Those with Manual Transmission...why?

I get asked fairly frequently why I chose my Tacoma to be a MT. I usually say it's to feel superior to other drivers but in reality, as I drive around town dropping kids off at school and picking up groceries 80% of the time, it doesn't get much better gas mileage, it sucks in congestion, and I can't hold the steering wheel, my coffee and shift at the same time.

In reality I love being able to accelerate in confidence and not guess when my transmission will down shift or upshift. It's great in snow or mud being able to ease the torque on and not dig in deeper. And when we went to Europe, I was the only one in the family who could drive the cars.

Just tossing the question out there...why did you choose manual transmission?

 

Because it is the only newer pickup that is not a diesel that has the manual option available.
And, to me, it is way more fun to drive.

Correction: I totally forgot about the Gladiator.

 

Because I can hold the steering wheel, my coffee, and shift at the same time.

 

And smoke one...

 

aside from the fact that a manual is king over the autotragic...

i find myself driving a lot slower and more controlled in my manual tacoma

I think if my tacoma was automatic I would find myself hammering down on the skinny pedal more often totally unwittingly




this may sound funny given most relate manual transmissions with sports cars used to zip around quickly, but in my case with the taco I think it is a speed control thing on the paved road commutes, or perhaps I am driving a lot slower as I get older...

 

Always had some kind of manual in my garage. A4, S4, miata, s2k. This is my first manual truck, but I always feel more connected to driving and it makes it more enjoyable for me being able to row thru the gears. I didn't get a manual taco to race it around bends, just to have a better driving experience. Also at the time in 2016/2017 when I was shopping around, tacomaworld told me the auto trans was a fuck up and cost roughly 1500 more so all in all, it was an easy decision.

Oh and also it deters most people from asking to borrow my truck for their home depot runs.

 

My Tacoma is AT, but over the last 40 years over 1/2 of the trucks and SUV's I've owned have been manual transmissions. Years ago there were some advantages to a manual. They were cheaper, more rugged, got better fuel mileage, and allowed the driver more control.

Today the only reason to buy a manual is if the owner thinks they are more fun to drive. They still cost less initially, but if you keep a manual long enough you will need to replace the clutch which wipes out the initial savings. Fuel mileage is the same and with the way modern truck transmissions and axles are geared along with newer truck engines needing 3500-4500 rpm to reach max torque manuals are a huge disadvantage. Especially if you tow.

If you go back 30ish years truck engines got their torque at 2000 rpm or less. 1st and reverse gears were much lower than today and axle ratios were much lower which allowed a manual to work well for slow speed maneuvering. The quest for better fuel mileage has changed all of that, but modern automatics are handicapped much less by these changes.

 

My wife can drive manual, but she doesn't like it...so guess who never has make-up and clothes left in their truck.

 

Because how ever I want to drive at the time, sporty, or putt putting around. I get to decide, not a computer. A manual use to get better gas mileage but the autos have caught up with computer controlled autos. But one ride in an auto listening and feeling it hunting gears was all it took to stay with a manual. Plus I'm old and that's about all I have ever owned.

 

Because my first car was a stick and I grew attached to them. Partly because I find it more fun, partly because it means most people won't ask to borrow my truck, partly because it gives me a bit of a superiority complex.

 

It's truly enjoyable, and you become a necessary part of the machine.

 

because i like driving and being fully engaged with the experience. I've gone to great lengths to maximize it. and driving in congestion doesn't suck for everyone. a guy here said, "driving in traffic sucks, driving in traffic with an AT sucks worse."

 

It's more fun most of the time.

 

I enjoy driving a manual. The last truck I enjoyed driving as much as this one was my ‘84 3/4 ton Chevrolet 4x4. Granny low truck w/speed. You could dump the clutch at an idle in low gear and low range and not kill it. My Yota is close to that.

 

Simple. It makes me smile

 

What I like:

1. Something about driving a V6 truck with a 6spd tranny puts a smile on my face

2. manuals are just more fun to drive. I get more enjoyment out of otherwise medial tasks.

3. I enjoy the control I get from driving a manual.

4. I like that the manual has a lower gearing ratio.

what I have come to realize is a disadvantage:

1. off-road crawling. Anytime I have to traverse obstacles such as large rocks or logs, I personally find it challenging to slowly crawl over. I find that in 4L it is easier to crawl over stuff but utilizing the clutch and keeping my speed low is a challenge for me.

2. The clutch engagement on this truck is not as precise as other cars I have owned, which does suck a little.

 

if manual trans is an option then thats what it is. shoot, if my sequoia had a 6spd transmission? than i would be notching gears in that big behemoth too lol. every tacoma i owned was 6spd, be it the xr, trd or, or sport. why even entertain the idea of an auto tacoma. most people here complain about the auto, and isnt the age old adage ect+gate shifting? riiight. exhaust sounds better on standard transmission too. but thats neither here nor there...

 

I am now 70 years old and have never owned any vehicle with an automictic transmission, and never intend to unless I need one for medical reasons. I like to drive; that is the reason. And I also love having a manual transmission in traffic jams because it gives me something to do.

 

The chicks dig it