Do you like cruise control?

I have to agree .... have never experienced any troubles.

 

Hey .... pass me another dounut .

 

I don't have it on my 2002 plain jane and only miss it on the 13 hour drive from SWFL to WNC and back once a year.

 

This is the first vehicle I have had cruise on. I won't have another without it. Works perfect. Even with the six speed I rarely have to shift the trans down at 70mph.

 

I personally hate it. If im going 70 with it on and i hit the smallest hill i will downshift till its at 3500rpms and hold it even after ive crested the hill. I only use it on flat roads now.

 

I like having cruise control for long trips, but like almost everyone else on here I hate how it downshifts just to pick up 2MPH on a tiny hill

 

Toyotas have always done this though.

Even our old 2000 Seqouia was a bitch on that kind of thing.

My old Grand Cherokee was elite on the cruise control, steady cruise and steady acceleration on hills.

 

It's one of those things that doesn't get used daily but when I'm on those road trips away from heavy traffic then it's a joy. It has to be on multi-lane less crowded trips before I'll kick it in.

Those of us that live in "square" states need it IMO.

Also I think that as automatic transmissions gain more gears they shift between those gears more often. Older 3-speed A/T stayed put. I did like my Acura with a M/T and cruise but every once in awhile I would catch it lugging down in 5th gear and the cruise on. You need to pay more attention with an M/T and hilly roads.

 

I find that the downshifting for hills is smoother and more appropriate since I had the transmission program updated.

 

I wish there was a way to simply lock in throttle position. In a low traffic daily commute situation you could really maximize fuel economy. Just set it 50 mph on a flat stretch and go. Sure you're gonna drag down to 35 mph on a hill but the computer isn't ripping open the throttle to maintain speed. This would definitely piss off other drivers, but for my daily 40mi round trip commute in a rural setting it would be ideal, and a seemingly simple electronic function to enhance the challenge of maxxing mpg.

 

I love cruize control but hate it on the Tacoma. My wife's 2001 Sequioa has an AWESOME cruize control. It doesn't "floor it" when going up hill, it maintains the speed within ~1mph and is awesome. I think they took the SAME cruize control off of the ~6800lb. Sequoia and slapped it on the Tacoma.

 

Problem with that would be the downhill stretches... with the throttle locked to make you go 50mph on flat ground you'd be at 70+ doing down a hill.

 

I drive for a living and CRUISE is sweet NOT LAZY ....My Mack "Office" is actually "Fun" to drive with Cruise...pushing buttons with an Allison ...

Now onto the Tacoma,yes going uphill with any kind of load gets that "Kick Down" but it levels out and my MPG's cruising back & fourth to work are ....plus how dam hard is it to pull on that stalk and "give it some"..

Now if you have the Toyota V-6 the cruise is double ...My trips to Vermont across I-89 or family "runs to Florida" got fantastic MPG's ,no driver fatigue and made life fun....

 

I have to agree with the rest of the 6 spd. folks and say that I love it. I bought this vehicle as a recreation vehicle not as a daily driver. My intentions were to use it for road trips and off road excursions. The day I bought it I drove it home to California from the dealer in Denver and used the cc extensively. Chugs uphills without even the slightest hiccup.

 

Never use it.


****Also to the ones that do NEVER use it while it is raining! For those that don't know. If you hydroplane & cruise control is on, it will make it worse.

 

It's ok, not a huge fan but on roads with speed traps or unreasonably low speeds i use it, also on the highway. I really like Toyota's location for the cruise i keep my hand there while interstate driving i hate my sisters civic cruise controls.

 

Cruise control is a very nice feature to have. But it has its limits like everything else. You can't expect it not to drop gears when going up hill, so use your foot while going up hill and then switch back to cruise. I'm a truck driver and I drive cross country. Two trips ago my cruise control stopped working and I had to drive from Cali to New York and back to Cali with no cruise control. I hated my life.

 

Just to stir the pot.......The Frontier has a nice toggle style switch on both sides. Even better than the Honda IMO.
http://trucks.about.com/od/2006nissanfrontiertrucks/ig/2006-Nissan-Frontier/Nissan-Frontier-Dash.htm
The real question, is how Toyota thinks an extra stalk is acceptable, especially one that has to be activated every time the truck is started.

 

Love it. Not for everyday use, of course. I think that is why they call it "cruise" control. Best for cruising conditions...

I think it is excellent in my 01 5-speed V6. On big hills at freeway speeds, it just keeps going, no need to downshift. BTW, if you need to downshift, generally you are no longer in "cruising" conditions. I feel sorry for you guys with automatics that misbehave.

The control placement is good. Mounted on, but behind, the wheel (it roatates with the wheel, so you can operate it by fingertip (and by feel) while keeping your hands on the wheel.

I like how I can even do single clicks up and down to adjust speed by 1 mph increments. This is an excellent way to tweak speed if the traffic starts getting a little heavier, but not too heavy to switch it off.

Us OLDER folks do appreciate the ability to shift around and change positions on longer drives. Just you 20-something whippersnappers wait...

I am headed for a 6-hour drive to Bishop CA this week. I can't wait to use it...

 

Mine does this, especially if I have tapped the break and then reengage the CC. It will speed up to like 10 over what I had it set at, jump gears and then settle back to the set speed. Kind of annoying, but better than no cruise.