rig and the last thing I want to do is come home and shift! I'm very happy with the auto in my truck, definitely not the old "slush box's" of the old days, shifts are quick, firm and shift points predictable. My truck shifts down on its own on hills, and holds back very well. Drive them both see what suits your needs.

 

I love my 6spd, this "manual vs. auto" has been hashed over time after time, generally if your doing lots of stop and go , the manual gets to be a pain, however if you are out in rural settings or out in the boonies and you want a manual, try them both out. I am sure your local dealer, who is interested in selling a truck, will let you take each model out.
Only you can decide whats good for you. You don't have to worry about durability with either set up.

Jeff , 06,V6, 6spd, 4x4

 

Like others have said about the higher RPMs at highway speed means slightly lower MPG with the manual, BUT that's useful if you tow or climb hills a lot. The earlier autos used to downshift violently on hills when using cruise because they couldn't maintain speed without downshifting. That's been fixed with an ECU tweak I think, but that's never a problem with a manual. And my 6 spd holds highway speeds on hills without a problem. Hell, I usually put it in 6th once I hit 30mph anyway if I don't need to accelerate rapidly or climb a steep hill. And it stays in 6th unless I need to pass or slow below 25mph. So I'm not shifting as much as some people might think. (Even with over size tires.)

The one thing I will say (and surprised no one else has mentioned it) is that it'll take at LEAST 5,000 miles for it to break in nicely and smooth out. And it smoothed out really nicely after 40k.

 

I like the 6 speed. Moved up from a '97 5 speed. My only complaint is that REVERSE (of all things) is geared too high. PITA backing a 5k lb boat and having to slip the clutch that much....if only reverse was geared like 1st it would be the gnat butter.

 

Use 4Lo? That's what I end up doing when I need to creep up to something real slow.

 

Roger. That's always an option, but paved parking lots AND some slope.....you know. Just have to plan better. But seriously, when do you EVER need to go fast in reverse. That was another great thing about manual hubs! 4Lo and put it where you want it!

 

The truck is still new enough that is doesn't go in and out smoothly yet, but it's getting better (stopped, clutch ALL the way to the floor). How long did yours take?

 

Not sure... I have just under 50k on it now. Seems like somewhere around 30-40k things really smoothed out drive train-wise. Smoother shifting, smoother idle, lower speed in 6th gear, better 4wd transitions. I live in snow country so I get plenty of 4wd use during the winter, and regularly use 4LO to back up hills at my parents' and inlaws' houses. I like just using idle to back up the grass without tearing it up over gassing to keep from stalling while juggling brake, clutch and gas. Just use 4LO, let off the clutch and work the brake. Only really good in a straight shot though.

The same guy that came up with the locker anytime and ABS shut off mods thought he had a 2LO mod worked out, but I haven't even attempted to read his schematics in a loooooong time. They give me headaches, and I don't know if he even finished figuring it out or tested it.

 

I love my 6 speed especially when goin in and out of the woods at deer camp or just havin fun with the truck. 1st gear is real nice. Only thing I dont like is how consistent you have to be in your shifts for the truck to shift smooth. Its still new(25,000 miles) so its still breaking in. Any other stick I've drove allows more room for error and was a little more "loose." I'm sure I'll get more used to it as it breaks in

 

I bought the Tacoma specifically because it was manual. If they did not make them in manual I would have bought a Ford F-150 or a Tundra. The Frontier is OK, but I just like Toyota's use of space and looks. Not only that you have to special order the manual in the Frontier, as dealers never have it..ie pay more. I am sure the manual will go away in two or three years, so enjoy it while it lasts. There are no full size trucks with manual anymore, not even base models..Only the huge superduty Dodge and Ford F-250. I hate auto's in general. I love my 6 speed. You get used to the low gear and the revving pretty much goes away once you get used to shifting. Auto's are for lazy people that like to settle. Just buy a minivan and get it over with. Just joking, I understand..better gas milage and traffic and low gearing. Regardless, I live in New England and the manual is awesome to drive in the snow and trails.