buying '18 TRD sport and spooked by tranny issues

First post, so please be gentle I'm scheduled to pick up '18 TRD Sport next week and my current ride is an '06 F150, Edge tuned. I'm seeing a lot of unhappiness about the CVT and now I'm having second thoughts. I've read hundreds of pages about OV Tune, Shift Sense.. maybe too much info. Any advise for someone about to dive in?

 

Did you even test drive it? Also it's a regular slushbox, not a CVT.

 

Yes, sorry, ECT. And yes, I drove it. I didn't love the tranny, but my only basis of comparison is a truck I've been driving for 12 years, that snaps firm into every gear. I thought maybe I would get used to the new tranny..

 

Trucks are like girlfriends. If you don't love it today you sure as hell aren't going to love it tomorrow.

 

Hahaha... nice!

 

Why are you still buying a truck that you don't like how it drives? Go drive something else you like immediately and buy that instead.

 

No issues with mine. People like to complain and blow up issues.

Test drive it, if you like it buy it, if not then dont.

 

Why buy it if you aren’t confident?

I listen to people complain about things every day and think they are babies based on the ridiculous shit they feel Toyota should be addressing. So is my truck noisy and unbearable? Not to me but to some it is. I didn’t buy my truck based on what others think. I bought it based on what I think.

Will the transmission get better? Mine did. Do I still wish it was a bit better with cruise on? Yes I do. But then again I rarely drive the highway so maybe the lack of learning at those conditions are to blame. I can honestly say I don’t have one single complaint about my truck until I am on the highway and I put cruise on (which is on whenever I can). I find it is fine at 100kmh or 120kmh but in between it will drop down and not shift back up to 6th as quick as I would like.

 

I couldn't be happier with my transmission. It's a 6 Speed Manual TRDOR.....Get that instead.

 

He should still drive it first and if he doesn't like it, not buy it.

 

I would suggest test driving the Colorado/ Canyon, Frontier, and maybe even the Ridgeline (no sarcasm).

Also, test drive a few more Tacoma models- off-road, SR5 at different dealers.

I am happy with my 2016, but from what I have read here on TW, expecting your driving experience to improve with time may not work out.

And welcome to TW.

 

Welcome. I came from rowing my own to the Taco 6AT. I grew to dislike it more and more over 6 months, then grabbed a shiftsense and am 98% happy with it (hangs in a gear a little too much on a 35mph road, but I then shift to D and it upshifts). I know it sucks to buy a mod for a new vehicle, but it made the Tacoma a much better driver. Good luck on your decision and welcome to TW.

 

I had a 16. Now have an 18. Will most likely have a 20, unless we keep this one longer than usual.

Honestly though, if you are having to go on a forum to convince you to buy something, you will never be happy with it. When you are dropping $40k on something, you should be excited to buy it and really want it.

 

I feel like a lot of people here would be happier with a Ridgeline if it looked more "manly" to them and weren't afraid to embrace a unibody vehicle considering how many people mall-crawl or just do random chores with their trucks. My dump runs, ikea and other home/garden runs would be suited just fine with a Ridgeline. It's just my random wheeling trips throughout the year where I need 4low and a locker require me to have a truck.

 

I drove the 17 and hated the transmission. Then I drove the 18 and found it was much better, so I ordered one. Be sure you weren't driving a 17 that was on the lot left over. If you were driving an 18 and still didn't like it, you might want to look at all your options.

 

If your F150 got you 12 years, why not another F150 or new Ranger?

Don’t buy things “that have you spooked,” unless you won the money in the lottery

Veggtaco Guy should be driving a Ridgeline

 

Def excited about the truck, and I actually started reading the forum posts looking for mods.. I just didn't expect to see such a big deal about transmission mods. Now I'm putting that together with my test drive and I'm having second thoughts. I'll go drive it again this weekend. I appreciate the feedback.

 

Whether the Ridgeline is ugly or not is a matter of opinion.

If it was available as an access cab with 6' bed, not front wheel drive and the spare tire wasn't located under a hatch inside the bed, maybe......

 

Are they seriously front wheel drive?

 

if you're willing to do some invasive mods, and you get the truck but find the transmission lacking, there's a mod here somewhere to do the ECT on by default mod (ECT mode shuts off with the truck, so if you want that on all the time, then you'll need to either do the mod or push the button each time you start it up).

Maybe you should take another test drive and use the ECT button? if that alleviates your transmission concerns, then your concerns might be solved with the mod or a religious pushing of that ECT button.