Should i buy an MT Tacoma?

I have the M/T, and it sucks. Reverse is way too tall, the clutch engages at the top of the pedal which is normal for tacomas but weird for me, it rattles a lot and is very clunky.

The v6 has very little power under 2k, which isn’t ideal for clutch work
- if you live at altitude or somewhere hilly like Seattle or San Fran i wouldn’t recommend it

 

I only drive manuals. My 2019 Accord is a manual. But after a year in this truck, I regret getting the manual. At times it can be rewarding but most of the time it is punishment.

 

Have manual, love it for the most part but if I could do it again it would have been an AT for personal reasons and then a trip to ECGS right off the bat to regear. Everyone bitches about the stock setup but it's not engine or transmission - it's the lethargic gearing. It has a freaking .58 double OD which is far, far too tall for a naturally aspirated V6 in a truck... might as well take advantage when even 4.56 gears will only be 2300 RPM at 80 on stock tires.

 

Lol yeah

 

Manual all the way in every situation.

 

I'm all for manual from day one. However, if you get a manual you can always get an auto down the road whereas trying to get manuals is going to be harder as time goes on so enjoy it while you can. I have sat through traffic in the bay and LA in manual and still think is worth it without a second guess.

 

MT is more fun. Period.

RE: MT sucks in traffic
1) If you're only buying this thing to commute and/or want to be able to two hand your starf*cks on the way to work, why are you getting a truck anyway?
2) Learn how to drive. Quit flooring it & slamming brakes like the rest of the sheep every time the line moves up. Leave it in first and idle with the clutch out, cruise. I live in san diego, been driving a stick in traffic here for 10 years.

Zero regret on mine. OVtune is a huge improvement over stock for low rpm clutch work due to smoothing out the pedal/throttle response, but it's still fine without.

 

I drive downtown Tampa traffic, downtown Orlando traffic, downtown Miami traffic and downtown Jacksonville traffic every week in my 6MT. No problems in stop and go traffic. Maybe because Im not a pussy.

 

Agreed, usually when I'm rolling though I drop into neutral and coast up to the stop. Clutch is way softer than most. Also, no one complains that their right leg has to push down on the gas/break. Left legs need some love and something to do too haha!

Unrelated what part of SD?

 

Ive said it before, I've driven many MTs. The Tacoma has been the best for traffic. The stock flywheel will keep it rolling at 1 mph without choking even on a slight grade. Sure an AT is still easier, but for the other trade offs I'd still rather have a bigger left calf.

 

OP, I own the 2018 OR with a M/T. I've got ~18k miles on my truck and I find the transmission to be smooth and pleasurable to drive. I never drove the A/T configuration because I love to row my own gears and wanted the manual right out of the gate.

I live in a hilly part of Pennsylvania and tow a 5' x 8' utility trailer and 16' deep-V aluminum boat on a daily basis with this truck and it performs well. If you're towing/hauling with this truck on a regular basis, the only benefits the M/T gives you are 1) the ability to downshift to get you up into (and keep you in) the higher RPM range, which is where most of the torque produced by the truck's Atkinson cycle engine seems to come from and 2) the ability to downshift on steep inclines, which allows you to use engine braking to take some off the stress off the truck's braking system and reduce premature wear/tear on the rotors, drums, pads and shoes. Of course, I imagine the A/T configuration of this truck allows you to force the transmission into lower gears.

While I consider the M/T in this truck to be smooth and easy to drive, it definitely shifts/drives like a truck. For me, I've found there are basically two ways to drive this truck with the M/T - You either take your time, keep the RPMs low and granny shift between gears (most fuel efficient) or if you want to "get up on it", you wind out the engine in the lower gears, which drastically cuts your fuel mileage but provides a more sporty driving experience.

 

I think this is the problem for me. After a lifetime of driving manual CARS this is my first manual truck. After driving the Accord all week (super smooth and refined) the contrast of the Tacoma is stark. After coming out of the Accord, you try to drive he Tacoma like a car. I found the only way to drive "smooth" is to drive it slow and short shift. I bog it down and cruise under 2k rpm. You can't operate this truck in higher RPM's (at least my truck) because it constantly cuts timing then it surges violently. I try not to get into situations where I have to accelerate fast to avoid this behavior. It sucks but other have told me their's does not do this and there is something wrong with my truck. I don't know.....despite my proudly displayed "save the manuals" decal, I feel like a hypocrite saying get the manual but this thing needs some tweaking to make for a better manual experience.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keqexpfx5BI

Seems fine.

 

Manual transmission truck do make noise in neutral. They can make noise between shifts. This is the driveline unloading. The automatic trucks do not unload the driveline between shifts and neutral is rarely selected. It is just a gate passed over from reverse to drive or drive into park. They will still make the same sounds when switching direction or selecting park.

As for Manual in snow. You control the shifts and gear selection, not some ECM that thinks it knows better ( I read the OVTune explanation the Auto shift telemetry! Wow! ). In slippery conditions you can start in 2nd. You can slip the clutch. You can even rely on the traction control these trucks have. The manual and auto have the same system. It works pretty good.

I bought manual because I enjoy manual. I drive in shitty Vancouver traffic and on the Trans-Canada where you don't get out of 2nd for 60 kilometers. I would still rather have the manual.

 

OVT fixes that surge and all the associated horrible driveability problems. you can fix all that with a TSB update, if required, and a OVT flash. it will change your driving experience massively. it was the same for me before i did something about it. the factory tune you're running is a total dog from performance AND driveability standpoints.

 

I agree that reverse leaves a little left to be desired. The hardest part is when I am off-roading and need to rock back and forth in reverse/forward to get out of a rut or something and it doesn't have the torque I need to get it going.

 

The old granny gear four speeds were great but a little out of fashion now. If you want our military to use flintlocks, go back to rotary phones and want your left leg to be twice as big as your right then manual transmissions are the ticket. As an official curmudgeon its automatic all the way for me....a 2019 or newer of course.

 

Wow according to 24-7 Tacoma owners with a A/T are pussies! My A/T Tacoma is used basically for a commute vehicle to work 5 days a week. It is 15 miles each way and usually takes between 40 to 50 minutes to go that 15 miles. That is a lot of stop and go. No thanks for pushing and releasing a pedal who knows how many times! If I want to shift my A/T manually to be in the gear I choose I can do that.

 

I've been driving almost all my life stick, my last 2 trucks a 3rd gen 4runner then a 93 landcruiser and the whole time I had those trucks I wish they were stick. So I had to get the taco stick and Im a happy driver now.

 

OVtune is overpriced but necessary to wake up the truck's full potential. Very enjoyable to drive the MT with the tune. I also expect the truck to last a very long time if maintained properly. Very glad I went with the manual and can't imagine the gear searching frustration on the auto