Any better driveability with the '20-'21s vs older 3rd Gens???

Unless it gets pushed back from the Coronavirus, it should be coming the end of next year with the debut set at the auto shows this winter. We’ll see Toyota is always slacking and they wonder why they can’t gain much in the segment.

 

Yeah I have 2020 and just thought I was lucky and got one with no problems

 

I just got my '21 AT AC OR and only got to drive it once before I went in for knee surgery, but that trip was about 150 miles of flat to hilly freeway. I can't say that I noticed any gear hunting. As I expected @70 MPH when I hit a hill it would drop to 5th and then 4th as the climb went on, but it never hunted around between those two gears. I believe that is going to be a natural by product of the new multi geared transmissions they are putting in vehicles combined with lowering RPM shifting points to maximise EPA mileage requirements. I do understand that the gear hunting issue was worse with the earlier 6 speed autos, but from what I have gleaned from listening to the forums is that the updates seem to have largely mitigated the problem.

I live on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains and in this area the terrain varies constantly between lots of grades combined with flat desert. Even with my other AT vehicles that only have 4 speed autos, I still get a lot of downshifting when climbing hills. On certain grades it is not unusual for them to downshift and once the speed comes up to upshift and then almost imediately down shift again. I can stop this completely by turning off the cruise control and feathering the gas pedal. Yes I tend to slow down a little bit but I don't beat my car's transmissions up.

I can't help but wonder if part of the issue is with the way people are driving. After thirty years in the business I have seen certain people go through transmissions like breath mints and others in the exact same vehicles that never have problems.

It is true that it is easier to flog your vehicle at higher RPM's and conversly lug the pee out of it with a manual transmission and if I was using my truck primarily as a tow vehicle, I would most certainly have a manual, but generally speaking, if you are capable of learning how to drive your vehicle in a manner that doesn't abuse it, you should get good service life out of it. What with having to drive in traffic and also having a very screwed up left knee, I don't miss shifting at all.

 

The best advice I can give you is to go drive a new one, see if you like it, make a decision.

Everyone on this website lives in different places, has a different driving style, and lastly, owns different trucks. My 2018 Tacoma on 33's does just fine on the roads of Houston. When I was driving in Colorado, I really noticed the need for gears and the transmission hunted a lot more because of the elevation changes. Everybody's experience will be different. Get off the interwebs and go drive one. Worst case scenario you get to tease a salesman.

 

I think it's an issue for some but I also think many blow it out of proportion or we'd see a much larger issue outside of an enthusiast site where many expect 'perfect' vehicles and 6 second 0-60 times out of a mid size pickup.

 

I was all set on an F150, but went with a Tacoma because I didn't need a full size pickup. Plus it was a lot cheaper. So, I'm definitely a fan of the F150. But, what I was getting at is that you say it doesn't gear hunt and others do. Other than the locations you are driving and how you're driving, I think it is just a matter of perspective. My Taco gear hunts more than my GMC did. But it's also 6 gears vs 4. I certainly don't think the Taco is unreasonably gear hunting by any means, therefore I don't notice it or view it as an issue while many do. I suspect it is the same deal with the F150 based on the years of research I did on those. There's no better engine in that lineup than that 2.7L!

 

I find cruise works well. I certainly don't think mine hunts unreasonably, but someone else may disagree. It isn't like my last truck, but my last truck only had 4 gears.

 

The Tacoma has in effect, two entirely different types of engines combined into one. There is the Otto cycle engine and an Atkinson cycle engine and these two systems constantly switch back-and-forth. The traditional Otto cycle engine has an entirely different power and torque curve when compared to the Atkinson cycle engine. Therefore, essentially the transmission has shift points optimized for the Otto cycle engine and it has shift points for the Atkinson cycle engine.

The transmission at times is shifting with an Otto cycle engine and at other times the transmission is shifting with an Atkinson cycle engine. The Atkinson cycle engine is going to be considerably less powerful and have entirely different power and torque curves when compared to the Otto engine. Therefore, there is no getting around the transmission having to shift in ways that are a lot different from what we are all used to.

 

Glad to see there's still plenty of sarcasm on this site...

You don't experience day in and day out driving on a test drive. Anyone that says they do is lying. Most test drives involve a 10 minute or so ride 'around the block'.

 

If you are a serious buyer most dealerships will allow you to take an extended or overnight test drive. Back in 2016 the dealer gave me an AT to take home for 3 days, ordered a MT after that experience.

 

I don't mind the idea of a manual. What would hold me back is if in a situation where someone would have to sit behind me in the rear seat, I'm afraid I'd have to have the seat so far forward that it would be really uncomfortable clutching. I'm about 6-1 and 250... But I get that that truck with a manual should be a go getter!

 

Sarcasm is fun.

I always try to take one for the weekend when I test drive for the reasons you mentioned. If you're serious, most dealerships will let you do it. Regardless of how you plan on paying, a letter from your bank showing your line of credit helps with these conversations.

I drove a tester Tacoma for 3 days before making my decision...but I didn't buy the one I drove as it had more miles on it than I'd prefer. I assume from other weekend test rides.

 

You beat me to it..

Nice car. Probably my favorite color combo from the fox years.

 

I just bought a 2021 Offroad 4wd automatic and I have had no issues with gear hunting. I actually love how it drives and even with a new suspension lift, larger tires, and extra weight from step rails, and upgraded skid plate, I am still getting 19mpg city and 22 hwy. So, I am a fan. I never had another 3rd gen - I had a 1987, 1999, 2003, 2013 - but this is by far the best driving of any I have owned.

 

I'm certainly guilty of having a fairly heavy foot, and also drive the eastern Sierras fairly frequently in my MT, haven't driven an AT Taco there though.

I agree that some of this comes down to personal preference and driving style, but I think that if you feel very strongly about shift points, you're better off in an MT, it's the only way to guarantee the shift occurs when you want it to.

 

My truck shifts just like any other vehicle I’ve ever driven. That is to say smoothly and as necessary. Nothing odd about it all, and certainly not as though it’s trying to service two different engines.

 

I have a 19 but mechanically there have been no changes. I would say a 2016 would drive like a 2021 all things equal. Only way newer will drive better is new tires, brakes, suspension..... otherwise they are going to be the same.

 

Toyota

I would beg to differ. It's widely known that Toyota has come up with several TSBs over the years since the first 3rd Gens in 2016 that helped the Tacoma address this issue. Each one helped with the issues some. I would think Toyota would apply what they learned with these periodic 'fixes' to the building of the new Tacomas. And that they may drive better in relation to the issues on the first 3rd Gens. And as we've seen with the comments, some say the new '20-'21s drive much better. Others say not so much. I guess each sees it a different way.

 

This is spot on. Toyota pioneered continuous process improvement and changed the manufacturing world. If they're identifying quality problems and solutions to those problems, they're rolling those solutions forward to future lots. New quality problems might crop up, but you're not going to see the same problems reproduced from the same causes.

 

I just went from a 2018 F150 to a 2021 Taco. I'd say the Taco drives better as far as shifting goes. The F150 was clearly way faster though.