3rd Gen Manual or Auto?

Every single truck I ever owned was a manual, work and play trucks. Seems unnatural not to have a manny in a truck. My SUV is auto, only bought it as a 3rd back up vehicle, and got a screaming deal on it. I rarely drive since I find it mind numbingly boring.

That and, my dad is a wheel chair, every time I push that clutch in, reminds me not to take my legs for granted.

As they say, "To each their own..."

 

Thank fuck we can even choose.

 

Yes sir! Pretty lame almost everything is auto now-a-days.

 

Glad we have the all time authority on trucks telling us how it is. I love having a manual in my Tacoma. Love it for towing, love it around town. Throws are longer than most cars but something to be said for having ultimate control of your RPM's. Even Mike Sweers admitted that that "true off road guys want a manual". A manual is not superior but it has it's place...and that is why Toyota kept the manual. Kudos to them for doing that (even though we didn't get a deezul).

 

I'll probably be picking an automatic for my retirement rig, but I'm dreading, DREADING losing my 2.7l stick, except in traffic.
Driving an auto just doesn't feel like driving to me, especially on awesome mountain roads. Sort of like riding a bike without clipless pedals, a major hit in the area of feel and control. Just feels dumbed down.

 

The Yota 5-Speeds are down right sporty compared to the Borg-Warner T-18/T-19's we had in our old Ford Trucks.

Modern autos are pretty dang good I will admit...still like rowing my own. The shiftable pod/paddles is too video game like to me though I am kinda old skool...I still trim my hedges with manual sheers...

 

I spoke with a dealership here in CA this past week inquiring about the same thing. According to them, that option is going to be available. Not fully believing anything anyone says at this point, but that's what I was told which makes my decision that much harder....

 

You don't drive an auto. They drive you.


Will be getting a 16 DCSB manual hopefully.

I want a limited but with a stick it might be a unicorn.

 

I've had my Taco for a short 2 weeks, but I put the manual transmission on the "must have" list when we went out shopping. I had been driving a small car that had a MT too, and upgrading to the truck it's been a solid two weeks of adjustment. Longer throws and more deliberate shifting is reqired, completely different gearing ratios, and of course the truck has the 6-speed versus the 5-speed I was driving in the car. Obviously it's a very different feel and for the first couple days I was a little worried I'd made a mistake, but now that I've got in a couple weeks of driving in the city and on the highway, I think I almost prefer the truck and very glad I went that way.

On a side note, my buddy's first comment when I took him out for a drive the other night and he saw the stick shift: "Oh good... you didn't get a Barbie truck." ...

 

anyone have a menu of the 2016 models that will satisfy the following criteria: (1) 4x4, (2) access cab, (3) manual transmission? I'm fairly sure that there is an TRD Off-Road Sport that meets all of the above, but am unsure of whether the TRD Off-Road will meet all three, or whether a "base" model will do so either

 

I'm in the same boat and the only answer is TRD-Sport. The Access cab TRD-Offroad is auto only. Apparently the Access cab TRD-OR manual is available in Canada. Go figure.

However you do get the comedy option of a 4x4 Access cab 4cyl 5-speed manual that I think is SR trim only. If you do that I'm not sure there is a compelling reason to get a 2016 as you can get that engine and transmission now in a 2015 because honestly the trucks are very similar, especially at the base trim level.

If you get a double cab short bed, you can get the MT in with TRD sport or TRD off road. So you've got that going for you.

 

I am fully considering the "Canadian option" to get all three criteria (along with my unwritten, but strongly implied fourth criterion: V6 engine). I live in Minnesota, so perhaps this could work.

Poking around, it appears that buy-in-Canada-drive-back-to-States, while a nuisance, isn't prohibitively difficult. From what I've seen, if the truck was built in the US (and many Tacomas that end up in Canada will presumably come from the Texas plant), then crossing the border with a street-legal Tacoma (licensed, registered, insured) can be done.

 

With the exchange rate right now you might even break even offsetting the $5K gouge

 

Save the manuals! Remember when they were called standard?!

 

@M16 if you do go the Canadian import route, I'd be interested in hearing about your experience. Probably others would too. Id like to get the TRD-OR access cab with the MT but it isn't an option for some reason I don't understand. They will make it, they just don't sell it here. Maybe it's just an oversight. I wish.

Has anyone seen or heard anything about the manual transmission? The only picture I've seen of it has been in the test mule. Photos of the underside showed that it wasn't identical to the current MT.

 

MT sounds better than ST, ST is just a D away from trouble.

 

YES, save the manuals! If Toyota wants to retain me as a customer in roughly 7 to 8 years when I'm back in the market they better still offer a 4x4 with a proper manual.

 

MTFTMFW.... Unless a bigger engine on auto yields better mpg.

 

Auto already gets better mpg

 

2010 2.7 what I have. MT 20-26 mpg
Auto 19-25mpg
Maybe things have changed.