Manual ATRAC vs Auto CC?

I bought the AT despite my spouse and I both loving and prefering manuals (So that we have an auto in the house, and so my spouse can pull boats out of the water easier). But that means the Tacoma isn't my daily driver.

I would suggest making the decision purely on the general merits of auto vs manual, and ignore the ATrac vs CC part of the argument, as I really think that part is down in the noise level.

Manual in this truck is fine EXCEPT reverse gear is too high, which makes backing trailers an exercise in smoking clutches.

Automatic in this truck is fine EXCEPT it has a bit of a neurotic mind of its own (which is a bit hard to get used to after driving manual every day).

(If the truck were my daily driver I would probably have gone manual)

 

When going downhill (slippery mud, snow, or ice) should I use ATRAC? Doesn't ATRAC disable ABS? If so, what is the best method to go down a slippery slope?

 

Another thing I like about the manual is the 4.30 gear ratio vs the 3.90 in the automatics.

 

I'm pretty sure ATRAC does not disable ABS. The rear locker does though. If I were going down a slippery hill I'd be in 4lo and make sure the ABS light is not on. So disengage the rear locker and turn off ATRAC if that does disable ABS but I dont think it does. Pretty easy to tell if/when the time comes. If ABS light on dash is on then ABS is disabled.

 

My truck is vehicle #22 and the 4th automatic. I am about to turn 30 and love driving. After my last new vehicle, ‘15 Jeep rubicon with a 6 speed, I vowed I’d never own another new off-road vehicle in a manual. I’ve used crawl control 2-3 times for fun, but that mts and rear locker are the MVP. I call them “cheat mode”. I have more control and can shift faster than a manual off-road. There is a reason why they are a dying breed. Manual technology has peaked. Autos are starting to get crazy cool and efficient. Plus it’s fun to drink coffee in stop and go traffic.

 

There isn't a gizmo imaginable that would make me want an automatic over an MT.

 

So if one decides that the longbed manual with ATRAC far outweighs the automatic with crawl control, then what is really the difference in that offroad manual and a sport manual? Is it only the shocks and locker? Because most replace the shocks anyways because they lift the truck. So if one has decided on the manual with an aftermarket lift, would it be cheaper to just buy a sport and put on air lockers?

 

You can't get a long bed manual unless it's a Sport Access Cab which will have neither A-TRAC or Crawl Control

 

You can get it in

If I was rich that’d be my next Tacoma