2016 TACOMA AUTO VS MANUAL

Possibly, but all 6 gears are currently useable in the '16. 6th could probably get away with being a little longer but I wouldn't mess with the rest of it. I had a '13 Outback for a while that had a completely pointless 5th with very little gear separation from a very tall 6th. Any incline requiring a downshift meant skipping straight to 4th because if 6th couldn't hold speed you already knew that 5th would do much good either. I've got tons of rural highway time on my truck and a little bit of interstate, other than two lane passing I haven't really needed 4th at all past 60. It's nice.

 

Good for you. Anyone can beat EPA ratings. The gen 3 has better, albeit only slightly better, MPG. Both auto and manual.

 

MT for the mountains is the way to go.

 

The plain simple fact is this: No matter how well it is designed or built an automatic transmission is more complex than a manual. It has more parts to wear out, it requires highly technical control mechanisms, and as a result is more prone to problems. The convenience and supposed ease of operation afforded by an automatic transmission will always be a trade-off against reliability and durability. I will always take reliability over convenience.

 

I don't have to shift hardly at all, and can cruise around 35-40 mph in town in 6th gear. Accelerating from 40-80 in 6th is also not a problem.

Love the Manual.

 

When I tested the manual I was surprised it had enough torque to hold gears. The manual is a night and day difference from driving the auto. You might say "Duh, one is a manual one is auto." but the throttle response and torque deliverary make it feel like a completely different truck.

 

Whaaaaaaaaaaaa? 35 in sixth?

 

Are you downplaying my fuel economy, sir? I wasn't out to beat the EPA. I would like to know if anyone out there is getting better or near my mpg.

 

I asked myself the same question.

 

Yes.the truck pulls it OK. It's not bogging or shuddering

 

Can't wait to get mine and try this out. With that mpg info staring me right in the face all the time I will be trying to see what kind of mileage I can eek out on my most frequent routes.

 

I do mixed driving here in Cali, I get between 16-18 consistently.

I've got as high as 36 (coming down the Mtns in the Sierra, for about 30 miles) and if I do a ton of High way driving at 65 I am getting 20ish, it will drop to 17-19 at 80


Funny is in stop and go on the interstates, I get like 19. lol

 

What was/were your previous vehicle(s)?

 

Well Clarke, you do have the base model with the 215/70/15 tires, and you are low to the ground helping you aerodynamically, on top of being a single cab.

I'm sure if you really pushed that little truck and got creative you could consistently see in the 30's mpg.

I have a AC Prerunner 2.7L 5MT and the best I have got was 25mpg hwy avg, over 400 miles...roughly going 65mph. This could be beat though, no problem, granted at a lower speed

 

Yep, same with my 5-lug, no problem cruising at 35-40 in 5th. Sure, need to downshift if I need to accelerate fast, but there is no need to rev it up in 3rd or 4th, and the mpg is great at low rpm and medium load.

Still that 6th gear would be even better if it were taller.

 

See my sig, 30 mpg is my 10 year average including Colorado winters.

 

Me

 

Here is a graph of every tank through mid 2014. 2007 was a good year, still had E0 100% gas and the oem Firestones, the Michelins that replaced them took 30K break in and get close to the Firestone's. Winter sucks gas, and it's the cold, not the gas. Cleanmpg.com switched forum programs and hasn't been able to convert the database so all I have is an old post from 2014 until the data is recovered.

Try getting that with an automatic.

 

That's impressive! I love how detailed oriented you are. What techniques are you using to achieve that consistency apart from obvious ones?

 

1992 Mercury Sable, 94 euro spec BMW520I (lived in Germany) 1996 Bronco, and most recently a 2006 Ranger Sport, 5 spd.