Are the 3rd gen 6mt trucks fun to drive compared to other manuals?

2nd is a stupid ratio no doubt. It’s literally half the gear reduction that 1st is, which is just terrible in real world use. Anywho, it’s no reason to not buy the truck. It’s not that hard to shift into 1st when moving if needed.

With the 4.30’s 1st is right where it needs to be. I don’t think anybody needs a taller 1st. I think to solve complaints about screaming in 4LO they would want a shorter 2nd. This transmission would really be better off with 2-3 moved closer to 1, a gear added between 3 and 4, and 5 deleted. There is no real need for 2 overdrives and they sacrifice the rest of the transmission’s performance to give us 2 ODs. It is dumb.

However I don’t mind winding out 1st, I take it to 5K pretty much every time. Not my favorite setup but it works.

 

I like mine, I dont like that its a bit noisy from 50-60 mph, some harmonics when letting off and getting back on the gas. 47k mi.

 

Does anyone get a 3rd gear whine with their manuals ? Mines loud when I get on it seems to only happen in 3rd . Also I agree with the terrible gearing and throttle response. Had to use 4 low on logging roads as 2nd gear is useless on any slight hill . Also reverse is retarded , will do 2 low mod soon .

 

It’s definitely fun rowing through gears in the 3rd gen Taco. Obviously not as fun as in a sports car, but My whole point of is if I’m gonna get a truck, it’s not going to be the boring “PRD” auto/CVT horse manure trans. Ive been driving standard transmission vehicles exclusively for the last 31 years and not planning on changing that either.

I picked up my 2022 TRD sport standard trans almost 3 weeks ago and I absolutely love it. Before that I had a 2016 subaru wrx and obviously you can’t compare the two, because my wrx was VERY fun to throw into corners. Prior to that I had a 2012 Hyundai Veloster stick and before that i had a 2003 Mazda protege with a custom turbo setup. Can’t say the same about the taco, but it’s not meant for that. Regardless, I love the taco.

 

It doesn't - you got it right

 

I like my clutch too much for that and usually get at least 200K+ out of them yes even with towing. Now I have only been driving a manual for 60 years and the "new" 2011 for 130K but I really don't see any thing unusual about the 6 speed. You haven't lived until you have driven a Mac Triplex.

 

Third gen is quite a bit different than the second gen.

I do feel there is 0 reason to start in second in this truck, nor pretty much any other vehicle.

 

I had a 5-speed Protege5 for 8 years, and a 6-speed Focus ST for 6 years. I’ve only driven pickups a few times, and not for very long trips…and they’ve all been automatic.

But I knew I wanted a truck - the only truck I was going to buy was a Tacoma, and there was no way I was going to get an AT with the Tacoma. If I was NOT able to get a manual Tacoma for whatever reason, it would have probably been a Ford Maverick, though as I said, I was set on a MT (and a Tacoma lol).

So anyway, I bought it before even test driving it. I had never driven a Tacoma period or a truck with a MT. It was 10pm and pouring rain when I went to leave the dealership. The clutch was way different than I was used to. And I was pretty nervous thinking, “How am I going to parallel park this in Hoboken?” I almost had a slight sense of buyers remorse the night I bought it, solely from the nervousness.

On my daily commute, I hit a ton of traffic on the way to and from work. There is a VERY steep hill on the way, 2-way traffic, barely room to squeeze by oncoming traffic with the cars parked on both sides of the street, and 3 stop signs on the way up this hill followed by a red light. The very first time taking the truck up this had me somewhat shitting bricks, but I was relieved when I made it to the top. After that first trip to work, I was so happy I got the MT. It’s definitely not a sports car, and I didn’t expect it to be. But I love shifting the gears. It’s second nature and doesn’t take any extra thought, but it feels like it’s supposed to be a part of driving.

 

dude I did the same thing.... and then I stalled it in the dealership parking lot on the say out haha

 

The current ranger isn’t available in a manual and don’t think the new one will be. I was referring to a 2003 ranger.

