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

From 2000’ to 4500’ over about 7 miles.

 

Elevation isn't the problem then. Naturally aspirated engines loose 30-40% of their HP up around 9000-10000'. Did you ever try and switch trac off when this happens? If the ecu senses wheel spin it will cut engine hp,,, by a lot.

 

Reporting back that the suggestions of using 4Lo worked for me on semi steep dirt road climbs. I had adequate torque in third and forth gear in 4LO, where standard second gear was inadequate.

 

Top notch, glad to hear it

 

Interesting to read these comments as I recently drove a 6MT 3rd gen TRDOR for about 20 miles on 2 lane paved and gravel roads. I have about 80k miles on my own AT 3rd gen TRDOR. I grew up in an MT only family, got my license in 1972 and have pretty much always owned at least one MT car, plus a zillion motorcycles. That said, after six years I’ve come to terms with the 3rd gen V6 and AT combo.

So, I was actually surprised at how much the manual transformed the driving experience. Compared to my wife’s Golf with a slick shifting 5 speed and torquey 1.8T motor, the MT Taco wasn’t particularly sporty. The engine power band is still doggy at low rpm. But the shifter and clutch feel were fine, no throttle hang that I noticed (the VW actually exhibits some when cold on 1-2 shifts). The big difference was effortlessly and instinctively picking the gear I wanted, with the resulting power or engine braking I wanted. The result was a much greater feeling of control. I won’t trade in my truck on an MT, but if it got totaled and I could find an MT replacement, I’d probably go that route. I will say that I was on a 4 day road and off-road trip with the MT owner, at least 100 miles of 4HI, similarly loaded and equipped vehicles, and my AT got consistently better mpg.

 

If you need somebody to t-bone you, let me know. Some of my friends are pretty shit drivers and are well suited for the task

 

Hello again, OP here. I decided I'd leave an update post here for anyone who had the same question as me. There's going to be a fair amount of text, so I apologize in advance.

I received my 2022 TRD Off Road 6mt 8 days ago, and have been enjoying it since. To answer my own question, YES, the Taco 6mt is fun to drive! That being said, if you buy manual transmission vehicles for driving fast and/or mountain road racing, STEER CLEAR lol. Comparing the Taco to my 05 Corolla, the clutch on the taco feels extremely heavy. This is because the clutch slave cylinder is driven by hydraulic fluid, as opposed to a cable. The bite point is also relatively high up in the clutch pedal's travel. The clutch being heavier isn't necessarily a bad thing, just something you'd have to get used to. The shifter in the taco is miles better than my Corolla's. The direct linkages feel solid, (albeit clunky) and the shifter gives you feedback when changing gears (exactly what I was hoping for). The shift knob and shift boot also feel well-built. As for the gearing, first gear is EXTREMELY short. I understand that it is geared for crawling off road, but it feels weird having a rev it up high just to get from 0-10 mph. All the other gears are fine, and I enjoy having a 6th gear for cruising. Also note that there isn't a real reverse lockout, so learn to shift without being forceful. With reverse being next to 1st gear, it is easy for new drivers to accidentally shift into reverse instead of 1st gear. The only category in which my Corolla wins is in throttle response. The throttle on the Tacoma does not open the throttle body as quickly as I thought it would. This leads to difficulty in rev matching, and smooth shifts. However, I can overlook the lazy throttle when I remember that the taco has 278 horsepower, and it accelerates with ease. To summarize, yes the taco 6mt is fun to drive, and I would recommend it to anyone who is considering it.

 

Well it's not as fun as a WRX or a Legacy GT but it's way more fun than an Automatic. That's all I got.

 

IMO the old 89-94 trucks were a lot more fun. Not much power but they were as light as a modern sports car and had 4.56 gears. No rev hang, nice clutch and shifter feel.

Anything is better than the 3.5L 6AT here in the mountains though. Especially if you upsize the tires and start adding weight.

 

Glad you like it. You made the right call.

 

The manuals are in a league all their own, especially when you ask the question "is it fun to drive".

 

2,200 miles with the 6MT and love it still. When it was first breaking in, there were a few occasions where 1st gear engagement got tricky (snychro not fully broken in?). Anyhow, if I had to buy another Taco tomorrow it would definetly be another 6MT as I love it.