Automatics

If you tune it properly then you won’t have any issues with the drivability.

 

Mine is better after getting a tune. Driving in the mountains, it doesn't hunt as much, seems to have more power and my MPG are up.

 

The factory tune is setup for one specific Tacoma. They don’t take into account the trim, tire size, diff ratio…

Yeah that’s a Toyota thing I’m learning. Maybe try higher octane gas?

 

My buddies older gen3 v6 auto was on the slow side compared to my 2020 access cab v6 auto. I have no issues if needing to pass anyone, or merge with traffic....truck is a rocket, it'll run with the new frontier to just above 85 mph before the frontier starts pulling away.

 

If you wanted a manual enough to actually spend the time looking for one, I think you'll be let down by the souless Automatic.

 

If you want the manual, get the manual. I was impatient and bought an auto. 4 years later I traded it in for a manual. Ironically, I considered the auto the best auto I ever owned, but the last auto was from the 1990’s.

 

I owned 93-98-2003-2008 MT and went for the AT on my 2021 Sport and love it. Not bashing the MT but at my age AT was better on the legs and old knees especially in traffic on a hill. just saying. I would love to own a newer MT as I think with the V6 it would be wild.

 

Get a manual if that's what you really want. I had a 2018 OR-DCLB that was wrecked with 30k miles on it. The transmission hunted gears for the first several thousand miles and then improved. I have a 2022 OR-DCLB with 12k miles on it, the automatic transmission is much better, no gear hunting, and it cruises at lower RPMs than the 2018 did.

 

Guys, this is an industry wide complaint it's not just Tacoma's it's all about fuel economy. Go drive a 10 speed Ford. I have a manual I am in control of that, I can do low 20 mpg on the road.

 

You only hear from people complaining about the automatic. You don’t hear from people that are fine with it because nobody runs around this forum talking about things that are fine apparently haha. Do what I did, test drive one and see for yourself. If you like it, buy it, if not, don’t. Only you can tell what’s good for you

My 21 gear hunts very rarely under certain circumstances but never enough to run screaming to the forum about. My tolerance for this truck is pretty loose, some people are wound up tight. To each their own

 

Pushing little children with their fully automatics THEY LIKE TO PUSH THE WEAK AROUND. Sorry skimming the forum and this one made System of a Down pop into my head. Carry on gentlemen.

 

I drove manuals for 25+ years and the auto is a nice change for this old coot. I still find myself going for the clutch sometimes tho LOL...

I like mine just fine, got no complaints.

 

I had a 2001 tundra before buying this 2020 tacoma. The 6 speed auto in the tacoma is so much better.

 

I prefer a MT, but got an auto tranny in my 2023 SR5 4x4 3.5. I'm not sure that I could have ever found an AC with the MT, but I love the truck and the transmission is fine. I like the ability to pick my gears if I need to.

 

The automatics don't suck as bad as the manuals. They stopped putting manual transmissions in bigger trucks actually designed for hauling or towing 30-40 years ago because automatics do everything better. Toyota and Jeep still make a few manuals for those guys who want a sports car that looks like a truck or SUV.

Even at that the problem is more with modern engines than the transmissions. The 3.5 is designed to run at high rpm to get power. Mated to a manual it sucks to have to rev to 3000-4000 rpm just to get moving in 1st or reverse on hills or with a load. It's darn near impossible to back a trailer uphill with a manual in these trucks. Old school trucks with manuals were mated to engines that got their power at around 2000-2500 rpm. Most modern engines get power at 3500-4500 rpm.

Toyota may have corrected that issue with the 4th gen engine which gets power at under 2000 rpm. That's diesel engine performance.

The torque converter in an automatic goes a long way toward helping get things moving. All automatics try to get you into higher gears sooner in order to get better fuel mileage. On paper that looks good but results in poor performance. They are designed to help meet EPA standards, not real-world problems.

Never seen an automatic that wouldn't let you do that. It's pretty simple to lock out higher gears until they are needed and let the truck run higher rpm's and lower gears for better performance. In the real world you will actually get better fuel mileage.

I left 2 weeks ago today to pull a travel trailer to Colorado with my F150, got back a couple of days ago. It's a 6 speed auto. I never used 6th gear in almost 4000 miles. In higher altitudes I used the manual mode and simply changed gears as needed. It was just like a manual except without the clutch. I crossed 5 passes right at 11,000' and numerous other 9000' passes. Came down some in 2nd gear. My 07 Tacoma is a 5 speed and I can do exactly the same thing with it and often do.

You don't need to pay for a tune. All they do is change shift points. It's easy enough to just manually keep it in the best gears for performance. Even with an automatic.