New 4x4 tacos

MT vehicles are becoming more rare, and I would venture to say most drivers today don't know how to drive them.

I was talking with a professional Truck driver a few years back about MT, and was surprised to hear that MT is going away in the big rigs also.

Reading this thread, I did a quick search and found this recent article. Increased fuel efficiency and less driver fatigue are cited as some benefits for this "evolution".

Fwiw

http://www.trucker.com/equipment/amts-yes-or-no

 

You're definitely right about people not knowing how to drive MTs. I'd say 90% of my school doesn't know how to drive one. However, some say they can, then they try, then they find out they can't.

 

It’s cheaper, more time efficient and more MPG is most cases for automakers to ditch the manual. Don’t get me wrong I’m MT til I die, but that’s the reasoning I’ve seen over the years.

 

You changed the tune of the point between the auto and manual of a Toyota Tacoma by bringing in the high powered trophy trucks and competition rock crawlers as indictors of why automatics are supreme.

Who derailed the conversation again?

 

He also derailed it by saying that driving a auto in sport mode is like driving a manual so...

 

No, v6 manual is TDR (sport, off road)

 

And driving an auto in sport mode to emulate the feeling of driving a manual ranks right up there with our vegetarians that eat Tofurkey, or want burgers made of no meat, yet want the texture and taste to be on par with.......beef!

 

I refused to buy a VW when they tried to convince my wife and I that their triptonic system was the same thing as a manual tran, we bought a 6 speed manual Subaru Outback, despite my wife's desire to get another VW. I lived with her complaining about it not being a VW going on 7 years now, and that's still better than driving an auto trans like a manual.

 

I highly doubt any hardcore MT guys will just change their minds, regardless of technology. People who opt for a manual do it for a variety of reasons, not just one specific one. It's never because they didn't have a preference and the dealership had "the color I wanted in a manual so I just bought it".

That aside you are absolutely right that it takes less effort to drive an automatic. That is literally the only reason for buying one though. Choosing your own gears gives you more control over the vehicle. YOU get to make the choices based on road conditions, ice, snow, sand etc. You get to anticipate the need to accelerate such that when you stamp on the gas it immediately responds. Computers are great, but so is the human brain. I also have an issue with your "maintenance" comment. There is WAY more that can go wrong with an automatic. Torque converters, hydraulic pumps, ATF that degrades over time, slipping. Modern clutches last hundreds of thousands of miles and when they go it is a fairly easy and cheap repair. I put 220K miles on a civic, drove it from brand new, never changed the clutch. Drove like a top when I got rid of it. When your truck with 150K on it won't shift into reverse one day, better break out the checkbook. Not even mentioning the fact that the initial price of an automatic is over $1200 more up front. Also, selective engine breaking can save you over time on brakes and rotors.

I'm not saying you don't have a right to love your auto. Just don't fault the folks who love their manuals like they have been fooled in some way.

 

I learned how to drive on a stick. ‘95 Saturn SL1, front wheel drive and about 95 HP. No A/C, no cruise, electric gremlins and the door leaked on the driver seat when ever it rained.

If given a choice between the Saturn and any automatic car, well, I’d choose the Saturn.

3P 4 LYFE

 

Nut up and get a real clutch!!!

 

You'll pry my manual transmission from my fingers when I give up my pet dinosaur.

 

Yeah, the real "wat" is comparing Tacoma auto transmission with racing trannys or a CVT. As others pointed out, Tacoma Auto to Tacoma Manual is the comparison here. Autos are simply easier to zone out with and just drive, such as in heavy traffic. Manuals are incomparable for control in this application and in the kinds of daily drivers I've had or driven. I much prefer a manual, though I do wish I could switch to auto when sitting in traffic, but ONLY then.

Any other time I wish for a manual if I don't have one and enjoy the control of speed, acceleration, etc., that I get with a manual. I don't at all mind that I actually have to (gasp!) lift my foot often and use the ol' arm to move the stick around. If I were a racer, I probably would prefer a performance auto transmission that shifts with a paddle in 50 thousandths of a second, but I drive a Tacoma or subaru, and with their transmissions I get the best performance in a manual.

 

Back in the 70's when America had their 1st? "oil crisis"? all the talk was that by the turn of the century there would be almost no AT's offered, because it was widely believed that no AT could get the efficiency of the MT's. Wow! has this been turned around or what!
I remember thinking even back then "boy theres a lot of folks who are going to have to drive all over again"
BTW I learned to drive on a 59 Chevy station wagon with a "3 on the tree"

 

But I am in DC and bought the manual, the dealer tries to talk me out of it, "but I'm here because you have the manual"
And I drive 95 to NYC regularly. Never wished for an auto. Everyone has their own desires.

 

Not to derail the Stick shift circle jerk here, but modern emission standards have killed the stick shift as an enjoyable process IMO in this class of vehicle. Ten years ago I bought an FJ with the stick and it was terrible. Virtually every problem I had with that vehicle revolved around the transmission/clutch. I got a chance to test drive a '16 sport Tacoma with the stick recently and just wasn't impressed with it.

20 years ago it was a different story, when your choice of tranny was a 5 speed manual, or a 3 speed automatic it was a no brainer, nowadays? A stick just doesn't have the same appeal to me anymore. I love that you guys love them, I like that its still an option, but for me it's just not the same. I will say that if I were to buy a 4 cylinder Tacoma, I would probably buy the stick. Like 90% sure.

I will add that I have 0 issues with the auto in my OR which helps. If I was concerned or complaining about my trucks shifting, i'd probably look at the stick differently. Guys that have a stick read all the complaints here about the auto and "automatically"* feel better about their choices. A standard tranny does offer some advantages over the auto, but the auto does fine IMO.

And no, S mode is nothing like having a stick lol. Keep buying standard transmissions though, in 12 years I will be in the market to buy one to teach my son how to drive one.


*had to do it.
sorry not sorry

 

This is probably one of the most fair opinions I've read.

 

I meant it in a good way though. Kind of worded it wrong.

 

There are advantages to both. I love a manual, but I love my auto too. I’ve injured myself many times, where it made driving a stick very painful and the auto is nice to have then! For most daily driving, the stick is clearly more fun. I’m a magnet for traffic jams on long trips, so having the auto to be stuck in traffic for two hours is definitely a lot nicer. I’ll drive a stick until I can’t, and will just enjoy the autos from then on, but I really hate seeing how the manual option is fast disappearing in all brands.