Are manual transmissions really that unpopular?

I'm just saying why does it always have to be one or the other? I'm a huge fan of choices myself. Think about how boring it would be to live in a world where you don't get to choose anything? At least give me the option.

 

I used to prefer it too, then I got married and discovered the phrase, “happy wife, happy life.”

 

My next vehicle won't have a manual transmission. I've been shifting gear since I got my license and I'm kind of over it.

 

The problem is they're never happy

 

I'm trying to avoid that phase of my life for as long as possible, can't you see the roadster in my signature? I'm being irresponsible now so I can have cool stories later to remind me how boring my life has become.

 

MT isn't as unpopular as manual steering, I've never heard any one get excited about not having power steering.

 

Ah, you must not have met any Porsche or niche Honda fanboys then. They're rare but they're out there.

 

D'oh! That would explain it

 

Buddy, in Canada you can't get a SB with a manual, unless you get a pro.

Extra cab OR long box- manual
Sport long box - manual
TRD Pro short box - manual

That's it. No customized ordering as far as engine combos. We got the short end of the stick.

@op
Your so lucky you got that QS OR DC SB manual. That was exactly what I wanted, and couldn't get.

 

My 2017, 2.7 L, MT may be the last of that breed. At least, the 2018, 2.7 L is not currently offered as a MT. I wonder if Toyota will resume manufacturing the 2.7 L Tacoma in a MT ?

 

How is the AT more efficient? I was under the impression that ATs are really fancy fluid couplers. If the # of gears are the same when comparing an AT to MT, how could a fluid coupler be as efficient as a directly coupled connection. (And in the Tacoma I think it has at max 1 gear more than a “standard” MT)

I had a VW Jetta TDI with a MT and it was my favorite vehicle ever.... then I moved to a large city with massive amounts of traffic. After a few years of stop and go I had my fill of pressing in a clutch pedal for a few decades.

Had I never moved to a big city I would have probably always stuck with the MT, up to the point where I had to buy entry level vehicles. I like all the tech in the vehicle, I wish the Tacoma had the OPTION for more of it.

In my new Tacoma with the AT I think I could choose better shift points then the computer. It has the strangest shifting of any vehicle I have ever owned.

Clearly this is my openion.

 

Buddy I just checked the Canadian website, and they aren't even offering the 2.7L AT ALL ANYMORE.

 

My point is....it doesn't matter what the rest of the world has or doesn't have. In The United States there's virtually no market for manual transmissions anymore. Sure, you'll find a few models scattered here and there. But people just don't buy enough of them to justify the cost of manufacturing them for most models. If there was a demand, they would be produced.

This is the case for all manufacturers who produce products for USA consumption....not just Toyota.

I have a friend who's a product engineer for Toyota. His exact words, "no one wants them anymore".

Low volume options on a high volume product equal axed by the bean counters.

 

I understand. But few people cared or even noticed that they quit making manuals.

 

the tacoma is probably going to be one of the last non-sport cars (maybe one of the last vehicles) to be offered with a MT in America.

I think Toyota deserves a lot of respect for that.

 

I think it's down to Toyota Tacoma, Ram Diesel, and Nissan Frontier as the last remaining manual trucks in Canada or US.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

Actually the answer to this is simple.

Modern torque converters use computer controllers to engage a lock up when at cruise. There isn’t any slip once the lockup function has engaged.

The design of torque converters, and the reason they’re called a torque converter and not just a fluid coupler, is because at lower RPMs they actually increase the torque provided to the output shaft. They function as a reduction gear at low RPMs.

So in reality torque converters aren’t simple fluid connections. They never have been. Modern torque converters are high efficiency beasts that increase effective torque off the line and provide 100% efficiency when they lock up at crusing speeds. Couple that to a computer controlling shifting to optimize fuel economy and you have the reason why ATs are more efficient than manuals.

That being said being efficient doesn’t mean being drivable. Most of the 3rd Gen complaints I hear have to do with how aggressively the transmission resists shifting into what feels like the right gear, probably because the computer says it’s not. If you end up fighting the computer the efficiency goes right out the window lol.

 

I’ve had about 50/50 in my life for automatic/standard vehicles. They both have their perks but for a Tacoma I prefer the auto, especially after watching a few manuals roll backwards on trails unexpectedly.

 

Detroit has a long history of ignoring demand. They build what they want and spend the money in advertising to convince you it's what you really wanted.

 

My MR2 has a manual rack, and I assure you, it’s the bee’s fucking knees.

But yeah, I think I’ll keep the power rack in the Taco...