Single Cab Manual vs Automatic

I got rid of my "98" 4 cyl., 4X4, manual, that was fine, & got a 2013 4 cyl., 4X4 auto. & not satisfied at all. My driving is usually around 60 mph. & at that speed the auto. seems to be straining all the time. I've found the reg. cabs with the auto. or manual both come with 4.10 gears. The manual transmissions are "geared lower" than the auto. The higher gearing of the auto. makes a lot of difference. If the auto. had 4.56 gears, that would have them geared down to appx. where the manual is with the 4.10 gears. Wish Toyota had done that. I've been running mine in 3rd, instead of dr. & it does a lot better. I've also been keeping up with fuel, I've seen little to no change in fuel mileage. I do no off-roading, I'm old & power doesn't mean as much as it yrs. ago, but my opinion, don't get a 2.7, 4X4 with auto. they are really weak puppy's. Just my opinion.

 

Reading this thread, it seems that everybody has a different use case. In terms of the manual vs. auto issue for a 4 cyl, it would seem to depend a helluva lot on how you do most of your driving. I have a 2007 reg cab 4 cyl 4x4 manual, and would never want auto. But I drive mostly secondary roads, hilly roads, twisty roads, back roads, dirt roads, some rough - like the road up to my house. And I like to drive.

If I mostly commuted on the smoove straight flat highway, or in stop'n'go kind of traffic, well, that would be different. For starters, I wouldn't be driving a taco But, mercifully, that is not my life, and I am mostly puttering around, up to the barn store, getting hay, getting firewood, moving goats and sheep around, that sort of thing. Very much a working truck, scars and all.

Also, I've always lived in snow country, and we have quite a mud season in the Spring. I've never owned a vehicle with an automatic transmission. Driving a vehicle with an auto trans always feels to me like driving a boat.

Damn, I love my little truck

 

This only makes sense if you are on crack. High maintenance like jamming gear lube in it every 60k? Very needy...

Single cabs look cool and are nice in tight trails but suck for many reasons:
-tough to resell
-no V6 option
-no TRD option
-incredibly small interior

I would avoid the auto like the plague unless you want something anemic.

 

Fixed it for ya.

 

When I did my research before getting my 07 4.0 v6, manual, everything I read said to get the v6 manual. I had hoped to find a single cab, last made in 2014 though. It took months to find one, I almost bought a new 2019 trd or 4 wheel drive. It was an access cab, not single cab, strike 1. I didn’t want 4wd, strike 2. I test drove it with a auto trans 3.5 v6 and test drove the 4.0 manual.

Toyota claims the new 3.5 has more power, it didn’t feel like it. Could be due to parasitic loss through the auto transmission and 4wd transfer case.

So I ended up paying at least $20k less going used. In my mind, it gives me permission to spend that much on upgrades.

 

I've got 2014 base model 4x4 automatic and a 2008 base model 4x2 manual - both in single cabs. Bought my 14' years before I bought my 08'. My 14' auto gets 18/19 MPG and used to get 19/20 or so before I added some weight. (265/70/R16 DuraTrac tires and SOS bolt on sliders,), also have an LCE header. I paid around 20k for it in 15' or 16' with 11k miles on the odometer. At 75k I've not had any issues what so ever, well worth the investment, absolutely love driving it and plan to keep it. Do i wish sometimes it was a manual? Sometimes I do, but then again I came across a base potato 5 speed for that. I really enjoy driving both.

Is it worth it? Depending on condition and how bad you want it. If i was in the market again, I'd probably be interested and definitely be ready to negotiate.

 

My only Tacoma is my 07 extra cab V6 manual. I love the 6 and the manual BUT I never drive in the city and this is not daily driver although it could be.

I bought this for my son to learn to drive. It is a very easy manual to drive because it has plenty of torque.