I’ve been aware of the tune for years and maybe I need consider it. Just annoys me that I have to pay to fix the inadequacy.

Did the tune help with the off-road issue of second gear on an incline? That’s the thing that is just unacceptable for me. It’s essentially impossible to off road over 15 mph on an incline due to inadequate torque in second.

 

I think that’s a bit of a stretch. Worst case you could get it going in 1st until you’re up to speed for 2nd. You could also go slightly slower or rev higher in 1st. I forget what the top speed in 4Lo / 6th is but I bet that’d work too

 

I've been driving my 2000 manual Ranger since it was new. I probably would have bought a new Ranger if it was available in manual. The continuing availability of the manual was a main reason I switched over to the Tacoma.

 

4 low in higher gears might help. Thanks for the suggestion. I haven’t tried that. I have my yearly camping trip coming up in a couple weeks where I need to climb a few thousand feet up a logging road. I’ll try it. May be the solution to my specific off roading issue.

But to your other point, that is my main gripe. I do get it going in first, with high revs up to about 20mph. It’s begging for second gear, and when I change, nothing. Bogs out, or I very quickly lose momentum in second and have to change back down.

The thread was asking whether the manual is good, and my personal experience over the past four years leaves me with more negatives than positives. But YMMV, and I can see how it’s probably fine for other people, uses, and driving styles.

 

The tune definetley makes the truck less dissapointing and more predictable for everyday driving. But like i mentioned before there are moments that remind you its un-natural. Its much better offroad, more send'y, my only complaint would be that with the more sensitive throttle it makes it harder to clutch feather on difficult climbs and inclines. Like the stuff you are unsure you can do but send it anyway, a manual tacoma with a tune sounds like a teenager is behind the wheel.

I did a particular 20deg obstacle on a known trail here in my city. First time i did it completely stock without tune and struggled to keep revs in 4L 1st. Second time i did it stock with a tune and struggled to keep revs below 4K and was clutching the whole way up. Neither was ideal, but i guess more power than you need is better than not enough, as usual. 2nd gear still sucks at idle-1500rpm but gets pep sooner in the low 2K-2500 rpm range.
Overall the tune screams after 2800rpm, which makes me unintentionally wind up in 1st really quickly off the line, then slow boat it in 2nd.

 

Let us know if 4Lo does the trick

 

Just tried this in 4Lo on my truck for kicks…..got up to 20mph easily in 4th and wasn’t close to 3000rpm. There was definitely room to go faster if you need to

 

I have a MT 2019 Sport. I like it a lot. Yes, it's a truck and I don't mind. My last truck was a 2008 Ranger FX4, also MT. The only real difference I can spot between the two is the Tacoma 2nd gear is too high. I could start the Ranger in 2nd if I wanted, but that is not really possible with the Taco. (yea, I tried it but the engine lugs terribly so ... don't).

However, I've driven a lot of stick over the years. My first car was a Nash Metropolitan with "3 on the tree". You had to waggle the shifter between 2nd and 3rd or you wouldn't get a gear.

My second car was a 77 Austin Mini 1000. That thing had one of the best MT I ever drove. Clutch throw was 1/2in, and gears were crisp and clean. You could speed shift up and down pretty easily as well. Loved that car.

I also had a 68 MGB. Not quite as crisp as the Mini, but still an absolute blast to drive. I had the 4-speed with the long ratio gears, not the overdrive-way-too-short geared trans. I loved that as well.

But as I said, I quite love driving the 2019 Taco Sport. I don't notice any of the issues that have been reported - no appreciable throttle lag, no revving, no clutch lag that I can really tell. Just a nice truck to drive.

 

What elevation are you at when this is happening?

 

Not as fun as my 2 wheeler! (except maybe in rain/snow )

 

4 Low is definitely the answer to that scenario. If I'm on a road/trail where I won't be exceeding 25 mph; I use low range. I have the 2 lo mod as well and often use that if 4wd is unnecessary.