Manual Transmission Question - How smooth/easy are the shifts?

I'm in the market for a new vehicle and I'm heavily leaning towards a new Tacoma. I would prefer the manual but non of the dealerships around me have one in stock for me to test drive. My wife would be driving the truck occasionally and she's a bit leery of a manual tranny. It's been 20 years since she's driven one and I'm worried that the combination of a high profile vehicle with a manual transmission might be too much for her. So as the subject indicates, I'm curious if the transmission is easy to shift. Also how about the clutch? Does it take much effort to engage? The automatic transmission may be the safer bet for us but there is something about rowing my own gears that appeals to me. Thanks for the input!

 

I don't have any actual experience on 3rd gen manuals, I gave up on manuals about 20 years ago, but there's no way I'd be making that kind of purchase without a test drive first. I wouldn't rely on what instanetz told me.
GL

 

I have a 2019 MT. Super easy to drive and, like anything, it gets even better with practice. The biggest difficulty you will have is finding one.

 

Easy to shift. Modern manuals in trucks like this are more akin to manuals in older cars and not the manuals in older trucks. Toyotas always tend to have a little clunk going into 2nd, not a problem. Most people will do the accumulator delete mod which removes compliance from the clutch's hydraulic actuation system which gives a more connected feel. This may not work best for your wife. The most difficult part I've found for certain individuals is getting through the detent to get to reverse, especially if you decide on any kind of short throw shifter mod.

Just get it, there's nothing to it.

 

Transmission in my taco is one of the smoothest I’ve ever driven, I love it.

 

I ordered my 2017 manual with out test driving. If you even think you want the manual, go get one. If you know how to drive manual, you won’t have an issue. Some have dumped their auto gear hunters for the shift yourself models.

 

Clutch is light and smooth. The throw might be a hair longer than what you would get with other manuals, but you get used to it quickly. Go for the manual!

 

It’ll likely be one of the last chances you have to buy a manual transmission! Go for it!
The only complaint I had was the tall reverse gear for reversing trailers, the 2lo mod fixes that problem.

 

smooth for a truck, but it's a preference thing and you'll have to conclude for yourself.

i found it smooth but also soft and numb. so i went nuts fixing all that. it's all fixable, the Tacoma is a paradise if you like to mod & tweak, and all the resources can be found here on TW . never met a stock vehicle i liked out of the box.

i find the transmission itself solid and appropriate, it's all the other little things that needed attention in my case: shifter, clutch, accumulator, pedal assembly, throttle control, etc.

 

The manual is clunky as shit …you really have to time the shifts to get smooth shifts . For a new driver learning how to drive a stick they will probably burn the clutch out .

 

^ this.

I can't imagine driving my truck without the 2LO mod.

As far as shifting, I've driven manuals my entire life, and the Tacoma just takes practice to get it smooth. There is still a small jerk-thunk going into 2nd but I've found that by revving it a tiny bit higher and taking a split-second longer to complete that shift it reduces both the jerk and thunk a lot. The world is moving away from manual transmissions, so if you can find one then I suggest getting it.

My little Kia Spectra has the best transmission I've ever driven. It guides you into each gear up/down you literally just have to push the stick forward or pull it backward no matter what gear you're in, smooth as silk. The Koreans know how to do it right, Toyota could learn a lot from them...

Plus, teach your kids (if you have any) how to drive a manual, it is a good skill for them to be able to drive anything out there in an emergency (think weekend high school parties driving drunk friends home regardless of car.)

 

Once you do the accumulator delete, the clutch is fine. As someone else mentioned, the throws are a little long so I put in the URD short throw and really like it.

 

I ordered my taco without test driving as well.

 

No regrets a year in with my 2020 TRDOR MT. As mentioned, reverse geared way too high. Might tackle accumulator delete mod this weekend, hopefully helps the numb clutch feel.

 

Are you comparing it to other manual transmission trucks? Or a car?

 

I test drove three different MTs over a year before buying. I'd only ever driven a TJ wrangler 5 speed, and it was only a weekend vehicle. So I was a bit nervous about daily driving a manual. I had a 2013 Tacoma with the 4.0 and 5 speed auto and just couldn't stand it. It upshifted too early, especially when it was cold outside. It was a long year of soul searching but I decided one day I'm getting the new MT. I had to drive all the way to Pheonix from Salt Lake City to get one cause everyone and their dog in SLC (and Idaho) wants a manual Tacoma. When I got to Pheonix, the salesman freaked cause he never asked me if I knew it was a manual. I knew lol. I bought it. I had to redline it on the test drive (yikes) to get out of the way for a firetruck. Drove it home to SLC the next day. The next few months were frustrating, I'll admit. I wanted to shift perfectly. I'd also never driven a manual up mountain roads. I stalled it on a hill going to my local ski resort. Everyone honked at me cause I held up traffic. My buddy laughed til he cried. But at some point, I stopped really thinking about it, rev'd it out more (to 3k RPM) and shifted slower, and now I love it. Took me 8 months or so to really love it. I am very picky though, so take my experience with a grain of salt. I have been complimented by no less than 10 middle aged men (no women, lol). You definitely need to use more throttle than the torquey wrangler I had. Also, at 3k RPM, the truck comes alive, FYI. That is pretty nice.

 

At ~$15 its by far the best bang for your buck mod available, imo

 

I ordered mine without a test drive after driving my 6MT 2006 Nissan Xterra 305,000 miles on the original clutch. The Tacoma is silky smooth, snickety snick. Your wife should have no trouble mastering it. The only complaint I have is that it is geared too high, both in reverse (fixed with the 2lo mod) and because 5th and 6th gears are both overdrives. I have a cabin in the mountains and sometimes I need 4th to keep me at 75 MPH. Otherwise, no complaints. Go for it. If Nissan had kept their 6MT on the Frontier, I would not have bought the Tacoma, but their loss is Toyota’s gain.

 

Just got my factory-order manual a few weeks ago, upgrade from my Gen2 manual. Smooth and effortless to drive. Only complaint I have is adding the TRD shift knob which I find too bulky for my liking. Going to replace with factory once I get around to it.

 

What?


Please don’t spread misinformation. If it’s “clunky as shit” you really need to work on your footwork. This is one of the easiest and smoothest transmissions I’ve ever driven.