are we nearing the end of the manual transmission?

I agree that the manual is going to continue to be phased out of maintstream autos, and become more of a "specialty" transmission. Really, they just don't offer any real benefits to your normal, everyday consumer besides the "fun" factor. And in a truck, I don't see it as fun to drive a manual, but that's just me. But I'm sure it will stick around to some degree in your muscle cars, sports cars, etc.

Funny that the manual in the Tacoma is getting touted as "more reliable" when there are countless threads about the 6 speeds crapping themselves left and right, harsh shifting, bad clutch, etc. I've driven manual in most of my cars until now, but it's just not a very competitive transmission option for 95% of the buying public.

 

BUAAHAHA! how do you get off assiging your opinion to others. Lets see, ill try your rhetoric on you . ..."jandrew bought an auto because a manual is so intimidating , must be over-multi-tasking , and since most poeple have a auto , doesnt want to look left out.....etc(etc is an implication that there is more but there isnt)"..... in the end i bought a manual because it came in a reg cab , which is what i wanted if it had an auto i would be just as likely to buy one. Feeble political-like cheap shots like "just right" and "boutique" , save them for YOUR decisions you made, dont assign them onto others.

 

I cant speak for the 4.0 liter which im sure the auto is faster then the manual, but in the reg cab 4x4 the new auto they put in is 2 seconds slower based on the thread here with the 2010 (or was it the 2011) specifications. As far as mpg there usually is little difference , but my manual shows 1-2 mpg better at the sticker price , im getting 26mpg at posted speed , thats why i like the setup i have.

Honestly a 2wd/4.0 isnt the biggest seller to toyota with the tacoma , but still sells well enough im sure. My guess is the buyers of those vehicles have no interest in manuals , so its in Toyotas interest , and just good marketing sense , to pull the manual from it.

 

I would venture to guess that a 2WD 4.0 PreRunner is one of the better, if not the best, selling models.

 

hope not

 

I really hope not. I have owned many vehicles over the years, and always seem to get greater longevity from the manual transmission. If you know how to truly drive one, nothing compares with the years of maintenance-free driving you can enjoy. I had 200,000 on my '96 Tacoma when I wrecked it. Everything related to the transmission and clutch were original, except tranny fluid. The automatics I have owned couldn't touch that level of service. However, as more and more drivers never learn a stick, I can see it eventually dropping off.

 

Yes , im not suggesting its not , im guessing its 4th or 5th depending how you break it down by sales numbers , and saying that the buyer for one seems to prefer an auto by a large margin.

 

I see what you're saying, but I would think that really, with all of the models of Tacoma, if you surveyed potential buyers, an overwhelming majority would have no preference for a manual. Not that they wouldn'd drive it, but they aren't going to the lot looking for a manual. There will always be some who will drive nothing but a manual. But that 5% of people isn't what keeps Toyota in business. By that logic you stated, Toyota would be smarter to drop the manual in all models.

 

Calm down kiddo. No one's saying any of those reasons are invalid or buying a manual transmission is wrong. The point is, manuals are far less in demand in the current market.

People whole seek manual transmissions do so for the reasons I listed. If you ended up with a manual because you wanted a certain vehicle configuration and transmission type was immaterial to you, that's a different story. You weren't actively pursuing a specific transmission.

I bought an auto largely because I like the convenience. It's less of a pain in the ass in traffic and offers the same level of control in offroad situations thanks to the gated shifter.

The overarching point here is that manual transmissions in non-performance vehicles will continue to be less and less common. That's not a judgement on the value of any specific component, it's just a straight shot description of what the market is doing.

Now settle down. Awful defensive there about a whole bunch of nothing.

 

Pay for a failed hydraulic pump on a semi-auto (paddle shift, etc) system and realized the extinction of your bank account Seriously though, the more basic the setup, the less likely things are to break. As a result, I think the standard trans, being a less expensive option as well, will always be around. Although, if autos really do completely take over, manuals may just become a paid option.

 

Technically yes, but auto-transmissions have been around for so long and been refined to such a degree that the statistical differences in breakage are probably immaterial. I think it's safe to say at this point that both types of trans are equally reliable, assuming they're built to the same quality standard.

This is what I expect to happen. Whenever a certain feature reaches a point where it applies to a "die hard" minority of buyers, car manus use that to squeeze a little extra profit out of that feature. The Offroad package available for our trucks is a good example. I expect within 15 years, manual trans will be an additional cost option on most vehicles (stripper grocery-getters and muscle cars/roadsters notwithstanding).

 

My thinking is if the manual dissappeared , i wouldnt worry ,i drive manual and autos at work.Its kind of like choosing a metric crescent wrench or a standard one over simplified ,....the truck will still go just fine. Toyota is dropping the manual for what is ( i believe) sound marketing , no or very little demand for the manual . Now that they offer the auto in the 2011s reg cab/4x4 im guessing they plan to drop the manual there next too. At 26 mph on the freeway with my MT , and excellent reliability, the manual couldnt be considered bad or lesser , each has a few things we would like to be better.

 

I voted yes but i do not think the manual tranny will ever end. The reason i voted yes is because i used to do valet parking, we'd get 100-200 cars a night and never more than 5 manuals. Newer sports cars like bmws and mercades, lexus, etc etc they are all automatics. It breaks my heart to see an m3 with an auto tranny but manuals just are not very common anymore unless it's a lower end sports car (like a wrx). I say lower end b/c i am comparing to sports cars at twice the price which is what i would normally see.

Will manual trannys ever end? I don't see it happening
Are they getting less common? you bet your ass they are. I bought my auto tacoma because i was told it'd be a 20 week wait to get a manual. I'd glad i did though because manual is no fun unless you have the power to play with it.

 

Manuals will still exist, they'll just become more automatic

 

I have two vehicles, and they are both manual. VIVA MANUAL!

 

Next un-winnable topic: "I saw an all electric car ,are hybrids obselete before we really see them? "

or " with abs ,traction control and radars braking for you , am i to blame if my car rams another at 90mph" .... or lettuce vs cabbage.
TW is better without all the philisophical A vs. B stuff. Back to mods for fun and ways to fix tsb's minor things etc.

 

I'll drive a manual as long as I can. However, once we go to electric engines (maybe in my lifetime lol), no more manuals, no more automatics, just forward and reverse. They don't need transmissions because of their flat torque curve.

 

You may have just tipped your hand Chris. Are you really doing the ultimate mod post?.......converting your truck to full electric?